The following submission has been prepared by members of the IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology (SSIT) in Australia. IEEE is the world’s largest technology professional association, with 420,000 members in 161 countries. Founded in 1972, SSIT is the unit within IEEE which addresses the relationship between technology and society. SSIT Australia was formed in 2005 and has members in all states. SSIT Australia members have actively contributed to the IEEE's Ethically Aligned Design First Edition report (‘IEEE EAD’)1, referred to in the Discussion Paper on Artificial Intelligence: Australia’s Ethics Framework (‘Discussion Paper’).

SSIT Australia welcomes this opportunity to participate in the development of Australia’s Ethics Framework. Overall, we see the Discussion Paper as a positive contribution and a useful starting point to stimulate further and wider discussions on the topic. In this submission we highlight a range of concerns with the Discussion Paper and also propose a number of improvements.