Liberal MP Andrew Hastie recently recounted an incident at a parliamentary inquiry, highlighting the shortcomings of American run artificial intelligence. When a man with a terminal illness wrote to Hastie, his local MP, informing him of his plan for voluntary assisted dying, Microsoft Copilot suggested inappropriate replies. The American run software offered phrases like "congratulations!", "great to hear from you", or "that is wonderful news!".
Hastie shared this episode to underscore the deficiencies of such software. He emphasized the importance of developing artificial intelligence systems run by Australians. The parliamentary inquiry also heard from a cyber chief, who stated that artificial intelligence technology is necessary to defend against highly capable malicious cyber actors.