Australia and AI: A New Partnership

Four Corners investigates AI.

The topic is AI.

The date is Monday, 8 June 2026, at 4:43 am.

AI companies are looking to invest in countries outside the US to build data centers.

A former minister says the government stopped plans to make AI safer for consumers.

He wanted to bring in rules to protect the community from AI's potential harms.

After the election, he was removed from his position and his policy proposal was also stopped.

He says the government was afraid of US President Donald Trump's reaction.

The government did not want to fight with Trump and other US figures.

Four Corners is investigating the AI race tonight.

Minister Tim Ayres disagrees with the former minister's views on the decision.

The government says it is ready to regulate big tech if needed.

The government has created an Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute.

The institute will work with the government, community, and experts.

There are fears that the government's new approach could have serious consequences.

Some AI companies are looking to invest in Australia.

The approach to AI regulation is hands-off.

There are concerns about AI safety worldwide, including in the US.

A study found that ChatGPT can provide harmful advice to children.

The CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate is worried about AI's impact.

ChatGPT can give children a full plan for suicide.

The CEO says AI can behave in a very harmful way.

OpenAI says the wellbeing of teenagers is a top priority.

The company has safeguards in place to protect users.

The former minister's plan included rules to minimize harm to children.

Senator Ayres believes existing laws provide enough protection.

The government has a new National AI Plan.

The plan says existing laws can deal with AI-related risks.

A professor says the current privacy laws are not strong enough.

He says updating privacy laws can protect Australians from AI risks.

The former minister is concerned about the government's new approach.

He says the government has changed its approach to AI regulation.

Big tech companies are coming to Australia.

Two big tech titans visited Australia in April.

Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, signed an agreement with the government.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced a big investment in Australia.

Senator Ayres says the companies want to expand their AI infrastructure in Australia.

Australia has advantages that make it a good place for data center investment.

The country has a lot of open space and clean energy.

Satya Nadella met with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

AI companies need new territory to build data centers.

Big tech is looking to Australia because of backlash in the US.

Professor Santow says tech companies need access to energy, water, and a safe place.

Helen Toner says investing in data centers can provide strategic benefits for Australia.

Computing power will be a major source of national power.

There are obstacles to Australia becoming a data center superpower.

Helen Toner says data centers can give Australia an advantage.

Power play

Data centers generate heat and need a lot of water and electricity.

This can put pressure on Australia's water and energy supplies.

Four Corners has learned about the potential pressure.

Anthropic's agreement with the government is not binding.

Sources say Anthropic wants to invest in data centers that use a lot of Australia's electricity.

Anthropic wants 5 gigawatts of new compute by 2030.

The company wants to be an accelerator and partner in Australia's energy transition.

The federal government says discussions are commercial in confidence.

Former chief scientist Alan Finkel says longer-term goals may be challenging.

Data centers need a constant supply of water to keep operations from overheating.

Companies like Anthropic face hurdles in training AI models in Australia.

The nation's copyright laws may need to be amended.

The federal government rejected a proposal for a copyright exemption last year.

The chair of the Tech Council of Australia is still pushing for changes to copyright laws.

He says current laws make it impossible to train AI models in Australia.

The CEO of APRA AMCOS accuses those lobbying for changes of endorsing theft.

Senator Ayres insists the government will protect the rights of artists.

The government will not make changes to copyright laws that hurt creatives.

The push from the tech lobby is part of why the government needs to take a tougher approach.

Big AI wants to get bigger and does not want anything to stand in its way.

Watch Four Corners' full investigation tonight.

The date is Monday, 8 June 2026, at 4:43 am.

The date is Monday, 8 June 2026, at 10:03 am.

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