By Morgan Reinwald in Canberra

Artificial intelligence is causing significant disruption across a range of Australian industries, a global expert on the technology will warn.

Michael Fung, who heads up one of Mexico’s largest research centres, will tell the National AI Summit in Canberra that Australia’s traditional workforce relying on humans for economic gain is no longer fit for purpose.

Dr Fung, who leads the Institute for the Future of Education at Mexico’s Tecnologico de Monterrey, will tell the summit how Australia can sustain a future workforce alongside artificial intelligence.

“Our economies and societies have been facing many disruptions with increasing scale and pace,” he will say on Wednesday.

“As a result, our operating environment has become far more complex, and our traditional human capital development policies and approaches are no longer fit for purpose.”

The two-day summit is hosted by the Future Skills Organisation and brings together employers, educators, unions and government sectors to identify how AI is changing day-to-day tasks and skills in the workforce.

Guest speakers at the summit include University of Canberra vice-chancellor and former Labor leader Bill Shorten and English billionaire Richard Branson, who will appear via video link.

Skills Minister Andrew Giles and Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth will also discuss how AI is affecting Australian jobs.

Mr Giles will say AI is already drastically changing how Australians are working.

“For most workers, the more immediate impact will be on the tasks they perform and the skills they use and develop in their roles,” he will say.

“This presents a significant opportunity to enhance productivity, strengthen capability and create new ways of working.

“This presents a significant opportunity to enhance productivity, strengthen capability and create new ways of working.”

Roughly 39 per cent of skills in the job market are predicted to change by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum.

The summit arrives as states continue to grapple with AI uncertainty.

The SA government announced a national-first royal commission into the dangers and benefits of artificial intelligence earlier in August.

At the same time, NSW ordered its schools to stop take home assessments, pending a review of the impact of AI on student learning.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced in July a set of national AI standards, which included requirements for data centres to pay for additional water use and underwrite the energy they generate.

Discussions at the forum will discuss how AI is reshaping education and an announcement is expected to deliver a national framework to guide AI skill development.

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