New South Wales digital minister Victor Dominello has asked the state's information and privacy watchdogs to undertake a "scan of the AI and privacy landscape" in the wake of the robodebt royal commission launch. The move is a possible precursor to Australia's first Artificial Intelligence commissioner, a role the outgoing minister backed earlier this week. Mr Dominello told reporters on Monday a dedicated AI watchdog would be "good to see" as the next layer of independent oversight of government technologies and digital services. He said it likely won't arrive before he retires from politics early next year, but an AI commissioner is being explored and will be necessary to maintain public trust in government technology. "I want to make sure that there is oversight [and] there's checks and balances all the way because there will be failures," Mr Dominello said.

Responsible usage of AI is growing extensively since 2017 and 2021 will see expansion fully into the operationalization of AI ethical principles, frameworks, and policies. Operationalization defined as taking principles into useful practice and thus requiring prioritization for businesses. The challenge is focusing on the top initiatives which I will identify in this article. In my pro bono contributions across 100 global programs with non-profits, I am seeing businesses are still challenged in moving from proof-of-concept responsible AI applications, within one business unit, to scaling across the enterprise. With more than 300 AI principles, frameworks, policy, and regulatory initiatives--businesses must keep current of the top contenders as AI usage grows.

The high expectations of AI have triggered worldwide interest and concern, generating 400 policy documents on responsible AI. Intense discussions over the ethical issues lay a helpful foundation, preparing researchers, managers, policy makers, and educators for constructive discussions that will lead to clear recommendations for building the reliable, safe, and trustworthy systems6 that will be commercial success. This Viewpoint focuses on four themes that lead to 15 recommendations for moving forward. The four themes combine AI thinking with human-centered User Experience Design (UXD). Ethical discussions are a vital foundation, but raising the edifice of responsible AI requires design decisions to guide software engineering teams, business managers, industry leaders, and government policymakers.