Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pocock for the question. The copilot trial arrangement with Microsoft was initiated through existing arrangements with Microsoft. That procurement arrangement was in place with the DTA and Microsoft already, so it's building on that existing arrangement. We are very pleased with the opportunity to partner with this and to learn from it. It builds on the announcement that the Microsoft made around an investment in this country in their data centres and cloud based products, which is an important investment, and we're really pleased about this as well. This is a specific pilot that will run for six months until June 2024 through the DTA, making it the first government entity in the world to deploy a generative AI service. The trial aligns with the approach that the government has taken on the AI in Government Taskforce and the recommendation to the future of work committee that all procurement involving generative AI capabilities will consult with the task force prior to any market approach to ensure a coordinated whole-of-government approach. Participating agencies will be expected to evaluate their experience of the product in order for the AI task force to assess its opportunities and to report back to government.