The Australian Computer Society (ACS) has welcomed the Federal Government’s intention to establish an Office of AI within the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, describing it as an important step towards coordinated national leadership on artificial intelligence.
In a statement dated 15 July 2026, ACS said the proposed move would bring together the economic, social, national security and environmental implications of AI under a single national framework.
ACS CEO Dr Prins Ralston said the organisation was ready to support the new office with expertise in workforce capability, professional standards, skills recognition and digital sovereignty.
“ACS hopes the Office of AI will provide the coordination needed to connect policy, standards, workforce planning, and implementation across government and industry.
“Artificial intelligence is a foundational technology that will shape every part of Australia’s economy and society,” Dr Ralston said.
“In the age of AI, we need to go beyond raw technical ability and ensure those skills are applied responsibly, ethically, and with sound professional judgement.
“Like cyber security, AI is an area where nationally consistent professional recognition helps us ensure powerful digital technology works for us, and not the other way around.”
Dr Ralston also welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement of legislated standards for AI, including rules for the development of large data centres.
“Data centres that expand Australia’s capacity are good for the economy and for Australia’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific. But this infrastructure will only ever be as sovereign as the professional workforce that designs, operates, secures, and governs it.”
ACS said it is already working with government and industry on initiatives it said are relevant to the proposed role of the Office of AI, including the CyberPath consortium to develop a national framework for cyber security roles and capabilities, accrediting higher education IT degrees to international standards, and work supporting the government’s target of 1.2 million tech workers by 2030.
The organisation also pointed to work with the Future Skills Organisation on entry-level pathways into the technology sector, professional development networks, ethical standards for IT professionals, workforce capability development using the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), and “sovereign credentialing frameworks” such as the Human Capability Record.
Dr Ralston said the Office of AI could help apply ACS’s digital sovereignty principle of “open where possible, sovereign where necessary” across national workforce and credentialing systems.
“A coordinated approach would support workforce mobility and nationally consistent recognition, while helping government and industry avoid fragmented or vendor-specific systems.”
ACS President Beau Tydd said the Office of AI would need support from a skilled and professionally recognised workforce, arguing investment should extend beyond regulation and standards setting.
“Funding and focus need to extend beyond regulation and standards-setting into skills and professional development. Without a workforce equipped to implement these frameworks, Australia risks building sophisticated governance architecture without the capability needed to realise its benefits.
“We look forward to working with the Office of AI and the Commonwealth Government as the initiative develops.”
