National AI Centre unveils a plan to increase skills and businesses adopting AI.

The Australian National AI Centre has unveiled ambitious goals to boost the quality of AI business adoption in the field of “AI vibrancy” within two years. The center will achieve this by confronting the nation’s AI “hard truths” and moving towards an overall AI mission of sustainable and inclusive opportunities for everyone as per CSIRO.

On Tuesday, the nation’s science agency, responsible for establishing the new center, held its first event to unveil how the nation’s premier National AI Centre intends to function and the areas in AI it will be focusing on.

The center will create and grow an existing group that includes Australian AI experts rather than making or commercializing AI technology. It is actively looking for the foundational partners that can join its inaugural partner Google.

The first focus is three areas: AI at scale, responsible AI, and Diversity and Inclusion. An overall mission statement will steer the center.

“Our mission is to activate Australia’s AI capability to create responsible and inclusive opportunities for every person, every business and the country,” stated National AI Centre director Stela Solar who was brought in to oversee the project from Microsoft’s AI team worldwide.

The center was officially inaugurated in the last quarter of 2013 as an element of the government’s AI Action Plan. Still, Tuesday marked the center’s first public appearance as an organization, with the first of which was a CSIRO Livestream featuring Mrs. Solar and Data61’s Dr. John Whittle.

“We must adopt a national approach to AI. We’re a small nation, and if we would like to be a top actor on the international scene, we have to unite and collaborate,” Dr. Whittle said.

“And this is the reason the national AI centre was created to do. It’s designed to prevent fragmentation within the AI ecosystem, to work both internationally and as a nation and to further enhance our very, very robust AI infrastructure.”

The center has set the three challenging “core objectives” around improving employees’ skills and business adoption “AI vibrancy.”

While Australia has a great international image for its AI proficiency, it’s lower than the global average in AI general skills, according to Ms. Solar declared.

“The hard truth is that currently when we look at the cross section of our population, we are below global average in AI and technology skills,” she stated.

“We are experts, but we also have the chance to extend that expertise all over the world. We hope to get it to 2024, which is above the average for global growth.”

Businesses are also not embracing AI in Australia, and Ms. Solar noted market research which found that local businesses are aware of the power of AI. Still, many don’t know how to begin. This is why the Centre’s second aim is to increase AI adoption among Australian enterprises in 2024.

“We really have a challenge and an opportunity in front of us to step up with our imagination to step up with our entrepreneurialism and really gain confidence in our own abilities which are strong,” Ms. Solar stated.

The national center is also aiming to elevate Australia’s position between 11th and eighth place according to the worldwide AI economic index of vibrancy, which is compiled by Stanford University and measures countries worldwide. AI environments.

Ms. Solar acknowledged that the jump in the ranking was a “bold ambition” but said she was confident that there was a plan to get there.

“We know that we have the strategy in place to achieve that. The AI centre in Australia is uniquely placed to be the central for Australia’s AI capabilities as well as coordination and amplification.”

Ms. Solar stated that Australia’s latest AI goals stem from a strong knowledge base. However, they are in the midst of an international “AI and technology race” that is a massive but narrowing potential for economic growth for Australia.

In 2019, CSIRO estimated the potential economic benefits from AI to Australia to be $315 billion.

The federal government has announced the AI Action Plan, which includes the CSIRO National Centre, which the CSIRO runs along with graduate programs and several competitive grants.

CSIRO has received $44.79 million for four months under the AI Action Plan to run the Centre and programs for graduate students and at universities. However, the Centre is also seeking partnerships from industry to help the Centre.

Earlier this month, the National AI Center announced Google as its initial foundational partner. The Centre is now seeking additional partners in Australia and around the world.

Foundation members pay an annual cost of membership of £250,000 and participate in creating “trusted pathways to AI,” including frameworks, demonstrations, AI tools, and c-suite guidelines developed by the center. Collaborations with AI missions and international partnerships can also be arranged for the fee that is custom-designed, and people can sign up as the AI Capability Member at no cost. The center will also provide special projects for companies that deal with areas like developing skills and research.