Australia plans to strengthen AI regulatory legislation to ban deep counterfeiting across the board

CTOnews.com, June 1 (Reuters)-Australian officials said today that they are planning to strengthen the regulation of artificial intelligence for fear of technology abuse, including a possible ban on deep counterfeiting and fake content that appears to be too real.

The plan came after a high-level meeting between US and EU officials on AI regulation earlier this week, when executives and experts, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, warned that AI could pose a "risk of extinction" to mankind.

"this is a clear indication that society is clearly worried about whether the technology is too advanced," Australian Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic told ABC Television.

A report released by Australia's National Science and Technology Council on Thursday showed that content generated by AI could be misled by mass distribution in order to mislead public opinion and thus be abused in parliamentary policy negotiations.

Husic stressed that the government plays a clear role in identifying risks and enforcing restrictions. Australia was one of the first countries to regulate AI and published a voluntary framework of conduct in 2018.

Husic acknowledged that there were still many loopholes in existing regulations in terms of copyright, privacy and consumer protection, and said that given the rapid development of the AI industry, the government wanted to ensure that the new regulations were in line with their intended purpose.

CTOnews.com had previously reported that the European Parliament was close to passing a law regulating AI last month, which could be the first comprehensive AI regulatory law in the world and set a precedent for advanced economies.

Husic also said that if strong regulatory demands emerge during the public consultation period to enact the new law, Australia will also consider direct legislation banning the high-risk elements of AI technology.