With the proliferation of AI principles worldwide1, industry is faced with a new challenge: how to implement these AI principles?
Since 2017, the international committee responsible for the standardization of AI (SC 42) has been tackling this challenge: it is developing standards covering both technical and organisational specifications to enable responsible and trustworthy AI.
Forty-four countries are currently involved in the work of SC 42, and Australia plays an active role in the development of the AI international standards, as it has formed standards committee IT-043 to be Australia’s voice at SC 42.
When it comes to AI, it is essential to provide for interoperability and global governance, and this is why AI international standards have the buy in from key governments (such as China, the US and the EU).
Australia has also identified AI standards as an important national priority. In March this year, Standards Australia released its Artificial Intelligence Standards Roadmap, where it sets out 4 goals with the aim to ensure that “Australians are makers and not just takers”2 of standards:
- Ensure Australia can effectively influence AI standards development globally
- Increase Australian business’ international competiveness in relation to responsible AI and streamline requirements in areas like privacy risk management.
- Ensure AI-related standards are developed in a way that takes into account diversity and inclusion, ensures fairness, and builds social trust.
- Grow Australia’s capacity to develop and share best practice in the design, deployment and evaluation of AI systems.
Read the full text of the An Artificial Intelligence Standards Roadmap: Making Australia’s Voice Heard.
Author
Aurelie Jacquet is Chair of Australian Standards Committee for Artificial Intelligence & Member of the Australian AI Working Group.
Footnotes
- Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University – viewed 8 Apr 2020
- Standards Australia Artificial Intelligence Standards Roadmap – viewed 8 Apr 2020
