Introduction
The International Scientific Report on the Safety of Advanced AI is a report about general‑purpose AI. These are AI systems that can do many different tasks, like writing, coding, translating languages or generating images.
The report was written by independent experts and aims to provide scientific information to support informed policymaking.
Australia’s representative on the expert advisory panel was Professor Brownyn Fox. Australian civil society and industry contributors included Australia’s temporary AI expert group, the Gradient Institute, Old Ways New and Harmony Intelligence.
This report aimed to build a shared international understanding of advanced AI safety by answering 3 questions in plain terms:
- What can general‑purpose AI do?
- What risks come with it? (For example scams, hacking help, unreliable answers, privacy issues and wider social impacts.)
- What can reduce those risks? (Including ways to test systems, improve safeguards and monitor problems.)
The report matters because AI is being used more widely and in more important settings like work, health, law and online information. The report notes that AI can bring benefits, but people can only safely get those benefits if risks are understood and managed.