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Catherine Beard: BusinessNZ Advocacy Director on the Government's first AI strategy · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: The release of the government's first AI strategy outlines how
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  Speaker 1: the technology can be used to boost productivity. Science, Innovation
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  Speaker 1: and Technology Minister Doctor Shaneletti says private industries that adoption
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  Speaker 1: of AI could boost New Zealand's GDP by seventy six
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  Speaker 1: billion dollars. So Katherine Bird is Business New Zealand's advocacy
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  Speaker 1: director and joins me right now, Good morning to you, Katherine,
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  Speaker 1: Good morning. So what do you reckon the government's thinking
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  Speaker 1: about AI.
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think it's really great to have a strategy released.
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  Speaker 2: You know, business wants to know how the government is
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  Speaker 2: going to treat it in terms of legislation, and when
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  Speaker 2: they get some clarity around that, that sort of gives
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  Speaker 2: them more confidence to invest in the technology. Really. So yeah,
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  Speaker 2: we think it's a good approach. It's a reasonably light
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  Speaker 2: handed approach and it's you know, based on current legislation
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  Speaker 2: that we already have things like the Privacy Act, Consumer
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  Speaker 2: Rights and human Rights so they will all continue to
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  Speaker 2: be in place and they are technology neutral, so they'll
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  Speaker 2: be sort of the guidelines.
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  Speaker 1: So it's important to have our regulatory ducks in a
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  Speaker 1: row before we plunge in. But some might be saying
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  Speaker 1: a hands off approach might be the best way. Just
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  Speaker 1: let private industry do it. I mean some of them
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  Speaker 1: are already started.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look absolutely there's a lot of businesses using AI currently.
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  Speaker 2: But I think business also wants to be doing it
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  Speaker 2: responsibly because you know, to successfully use the technology, you
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  Speaker 2: need to have consumer trust and we need to be
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  Speaker 2: looking after people's data and their privacy. So business will
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  Speaker 2: be completely up for that. But yeah, look, the productivity
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  Speaker 2: potential is fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: So who are already using AI? I understand large businesses
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  Speaker 1: have hoed in, but small businesses are a bit more reluctant.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that looks to be the case. So the material
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  Speaker 2: that they've released shows that our small businesses have a
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  Speaker 2: lot uptake than say Australian small business. So that is
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  Speaker 2: a bit of a concern because we don't want to
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  Speaker 2: get left behind and we are a country of small
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  Speaker 2: businesses and so to boost their productivity, we do need
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  Speaker 2: them to really embrace it. So I think in the
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  Speaker 2: strategy there's some plans to you know, support small business
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  Speaker 2: on that kind of digital journey, and we certainly welcome that.
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  Speaker 1: Is this seventy six billion dollar GDP hit, was it
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  Speaker 1: an exaggeration or is that true?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I think people are being quite blown away about
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  Speaker 2: the potential. And you know, one of the one of
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  Speaker 2: the companies in the material as an example is Halter,
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  Speaker 2: which is the that fantastic new company that's doing you know.
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  Speaker 1: Cows.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yes, absolutely, So that's that's a really great example.
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  Speaker 2: You know, they use AI and that technology, they you know,
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  Speaker 2: getting rid of electric fences and apparently that's a billion
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  Speaker 2: dollar company already in its valuation, and it's I think
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  Speaker 2: it's only really been around for about five years. So
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  Speaker 2: you know, if New Zealand can like have the creativity
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  Speaker 2: and the innovation and use the technology to do that
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  Speaker 2: kind of business, then you know, a great a great future. True.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely, Now we could get a GDP boost, but what
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  Speaker 1: might it mean for employment numbers? Might we be making
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  Speaker 1: loads of money but have very few jobs?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, people are concerned about the job market. I think
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  Speaker 2: if we look at history and the introduction of new technology,
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  Speaker 2: there will be jobs destroyed, but there will also be
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  Speaker 2: jobs created. And we you know, often the jobs that
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  Speaker 2: are taken out of, you know, with this new technology
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  Speaker 2: are that sort of repetitive, dull, boring and sometimes dangerous jobs.
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  Speaker 2: So Yeah, we think people will be able to use it.
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  Speaker 2: People should embrace the technology, know how to use it
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  Speaker 2: and make it part of their You know why they're
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  Speaker 2: a great employee because they know how to use it
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  Speaker 2: and they can increase their productivity.
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  Speaker 1: Well, Catherine, here comes the future. Brace yourself. It's inevitable,
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  Speaker 1: as Thanos said, and I thank you for your time today,
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  Speaker 1: Katherine Beard, who's Business New Zealand's advocacy director.
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  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. Listen live
• 4:18
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• 4:21
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