Introduction
This is the first of 2 key updates since the publication of the International AI safety report in January 2025. It was written by independent experts and aims to provide scientific information to support informed policymaking.
Australia’s representative on the expert advisory panel was Dr Liming Zhu, Research Director, Data61, CSIRO. Australian civil society and industry contributors included:
- the Gradient Institute
- Old Ways New
- Harmony Intelligence
- Good Ancestors Policy.
The International AI safety report aims to synthesise scientific evidence to support informed policymaking. It does not make specific policy recommendations.
This update presents the following key findings:
- AI capabilities have improved significantly in areas including mathematics, coding and scientific research.
- AI systems are becoming increasingly better at acting autonomously.
- Some research shows that AI systems may be able to detect when they are in an evaluation setting and display deceptive behaviour to mislead evaluators.
This update reflects the rapid progress of advanced AI technologies and points to the need for more work on governing the use of AI to protect people and business while leveraging AI’s benefits. This theme is further explored in the second key update published in November 2025.