PM Spruiks Social Ban, Airs AI Risks With Ex-Apple Head

The risks posed by the growing use of AI need to be mitigated, the prime minister has warned, as he spruiks Australia’s world-leading social media ban with tech titans.

Anthony Albanese met with former Apple head Tim Cook and other executives at the company’s headquarters in California on Sunday morning, Australian time.

The one-hour, closed-door meeting followed a phone call between Albanese and Cook in June after Apple rolled out child safety features on its devices, some inspired by Australia’s social media account ban for under-16s.

International rules surrounding the use of artificial intelligence were also raised during the discussions as the prime minister joined a push among other middle powers at the United Nations for more regulations in the sector.

While Australia could not be left behind in the global AI race, safety features also needed to be front of mind, Albanese said.

“I certainly accept that there are risks and that’s why we need to mitigate them,” he told reporters in California.

“There is a need for a discussion about what the global framework is for the rollout of AI, because it is moving very quickly.

“We need to make sure that humans remain in control.”

National AI standards were unveiled in July to require data centres to be powered by additional, renewable energy.

Albanese said a balance needed to be struck between the benefits of the technology and mitigating its potential harms.

“You’ll see some statements this week emerge as well from nations that recognise that we need to work together and co-operate,” he said.

The push at the U.N. coincides with OpenAI head Sam Altman and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei calling for a slowdown in the technology’s development.

But U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected calls for further guardrails, warning America could lose the AI race to China as a result.

Albanese said writers and other creative artists would still have ownership of their work ahead of looming changes to copyright laws brought on by the rise of AI.

But he left the door open for a model that would allow creators to opt out of their work being used to train or otherwise inform AI technology.

Copyright laws have been flagged as a potential hurdle for AI companies with plans to invest in operations in Australia.

The nation needed to remain an attractive destination for AI developers, Albanese said.

“The protection of the creative sector is very important and we’re engaged constructively; I think there’s a way through this,” he told the ABC’s Insiders program.

“We can’t afford to be spectators [to AI]. We’ve got to be participants.”

During his meeting with Apple, Albanese received a demonstration of the safety features the company has rolled out to its devices.

Apple has imposed measures such as additional parental controls and time limits on the use of apps and social media that parents can set.

The prime minister said the iPhone maker and other tech companies had acknowledged Australia’s pioneering role in online safety.

“It was a proud moment today … when the head of a major company that has changed the world, like Apple, recognises the leadership that Australia has shown,” he said.

Albanese also raised further planned social media reforms with Cook, including plans to allow social media users to opt out of algorithmic feeds.

By Andrew Brown