At KJR, we’re committed to helping organisations understand these frameworks and adopt AI responsibly. Many organisations are hesitant to adopt AI due to perceived risks. The key is to move from a fear-based approach to a risk-based mindset. Start small – identify a single AI use case, develop proportional controls, and build from there. The Voluntary AI Safety Standard provides a good checklist of things to consider when putting appropriate governance controls in place, and the Foundational AI Risk Assessment guideline developed by the QLD government provides a very practical approach to risk assessment. These approaches are built on more detailed international standards, but are more accessible for everyday use. 

In our a recent VDML podcast episode on practical AI assurance, we had the pleasure of having two distinguished guests: James Gauci founder of Ethē, an AI governance platform, and Sean Johnson of Lakefield Drive, who works extensively with boards on developing AI policy and adoption strategy. It was great conversation and there’ll certainly be a need for a part two, but some key takeaways include:

• Ignoring AI is not a practical option: turning off AI to avoid regulations is more prevalent than expected at the moment, but as AI becomes embedded in our everyday tools, the need to have the right governance processes, staff training, and most importantly, the right organisational culture of responsible AI usage will be essential to avoid harm. Attempting to block legitimate use of AI-enabled tools will only serve to create a culture of clandestine usage which will simply increase risk, rather than reduce it.

• Appropriate regulation is an innovation enabler: Australian frameworks for responsible AI usage give clarity around the steps required to ensure that AI can be used for the benefit of all. By setting out specific expectations around processes like risk assessment, testing and monitoring, and transparency around AI usage, organisations wanting to use AI to enhance the way they work can be more confident about investing in AI-enabled solutions without exposing themselves to unexpected risks that might emerge from inappropriate usage of AI or from AI solutions that are inherently unsafe in a specific context.