{"id":822647,"date":"2026-07-25T09:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-25T09:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/822647\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T09:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T09:07:37","slug":"digital-duty-of-care-how-labors-new-ai-regulations-will-impact-firms-like-openai-and-anthropic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/822647\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Duty of Care: How Labor\u2019s new AI regulations will impact firms like OpenAI and Anthropic"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Paul<\/p>\n

July 19, 2026 \u2014 10:00pm<\/p>\n

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AAA<\/p>\n

Big AI firms will be caught in Labor\u2019s tough Digital Duty of Care proposal, the government has pledged, in its latest move to project a sense of control over the AI revolution.<\/p>\n

After Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed rules for data centre construction<\/a> last week, his government has pivoted to talking up fresh consumer protections.<\/p>\n

\"PrimePrime Minister Anthony Albanese and Andrew Charlton.Kate Geraghty<\/p>\n

Also on Sunday, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan unveiled separate laws that would make it easier for parents to sue AI or social media companies for mental harm.<\/p>\n

Without providing full details, the Albanese government is promising stronger privacy laws for personal data, rules to stop firms using AI to adjust prices based on the wealth of a buyer, and a framework to regulate use of automated decision-making by federal agencies such as Centrelink.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Illustration<\/a><\/p>\n

The online duty of care, which has sparked concern from critics<\/a> who support an open internet, will capture AI firms. This means private players such as OpenAI and Anthropic may need to conduct risk assessments and publicly report on the consequences of its systems to comply with Australian law.<\/p>\n

Proposing safety obligations on AI firms is another sign that Labor wants to appear front-footed ahead of the party\u2019s national conference this week<\/a>, at which unions and other activists will demand more interventionist approaches. Albanese is trying to balance those instincts against Labor\u2019s wish for more AI investment in Australia.<\/p>\n

Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy Andrew Charlton said AI was critical for both national security and a more dynamic economy as China aimed to outdo the US on technology that was expected to shape geopolitical competition for years to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the most important technology of our lifetimes, and we face a question as a nation about whether we want to have it in Australia,\u201d Charlton said on Sky\u2019s Sunday Agenda. \u201cIf we\u2019re renting it from abroad, that means we are always paying foreigners for this technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also important for security. These data centres house your photos and house your medical records. Having that data in Australia has value to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"In<\/a><\/p>\n

The Digital Duty of Care proposal was announced alongside Labor\u2019s social media ban for under-16s. It would shift responsibility onto platforms from responding to individual complaints to preventing harms before they occur.<\/p>\n

Labor has said it wants to regulate AI more quickly than it took to clamp down on social media, but the extent to which a smaller nation can shape the future on AI uptake is uncertain as bigger nations and the tech behemoths set the rules of engagement.<\/p>\n

Technology companies, privacy advocates and free speech groups have warned the duty of care reform could make it impossible to hold an anonymous online account and may revive elements of Labor\u2019s abandoned misinformation laws.<\/p>\n

In a keynote speech<\/a> last week, Albanese flagged new laws to ensure the data centre gold rush, which has propped up Australia\u2019s flat economy<\/a>, would not put strain on the nation\u2019s energy or water supplies.<\/p>\n

Deputy Liberal leader Jane Hume said Albanese\u2019s speech \u201cwas given an awful lot of hype but really there was very little to it\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a process speech. It was about bureaucracy rather than opportunity and innovation,\u201d she said. \u201cWhere was the conversation about lowering barriers to entry, or innovation, or lowering energy prices, or upskilling workers?\u201d<\/p>\n

The Victorian government said on Sunday that it would put forward laws to unmask online trolls and make it easier for people to sue digital giants.<\/p>\n

Editor’s pick\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThey feel powerless \u2026 on a couple of fronts,\u201d Premier Jacinta Allan said. \u201cHow quickly kids become obsessed with these online platforms \u2026 I see it in my own household.\u201d<\/p>\n

Under the proposal, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal would be handed so-called de-masking powers to force social giants to detail the identity of users.<\/p>\n

Get the day\u2019s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"PaulPaul Sakkal<\/a> is Chief Political Correspondent. He previously covered Victorian politics and won a Walkley award and the 2025 Press Gallery Journalist of the Year. Contact him securely on Signal @paulsakkal.14.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"July 19, 2026 \u2014 10:00pm Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":822648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[256,254,255,64,63,105],"class_list":["post-822647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=822647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/822647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/822648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=822647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=822647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=822647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}