AI Risk ‘Deadly Serious’, Australia Needs Sovereign Frontier Models, Former PM Kevin Rudd Warns
The Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 15 Sept 2026
- Priority Score
- 5
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 15 Sept 2026, 02:00 am
Description
Australia needs industry policy to help develop its own frontier models and diffuse artificial intelligence to boost productivity, Kevin Rudd argues.
Summary
Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd characterizes the risks posed by autonomous AI as a 'deadly serious' threat, suggesting that global society is approaching a tangible real-world crisis. He argues that Australia must develop its own sovereign frontier models to ensure national security and cyber defense rather than relying exclusively on United States infrastructure. This position highlights a significant shift in Australian policy discourse toward securing domestic control over high-capability AI systems to mitigate catastrophic strategic vulnerabilities and ensure economic resilience.
Body
PoliticsAsia SummitPrint articlePaul KarpNSW political correspondentSep 15, 2026 – 10.37amKevin Rudd has urged Australia to develop its own frontier artificial intelligence models, warning the world is not far from a real-world crisis and Australia can’t rely on the US to develop its cyber defences.The risk posed by autonomous AI is “deadly serious” Rudd, the former Australian prime minister and current president and chief executive of the Asia Society, told The Financial Review’s Asia Summit on Tuesday.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleRead MoreAsia SummitKevin RuddSouth-East Asian economyAIAnthropicOpenAIAsia-PacificFetching latest articles