APS Submission to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources Consultation on Mandatory AI Guardrails in High-Risk Settings

The Australian Psychological Society (APS) provided a response to the Department of Industry, Science and Resources consultation on introducing mandatory guardrails for artificial intelligence (AI) in high-risk settings.

This submission highlights the importance of recognising the psychological impact of AI in any proposed regulation.  While there are direct risks of AI use in health and mental health settings which require careful regulation, there are also broader psychological impacts of AI on other aspects of human experience, including autonomy, decision-making, trust, and interpersonal relationships. The APS emphasises that psychological factors should be core to regulatory considerations.

The submission referred to initiatives in the APS Pre-Budget Submission 2024-25 which identified the need for relevant Australian research about the impacts of AI on mental health and other aspects of psychological experience, including in young Australians.  While these initiatives were, disappointingly, not funded in this year’s Budget, the APS remains committed to collaborating with the Department and the Government on the development and evaluation of regulatory approaches informed by psychological expertise to ensure safe, ethical, and responsible AI deployment.

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