Clare Birch

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Clare Birch |Poppy Johnston

Australian business leaders developing AI tools for the workplace have warned against regulatory overreach, after a major parliamentary report said “high-risk” AI-powered systems should face mandatory guardrails. The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education, and Training tabled its Future of Work report on Tuesday, calling for new regulations in the fast-growing AI sector.

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | David Adams |Clare Birch |Poppy Johnston

AI systems that help employers with recruitment, payroll, and staff training should be treated as “high-risk” and face mandatory guardrails, according to a new Parliamentary report that warns against a Robodebt-style crisis in the private sector. If enacted, the report’s recommendations could impose new rules on Australian businesses rapidly deploying AI tools across their B2B platforms.

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |Clare Birch |Poppy Johnston

It’s no secret employees have been covertly using generative AI at work ever since ChatGPT first launched. Data from last year showed two out of three Australian office workers were using AI tools without telling their bosses. While more workplaces are adopting AI, including guardrails and company standards, there’s still a way to go when it comes to AI hype versus implementation.

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | Clare Birch |Poppy Johnston |Toby Walsh

Founded in Australia in 2017, Dovetail helps businesses analyse unstructured data from customer videos, audio recordings, and documents. Initially, the platform focused on offering productivity features for manual data handling, such as creating highlights and adding tags. As large language models (LLMs) emerged, the startup began improving its products to automate processes to improve efficiency, such as identifying key moments in transcripts and classifying support tickets.

2 months ago | smartcompany.com.au | Tegan Jones |Clare Birch |Poppy Johnston |Toby Walsh

Welcome back to Neural Notes, a weekly column where I look at the effect of AI on Australia. In this edition, we catch up with Build Club, a startup that has gone from a Sydney community accelerator to a global AI education platform in just 18 months. Build Club started in 2023 as a six-week residency program for engineers and enthusiasts to experiment with AI tools and build projects. Back then, founder and CEO Annie Liao was still working full-time in VC.