National AI centre to turbocharge innovation in VIC | Truck Trailer Building & Equipment News | Trailer Magazine

Melbourne will be home to an international-standard Artificial Intelligence (AI) centre, pending a formal agreement with the next Federal Government.

The Labor Government said it will contribute $1 million towards establishing the National Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne, and welcomes Federal Labor’s promise to establish the centre if elected.

The state’s $1 million investment to the proposed centre would help identify and establish a location for the new national centre, bringing together a mix of world-leading businesses, startups and tertiary institutions.

Inner Melbourne is attracting a cluster of digital businesses including Tesla and Uber.

The new centre will build on Victoria’s national leadership in technology, with Victorian universities producing about 37 per cent of Australia’s tech graduates.

“The Andrews Labor Government is ready to partner with the next Federal Government because Melbourne is the natural home to a national centre for Artificial Intelligence,” said Treasurer and Minister for Economic Development, Tim Pallas.”

“We are already attracting significant tech investment and we want to make Melbourne the drawcard for the best and brightest talent in the world,” he said.

Worldwide expenditure on AI systems is forecast to reach approximately $108.8 billion a year by 2022. According to a recent AI Group report, artificial intelligence is also changing the skills that employers want, with skills shortages in big data and machine learning.

“This centre will help turbocharge Victoria’s innovation ecosystem – it will be great to have it In Melbourne,” said Minister for Innovation, Martin Pakula. “Artificial Intelligence is becoming the defining technology that is changing the way business is done, from autonomous vehicles and healthcare robots to the latest agriculture technology.”