CSIRO outlines Australia’s path to becoming an AI powerhouse

Australia should become a global artificial intelligence leader if it plays to its strengths and turns its world-class AI research into commercial opportunities.

A CSIRO report has identified 31 potential application domains that can help Australia become a globally competitive artificial intelligence maker and exporter. The top five are livestock production, medical technology, horticulture, optometry and dermatology.

The report, commissioned by the National AI Centre, found Australia produces 1.6% of global artificial intelligence research. However, just 0.2% of global artificial intelligence patents originate from inventors who live in Australia.

National AI Centre director Stela Solar said Australia would do much better if it could patent, commercialise and apply research to specific domestic and global challenges.

“This could boost Australia’s international competitiveness, attract investments, foster talent growth and fuel the development of new sectors and jobs,” Solar said.

“AI is the lifeblood of modern innovation, and Australia has the cutting-edge research capability to create globally competitive AI solutions.

“We have the leading players on the court and need a gameplay that translates this capability into goals.”

Lead author Dr Stefan Hajkowicz, who is a chief research consultant at CSIRO’s Data61, said Australia must improve its artificial intelligence specialisation.

“Australia’s AI ecosystem is experiencing rapid growth, specialisation and diversification, and we need to keep applying innovative AI to areas Australia already leads on a global scale,” Hajkowicz said.

The report includes some key insights:

• 544 artificial intelligence companies operate in Australia. This is on par with other leading countries, such as Canada.
• 396 artificial intelligence companies have opened in Australia over the past 10 years; 204 of these were created over the past five years (7.7% year-on-year growth).
• Most Australian artificial intelligence companies provide data services that develop and optimise AI capabilities, including data analysis and management.
• More than half (296) are clustered in eight hotspots across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

Innovation hotspots develop industry-specific AI opportunities, said report co-author and Data61 senior research scientist Dr Alexandra Bratanova.

“Homegrown AI solutions can be higher in quality, tailored to domestic needs and more aligned to our values of safe and responsible AI products than those from big international AI providers,” said Bratanova.

“Each AI cluster has between six and 146 AI companies with an average distance between two being only 80 metres. This proximity is likely to facilitate collaboration, knowledge sharing and skills development.”

The authors believe the report could help government agencies at all levels support the artificial intelligence industry and job growth.

This article was first published by The Mandarin.