Australia's artificial intelligence debate has moved beyond chatbots and software into the physical realm, as humanoid robots begin entering aged care facilities, warehouses, shops and manufacturing plants across the country. The shift is forcing the Australian government to confront a more complex set of regulatory challenges spanning infrastructure, labour, safety, copyright, and ethics.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to take closer control of Australia's AI strategy, with the issue now stretching across several parts of government. The new Office of AI established inside the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet is expected to focus heavily on data centres, as they involve planning approvals, electricity consumption, water use and coordination with state governments. Australia's current AI workstreams cover safety, national security, jobs, copyright and research.
A key focus of the debate is the deployment of humanoid robots in aged care. South Melbourne startup Andromeda is selling an AI robot called Abi to aged care facilities worldwide, described as an empathetic companion designed to create connection and reduce isolation. This raises complex questions about how human a robot should seem, whether vulnerable people should form emotional bonds with machines, and who is responsible if the system behaves unexpectedly.
Meanwhile, Google DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis has backed pre-release testing for frontier AI models, with support from OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Elon Musk. The humanoid robot market is also becoming a China-led industrial race, with Chinese company AgiBot recently launching in Australia and Chinese production reportedly reaching 100,000 units this year. The machines currently cost around US$40,000 to US$50,000, and as production scales, prices are expected to fall, accelerating adoption across industries.
