Sydney, Australia (TEH) – The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has made a resounding statement on the role of generative AI in its operations, outlining a future that embraces innovation while maintaining strict ethical guidelines. The ATO’s stance, revealed at an IBM Think on Tour event in Sydney, highlights a clear vision for integrating AI into its processes, focusing on “low risk, low complexity use cases” for the foreseeable future.
Assistant commissioner of enterprise data and analytics, Fawad Abro, declared that generative AI “is definitely going to have a role to play in our organisation, but we are pretty clear on what that role is going to be.” This comes as the ATO has established uses for what Abro termed “enterprise AI,” models that were the “domain of the technical experts” in the agency.
Generative AI, including tools like ChatGPT, is in the public domain and requires a different approach. The ATO recognizes that it “can’t stick [its] head in the sand” around the advent and evolution of these tools. However, Abro emphasized the importance of “really putting the right guardrails in place to ensure that the ethical use of these tools is implemented.”
One of the initial guardrails is that taxpayer data does not go anywhere near generative AI. Abro stressed the need to be “ultra careful,” likening the handling of data to treating it “like uranium.” This reference, originating from a speech last year by ATO second commissioner Jeremy Hirschhorn, has become a defining principle for the agency’s data management.
The ATO’s approach to AI is not just about caution but also about unlocking value and efficiency. Abro expressed passion for “making things really easy and fast for my team,” hinting that tools like ChatGPT may assist in areas like code writing and recruitment.
The ATO’s position aligns with interim guidance released by the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) last month. Individual agencies are responsible for setting their direction, guidance, and restrictions, reflecting a broader governmental approach to AI.
AI’s role in ATO operations extends to performing discovery on leaked international tax datasets and specific investigations, such as the recent Operation Protego, as highlighted in this recent article.
Abro’s focus, however, is not solely on technology but on the result, the business value, the risk, and the cost. He urges a considered conversation about AI, emphasizing the need to understand “what do we want to do, why do we want to do it, and then we can have a conversation.”
The ATO’s stance on generative AI is a bold and nuanced one, reflecting a future where innovation and caution coexist. It sets a precedent for other governmental agencies, demonstrating a path forward that embraces technological advancement while upholding ethical principles.
