AI Adoption: Built on trust, people, and tools

There’s been a hive of activity around AI in government – the biggest uptick since public generative AI services became accessible to a wider part of the population.

Last week saw the launch of the highly anticipated AI Plan for the Australian Public Service. The Australian Government has entered a new paradigm. We are moving into adoption and innovation across several services without letting safety or the unique responsibilities of government fall by the wayside.

As a joint initiative from the Department of Finance, the Australian Public Service Commission (APSC), and the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA), the Plan begins with an acknowledgement of AI’s potential to revolutionise the ways that governments use technology to create positive outcomes for communities. It sets out a bold vision for the APS to create positive outcomes for the community through a substantive increase in the use of AI.

The Plan was launched by Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher - Minister for Finance, Women, the Public Service and Government Services - who shared her thoughts in her Annual Statement on APS Reform last week.

Setting the direction for AI across the APS, Senator Gallagher emphasised that:

“By embracing AI in a planned and coordinated way, it will allow us to unlock the full potential that AI offers for the public service, for our systems, for our services, and in the way we deliver for the people who rely upon us.”

Included with the Plan are a suite of new initiatives grouped across three pillars: Trust, People, and Tools.

These initiatives include the establishment of a central AI delivery and enablement (AIDE) function within the Department of Finance. This expert multidisciplinary team will lead efforts to accelerate the safe and effective adoption of AI across the APS.

The Plan has also introduced a new mandate for agencies to appoint Chief AI Officers. These Officers will be responsible for accelerating consistent and collaborative AI capability development across government, identifying opportunities where AI can be leveraged to create better outcomes for Australians.

This new era of AI in government brings stronger governance and greater transparency across agencies. As part of the Plan, upcoming updates to the Policy for the Responsible Use of AI in Government will require each agency to designate an accountable officer for every AI use case and maintain an internal register of these officers.

AI impact assessments will also be mandated, and high-risk use cases will be sent to a new AI Review Committee managed by the DTA. As outlined in the Plan, the Committee will include experts from across the APS who will provide advice on high-risk AI use cases. The Committee will ensure decisions around these AI deployments are subject to cross-disciplinary and cross-government scrutiny. It will consider diverse community perspectives and uphold government AI safety standards.

The AI Plan is designed to foster innovation by giving agencies the space to explore and experiment responsibly. While it creates opportunities to test and learn, it does so within clear guardrails that uphold APS values and maintain public trust. This environment ensures that experimentation is not only encouraged but guided by strong principles of safety, accountability, and integrity.

Agencies will be able to learn from each other – at both senior and working levels.

Agencies will have opportunities to learn from each other at both senior and working levels, creating a foundation for shared expertise. This collaboration directly supports the Plan’s emphasis on building capability across the APS—ensuring our people develop the skills to use AI safely and effectively. These efforts build on recent cybersecurity upgrades and reinforce trust as a cornerstone of change.

We’ll maintain open communication with staff and unions through channels such as Enterprise Agreements and the APS Consultative Committee. By involving everyone from the outset, we’ll ensure the rollout of AI is transparent and that staff feel informed, engaged, and part of the transformation.

During her address, Minister Gallagher emphasised that

“… the Government does not view widespread AI adoption across the APS as a way of replacing people. We see it much more through the lens of unlocking new capabilities, improving work processes and flows, looking to improve our performance when delivering services, and ensuring that public servants are focused on work that requires human insight, empathy and judgment.”

In line with this vision, the Plan makes clear that accelerating adoption and the responsible use of AI are not opposing forces, instead they complement each other are essential to our success. As we move forward, the public service can expect more opportunities to contribute — whether through shaping policy updates, providing feedback on new guidance, or sharing productivity tips and lessons learned.

Together, we are building a culture where experimentation is safe, governance is strong, and every APS employee has a role in the responsible and innovative use of AI.