Australia will establish an Office of AI to coordinate artificial intelligence standards and oversee major data centres as the government prepares new laws on their energy and water use, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday (15 July).
The office will sit within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, giving ministers a whole-of-government mechanism after what Albanese described as a sector-by-sector response to the technology.
Speaking in Sydney, Albanese said Australia had moved beyond the question of whether AI would transform the economy and now had to decide what the technology should look like in the country.
He said the approach would give investors clearer approval pathways and a more streamlined compliance process, while planned legislation early next year would set rules on where major data centres are built and how much power and water they use.
The announcement comes as Australia seeks to position itself as a leader in AI and a hub for data centres, even as the rapid growth of the technology raises concerns over jobs, energy costs, safety, security, intellectual property and environmental pressures.
Climate Council chief executive Amanda McKenzie warned that an unchecked AI-driven surge in data centres could push up prices and increase climate pollution.
Australia currently has no dedicated AI laws, relying instead on privacy and consumer protections alongside a voluntary AI ethics framework.
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New Zealand actor Sam Neill, best known internationally for his role in 'Jurassic Park', died suddenly on Monday aged 78 after recovering from cancer, his family said.
Australia on Friday confirmed the first case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in a native seabird, marking a new phase in the disease's spread after it landed on the country's shores last month.
Australia and India have finalised an agreement allowing Australian uranium exports for India's nuclear energy sector, expanding cooperation on clean energy, critical minerals and infrastructure as the two countries strengthen their strategic and economic partnership.
The United States carried out a third consecutive night of airstrikes against Iran, targeting military capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz as Donald Trump announced the reinstatement of a blockade on Iranian shipping and proposed a 20% fee on cargo passing through the strategic waterway.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted next week unless Tehran returns to negotiations.
The United States and Iran have significantly escalated their conflict, exchanging heavy missile and drone strikes across the Gulf region. Iran claims it has once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route.
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Ukraine and Russia exchanged fresh attacks on Tuesday, with Kyiv targeting shipping and energy infrastructure inside Russia while Moscow launched another large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukrainian cities.
IBM has warned that a surge in spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure is weighing on its core business, in one of the clearest signs yet of how the AI boom is reshaping the technology sector.
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China has successfully tested an experimental rocket recovery system using a net attached to an offshore platform, marking a major step in its efforts to develop reusable rockets and compete with U.S. space technology.
OpenAI on Thursday unveiled ChatGPT Work, a new artificial intelligence agent designed to help professionals create documents, presentations and websites using advanced coding capabilities without requiring programming expertise.
A Swiss humanoid robot capable of displaying the faces of world leaders and business executives was showcased at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva on Tuesday (7 July). Developers said the technology could make human-machine interactions more natural and expressive.
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