Consumer laws may struggle to cope with AI

Laws designed to protect consumers had goods such as washing machines in mind, not AI. (Image: Getty)

Thu, 17 Oct 2024

Our country’s laissez-faire approach to regulating artificial intelligence relies on the assumption that our technology-neutral laws can adequately deal with it.A Cabinet paper released in June revealed the Government wanted to pursue a “light-touch, proportionate and risk-based” approach to regulation, relying on existing laws where possible. The main legislation that comes to mind when we think of artificial intelligence (AI) is the Privacy Act and its accompanying Privacy Principles, which govern how organisations use,...

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