A fair go As a proud Australian, I’m convinced that the application of technology can help all peo- ple on the path to prosperity. It can help us maintain, improve, and expand the wonderful egalitarian society we desire, even beyond our Australian borders. I feel grateful that my cur- rent role gives me the opportunity to work on initiatives aligned to my values. Digital equity could be considered a basic human right like clean drinking water and food security. We are at the dawn of a new ICT era, especially with the acceleration of AI and the advent of quantum computing. Skills and acumen are needed to operate, maintain, and upgrade the ICT systems, meaning that talent transfer is a major part of the solution and the outcome. I invite you to join me in seizing this oppor- tunity for Australia and our regional neigh- bours, to co-create a future that gives every- one a fair go. Nicholas Flood is the Managing Director of IBM Australia and VP Technology. IBM celebrated 90 years of continuous operations in Australia in 2022, and is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. “Given the hazards involved in the development of AI, Australia must throw our support behind smaller nations as they navigate the digitisation process.”
The ethical application of AI plays a role here, as one example. There are organisations in Australia who can help: corporates, cham- bers of commerce, and government agencies such as the Digital Transformation Agency, and The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Smart and influential people with- in Australia are thinking about and working on this issue now – continuing to build the dialogue around the best way forward. And where to start? Priority focus areas for assis- tance could be private industry, government (tax), NGOs, and higher education.
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