How CSIRO is guiding Australia's responsible AI adoption

23 December 2025 3 min read

Artificial intelligence (AI) is enabling powerful new advances across Australia, including medicine, energy, agriculture and science.

Australians are embracing AI rapidly. Data from Austrade’s Australian AI Industry Capability Report, prepared by CSIRO, shows more than 50 per cent of organisations are using AI, while almost half of Australians have used generative AI, outpacing the US and UK.

But how these systems are designed, matters just as much as their output. As AI’s influence grows, so do the risks, making it essential that AI is developed and adopted in a way that genuinely benefits all Australians.

This is a key focus reflected in the recent National AI Plan and the AI Plan for the Australian Public Service. Both highlight the importance of developing safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems.

That’s why, as Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO is applying its expertise to help ensure this transformation happens safely and responsibly.

Building trustworthy AI for Australia

When AI systems lack proper safety and ethical safeguards, risk is pushed onto users, leaving organisations and individuals with limited ability to prevent or fix problems. This can lead to biased decisions, privacy breaches, financial damage and real harm to people who rely on these systems, explained Group Leader Dr Ming Ding.

“Ensuring AI is responsible by design mitigates this risk from the beginning. It leads to systems that people can trust, and that trust has real value in the market. This is where Australia’s competitive AI advantage lies,” said Dr Ding.

A responsible approach to AI

CSIRO’s responsible AI approach focuses on building safety, security, privacy and reliability into AI systems from start to finish. It emphasises human oversight, ensures people can check and question AI decisions and helps users and communities make informed and safe decisions.

This year, CSIRO’s Responsible AI (RAI) team published Engineering AI Systems, a practical guide to navigating the complexities of designing and operating AI systems. The book builds on the RAI engineering principles introduced in last year’s Responsible AI publication.

These guides show how responsible AI works in practice, using the same approaches CSIRO researchers and engineers apply when building AI systems, said Acting Research Director Dr Qinghua Lu.

At its core, RAI means building systems that are transparent, reliable and safe, explained Dr Lu.

“People need to be able to check AI outputs and question decisions that affect their lives, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare, finance and national security,” she said.

Transforming public auditing

CSIRO is partnering with the Audit Office of NSW to explore how AI can support government auditing and decision making. The collaboration combines AI tools with established audit oversight practices to inform how people can supervise AI systems and ensure they’re used responsibly.

Auditor-General for NSW Bola Oyetunji said early signs are encouraging.

“I’m looking forward to exploring more advances in predictive analytics and in the sensemaking of large-scale documents. I’m pleased that CSIRO’s approach to AI is underpinned by human oversight,” Mr Oyetunji said.

Supporting safe AI adoption

In partnership with the National AI Centre, CSIRO has developed Guidance for AI Adoption, which outlines six essential practices for responsible AI governance and use. The guide is designed for organisations and professionals new to AI, helping them establish foundational responsible AI practices.

The guidance Being clear about AI-generated content, explains how and when to tell people that text, images, audio or video were made or changed using AI. It outlines best-practice approaches for clear and consistent disclosure to encourage transparency and support trust. It explains approaches such as labelling, watermarking and metadata.

Higher confidence in emerging digital technologies accelerates their safe adoption by Australian organisations and communities, explained Dr Lu.

“Trust in AI is the new currency. By leading with science, CSIRO ensures Australia’s AI future is safe, inclusive and innovative, delivering meaningful benefits for all Australians.”