Peak body wants engineering expertise at the heart of the AI future

Engineers Australia is asking the federal government to put engineering expertise at the centre of Australia’s approach to artificial intelligence, warning the nation’s AI ambitions will depend as much on people, infrastructure and technical oversight as the technology itself.

In a submission to the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Engineers Australia has called for action across four key areas: stronger technical expertise in AI governance, greater sovereign capability, investment in engineering skills and support for safe AI adoption across the economy.

Engineers Australia National President and Board Chair Tom Goerke said AI presented an enormous economic opportunity, but Australia needs to build the capability required to use it safely and productively.

“Human judgement, professional responsibility and technical assurance must remain at the centre of decision-making. AI can support decisions, but it cannot be accountable for them,” he said. “That means policymakers need access to people who understand how these systems operate in the real world, where failures can have significant consequences.”

Engineers Australia is calling for engineering and technical expertise to be embedded in AI policy, with clear human accountability for consequential decisions.

The submission notes 90% of engineers believe AI will normally require human oversight and argues that AI itself cannot carry legal or professional responsibility.

“AI is not just a software challenge. Behind every AI system sits physical infrastructure, energy, water, communications networks, cybersecurity and people with the technical expertise to make those systems work safely and reliably,” Goerke said. “If Australia wants to capture the economic benefits of AI rather than simply consume technologies developed elsewhere, we need to invest in the engineering capability that underpins it.”

Engineers Australia would also like the government to consider a National Chief Engineer to provide government with independent technical advice on technology, digital transformation and major project delivery.

Goerke said workforce capability would be just as important as physical infrastructure.

“AI is changing engineering, but the evidence suggests it will augment engineers rather than replace them,” he said. “More than 70% of engineers expect AI capability to become an essential professional skill, so our education and training systems need to evolve alongside the technology. We cannot have a serious conversation about Australia’s AI future without having a serious conversation about the engineering workforce needed to deliver it.”

The submission also warns Australia risks becoming a passive technology taker without stronger sovereign capability.

Image credit: iStock.com/GoAerials