Month: August 2025

On 22 August, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering (ATSE) released Made in Australia – Our AI Opportunity, a bold action statement co-authored by CIRES Centre Director Shazia Sadiq and CIRES Strategy Board Member Sue Keay, calling for strategic investment in sovereign AI capability. The report proposes a mission-based approach, including the creation of AI factories—regional hubs for talent, research, and innovation—to ensure Australia’s position as a global leader in safe, sustainable, ethical, and high-impact sovereign AI.

Read the Made in Australia AI Action Statement.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is radically reshaping work, education and security in Australia, and is officially recognised as a critical technology in government policy. How we harness it will impact the nation’s economic prosperity, national security and continuing innovation.

The global race to build AI capabilities is accelerating, and it is incumbent on us to harness our comparative advantages and secure control of our data and digital systems. Without timely and comprehensive public and private investments in sovereign AI capability, Australia runs the risk of becoming dependent on foreign technology providers with their own commercial and national interests.

Australia already has the ingredients to develop sovereign AI capability, and is ready to leverage these, with appropriate government leadership and investment. ATSE proposes a mission-based approach, with AI factories located across Australia: the jewel in the AI crown around which talent and partnerships will develop. This statement outlines how targeted investment in a strong national AI capability can position Australia as a global leader in safe, sustainable, ethical and high-impact sovereign AI. It shows how these investments will give us the autonomy we want as a nation whilst enhancing productivity and prepare the nation for future transitions in manufacturing and knowledge work, unlocking value across the entire economy.

This statement builds on ATSE’s 2022 vision statement, Strategic Investment in Australia’s Artificial Intelligence Capacity.

CIRES PhD Researcher Pa Pa Khin travelled to Canada in August to present at AMCIS 2025 on the challenges industries face in identifying and managing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) within Systems of Engagement. It was a great opportunity to emphasise the importance of controlling sensitive and vital information, which we share and use informally, ad hoc, or formally across diverse collaboration and communication systems, and its value creation. Pa Pa’s work introduces a foundational framework, a locus for control with five key elements in place.

“I am happy to share that our paper, “From Chaos to Clarity: Identifying and Managing Personally Identifiable Information in Systems of Engagement”, was presented at the Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS) 2025 organised by the Association for Information Systems. Together with A. Prof Paul Scifleet, we explore the significant challenges organisations face in identifying and managing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) within Systems of Engagement, as described in the current industry discourse. Based on our findings, we develop a locus for control for sensitive and vital information management with five key elements in place (i) the identification and location of information assets, (ii) their traceability, (iii) protection and security, (iv) compliance and governance, (v) use and value creation.”

Thanks to CIRES and our industry partner Astral for supporting this work.