Innovatia

But for AI today, there are too few rules of the road. Like any technology going through a rapid development, AI can be hazardous if developed in the wrong way, especially in business and gov- ernment settings. AI is one example where I know Australia can lead the way, and in doing so, help our regional neighbours adopt AI in a safe, em- powering way. I run the Australian arm of business for a global enterprise that provides AI and hybrid cloud tech- nology and services. I understand the pressure many Australian business leaders feel to maintain sustainable growth and competitive advantage. Yet I feel our business is at its strongest when our experts demonstrate how effective solu- tions can revolutionise communities, creating meaningful improvements for people. We can create a connection that improves engagement with our clients, our partners, and our employ- ees. Why not expand this sense of helping com- munities beyond the borders of Australia? Good for our neighbours Our regional neighbours can benefit from our help to leapfrog digitalisation. They have some of the largest and fastest growing populations in the world, yet below average Human Development Index scores (HDI). This index, from the United Nations, is a summary measure of three key dimensions: longevity and health, years of education, and standard of living. Take Indonesia, a country of 282 million, now classified as a “newly industrialised” nation. Indonesia’s HDI in 2022 was still only 0.72 while Australia has a HDI of 0.95. But the digital economy in Indonesia has been rapidly growing since the COVID-19 pandem-

ic started, creating many opportunities for business and progress. Meanwhile, in Papua New Guinea, many live in poverty with an HDI of 0.56. The combined population of Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa, and Micronesia is bigger than the population of South Australia, yet these South Pacific island nations have HDIs that range from 0.56 to 0.75. I ask myself if we, if I, have a moral obligation to share what we know so that our neighbours can benefit. A more mature digital economy could help improve HDI markers such as standard of living. Good for Australia When our regional neighbours have world-class digital economies, Australia reaps the benefits. The state of other nations’ digital economies impacts international trade. Through our tech- nology talent and offerings, we gain access to those growing economies, building con- nections that are good for people as well as for business – connections that could lead to significant economic opportunity for Australia, including major export contracts for big tech companies. Australia could become an exporter of tech- nology and innovation, just as we’ve harnessed this spirit of opportunity creation at home. We can start by helping our regional neigh- bours assess and measure the current state and performance targets for their digital in- frastructure. Something cannot be improved until it can be understood, and something cannot be understood until it can be reliably measured with properly managed data. Suc- cess markers might be things like equal access to services of government.

AUSTRALIAN INNOVATION CAN PROMOTE DIGITAL EQUITY BEYOND OUR BORDERS IBM’s Nicholas Flood on why Australia must leverage its innovation prowess to drive digital transformation, not only at home but also for regional neighbours. W e face our fair share of challenges in today’s world, and we can certainly do more to make things better for Austral-

ians and our communities. But what if we could harness the innovation and expertise of our incredibly talented people, and also help our regional neighbours speed their digital trans- formations? I’m excited about a future where win-win out- comes drive not only a successful Australia, but also a more inclusive and prosperous region and world. Let’s take artificial intelligence as one exam- ple. The latest advancements in generative AI, which refers to deep-learning models that can generate high-quality text, images, and other content based on the data they were trained on, have organisations waking up to the full potential of the technology. Foundation mod- els are set to radically change how businesses operate. An upcoming study from IBM found 41 per cent of IT professionals say their company is currently exploring generative AI and 27 per cent are actively using it.

INNOVATIA

254

INNOVATIA

| Technology

255