The Department of Customer Service’s Centre for Work Health and Safety is developing a new tool to help Government Agencies and businesses manage the work health and safety (WHS) risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI).
Director of the Centre, Skye Buatava said around 70 per cent of Australian companies were expected to adopt at least one type of AI technology by 2030.
“While AI may provide efficient solutions to business operations, there are new potential work health and safety risks to workers,” Ms Buatava said.
“We are conducting further research to establish evidence-based actions businesses can take to help address identified risks, while developing a user-friendly AI WHS Risk Management Tool,” she said.
“We are also looking into how this technology impacts safety in service delivery, administration and regulation, including those provided by Government Agencies.”
Ms Buatava said the Centre had instigated two studies which together had identified over 50 risks to inform the Tool’s development.
The Centre Director said one of those studies, conducted in partnership with the University of Adelaide, was exploring the ethical use of AI at work and the other, in partnership with Charles Sturt University, was examining how businesses could trust new processes.
“WHS risks were found to be present throughout the planning, implementation and continued use of AI technology, and it is crucial that we understand these risks now and provide guidance to businesses before AI becomes mainstream,” she said.
“So far we have consulted with more than 80 experts from business, Government and academia – the feedback and planning we are undertaking now will go a long way to ensuring workplace safety as the technology becomes available,” Ms Buatava said.
