Australian AI Safety Forum 2024: A Landmark Event in Shaping AI Safety and Governance
Author Kathy Nickels
Date 12 November 2024
The inaugural Australian AI Safety Forum 2024, hosted at and supported by the University of Sydney last week, marked a significant step in Australia’s growing involvement in the global dialogue around AI safety and governance.
The two-day interdisciplinary event built on the momentum created by the establishment of state-backed AI Safety Institutes in the UK, US, and other countries, and the recent release of the Interim International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI.
The Forum took the Interim International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI as its scientific foundation, using its technical findings to frame and advance discussions on policy and governance within the Australian context.
The event brought together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to address the critical challenges posed by advanced artificial intelligence.
Professor Kimberlee Weatherall, ADM+S Chief Investigator from The University of Sydney and one of the event organising committee members said, “introductory talks on the state of AI, AI safety and AI governance sought to create a common ground among researchers coming from very different disciplines and – if the enthusiasm and energy of the conversations in and outside the formal sessions is anything to go by – activated strong interest in understanding different perspectives on AI safety and governance questions.”
Distinguished speakers included:
- Marcus Hutter, Australian National University
- Hoda Heidari, Carnegie Mellon University
- Johanna Weaver, Tech Policy Design Centre, Australian National University
- Atoosa Kasirzadeh, Carnegie Mellon University
- Ryan Kidd, ML Alignment & Theory Scholars (MATS)
- Seth Lazar, Australian National University
- Nitarshan Rajkumar, University of Cambridge
The Forum provided a platform for rigorous discussions on technical aspects of AI safety, including the science of AI alignment, safety engineering, and risk assessment. Participants also actively explored the governance challenges around regulating advanced AI technologies and how Australia specifically can contribute to the development of international AI safety frameworks.
By creating a space where technical researchers, legal experts, industry leaders, and policymakers can come together, the event sought to help Australia and Australians play a key role in the development of a safer, more responsible AI future.
The inaugural event was organised by the following committee members:
- Tiberio Caetano, Gradient Institute.
- Liam Carroll, Gradient Institute and Timaeus.
- Daniel Murfet, The University of Melbourne.
- Greg Sadler, Good Ancestors Policy.
- Kim Weatherall, The University of Sydney.
- Geordie Williamson, The University of Sydney.
ADM+S Members Dr Sarah Erfani, Dr Henry Fraser, Miriam Nadeem, Dr Aaron Snoswell, Simon Taylor and Prof Kimberlee Weatherall made significant contributions through their participation in this event.
The Forum was supported by the University of Sydney Digital Sciences Initiative IGNITE scheme, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, as well as Open Philanthropy.
