Shane Reti: Science Minister on the Government's first AI strategy

The Government's making moves to ensure we'll no longer lag behind when it comes to Artificial Intelligence. 

Science Minister Shane Reti's announced the Government's first strategy for using AI - claiming it'll reduce barriers to adoption and promote responsible use.  

He says it could lift our GDP by $76 billion by 2038.  

Reti told Heather du Plessis-Allan the strategy's a signal to both businesses and the community over what policy settings the Government will follow. 

He says modelling suggests AI use could free up an hour a day of working time for businesses.  

Reti says that's an hour that can be better spent on other high value tasks. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Government has launched New Zealand's first AI strategy. We're the
last country in the developed world to do this. It's
going to be light to touch, use existing laws and
existing rules rather than introducing new ones. Doctor Shane that
he sees the Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology and
with us High.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Shane, good morning, Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:14):
Am I right in thinking this is basically a signal
from you guys to private business, don't wait for the
new laws before you use it. They're not coming, go
for it.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
It is definitely a signal out into the environment, both
to community and to business as to what the policy
settings government will follow. And that certainty is why other
countries have developed their national AI strategies and when it
was time for us to send that signal as well.
Correct Do you think.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
That private businesses have been hanging back and holding off
on the investment waiting for the signal from you.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
There is a sense that they wanted to know where
the government was going to be. Were we going to
be heavy handed regulatory or were we going to be
light touch? And we've now decided that we'll be light touch.
As as you described, there is reasonable adoption of AI
at the moment amongst these still in businesses, but we
believe it will are with a clear direction from government.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
Why have you gone for light touch.

Speaker 2 (01:05):
Because we have the regulatory settings at the moment that
will more than adequately cope for our AI needs both
across Consumer Protections, Privacy Act, Human Rights Act and you're
underlying OECD principles which we're anchoring the strategy on. So
we don't see a need heavy handed in this space.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Okay, Now I see that you guys are predicting that
it would add about seventy six billion dollars to the
economy in the last next war of thirteen fourteen years.
How so, like, practically, what does it do to add
that much value?

Speaker 2 (01:35):
Oh? Sure? So this is a productivity gain. So modeling
last year across nineteen thousand tasks and four hundred occupations
suggested that the Generesis AI may free up an hour
per day of working time that an hour can be
better spent on other high value tasks. And so that's
fundamentally where that productivity figure comes from.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Brilliant, So I've Shane, good to talk to you. Thanks mate,
Shane the WEC Mister of Science and and Technology For
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