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We’ll review it at least once a year and update it if we make any major changes to how we use AI, or if anything new needs to be included.
We’re committed to ensuring that our use of automation and AI is human-centric, safe, responsible, transparent, fair, ethical and legal. We comply with relevant legislation and regulations.
How we use automation and AI safely and responsibly
We safeguard against risks and ensure we use automation and AI responsibly by:
- experimenting with automation and AI in closely controlled offline environments to explore their appropriateness and safety
- only using automation and AI outside these environments when we have identified and implemented controls to protect against any potential negative impacts
- evaluating initiatives against assurance and governance requirements before implementation
- continuing to monitor and evaluate, and immediately pausing any systems if they stop meeting assurance and governance requirements
- having a human ‘in the loop’ to check AI outputs, where appropriate
- building staff capabilities through training programs so they can confidently use automation and AI technologies responsibly
- regularly seeking feedback from users, including staff and customers
- collaborating with strategic partners from government, industry, academia, and advocacy groups to help guide and support strategic decisions
- aligning and implementing whole-of-government policies, frameworks and best practices, including Australia’s AI Ethics Principles, National framework for the assurance of artificial intelligence in government and compliance with each requirement under the Policy for responsible use of AI in government.
What we use automation and AI for
We use automation and AI systems in a safe and responsible way to support the delivery of services where it’s helpful for our customers and staff.
Our workforce is central to the success of using automation and AI in the agency. We’re training our staff to have the right skills to safely implement and maintain AI systems. With the right expertise and tools, we can simplify processes and encourage innovation in the agency.
The public may directly interact with AI when interacting with us in limited circumstances. For example, when using our digital assistants which can answer questions and show information on how to access our services.
In the future, we may consider broader use of AI to further improve the delivery of our services, including providing more tailored support for our customers.
The following usage patterns and domains align to the Digital Transformation Agency’s (DTA) Classification system for AI use.
Usage Patterns
Analytics for insights
We use AI to identify patterns in data. For example, finding themes and trends in questions customers ask our digital assistants.
Workplace productivity
We use AI to give staff relevant information from a defined data source. For example, using digital assistants in our staff systems to answer questions.
Image processing
We use AI to identify and classify scanned images and allocate to the correct area for processing. For example, Intelligent Document Processing.
Decision making and administrative action
We use automation to deliver predictable outcomes for repeatable tasks or processes. For example, automating customer refunds and in limited circumstances, assisting staff to process claims.
Domains
Compliance and fraud detection
We use AI to detect hidden patterns in data and refer them to staff to investigate.
Corporate and enabling
We use AI to enhance back-end functions to help our staff work more efficiently.
Service delivery
We use automation to improve efficiency of government service delivery, including payments. By automating some repetitive tasks, we can deliver faster payments and more tailored services to customers who need it.
We do not use AI to process claims. We have human oversight of AI in our compliance, auditing and decision-making processes. This means that while AI technologies may be used to assist in various tasks, final decisions or actions are made by a human.
Our accountable official
We’ve appointed the General Manager, Automation and Architecture as our accountable official for AI, in accordance with the DTA’s Standard for accountable officials. The accountable official oversees high-risk AI use cases and ensures we comply with whole-of-government AI policies and ethical guidelines.
Who to contact
For enquiries on our adoption and use of automation and AI, please email us at AI.Accountable.Official@servicesaustralia.gov.au.
This transparency statement was last updated on 28 February 2025.