Governments are adopting AI faster than they are governing it. But what does sovereign, public-interest AI look like in practice?

Fact-checking alone cannot protect democratic debate. Australia’s misinformation policy should shift from policing individual falsehoods to ensuring digital platforms provide information environments that support informed public judgment.

When AI-generated visuals are used in health, aged care, or community outreach campaigns, they risk undermining the trust of older Australians. Age-inclusive image standards and clear transparency rules can support engagement of ageing populations.

Remote First Nations communities face extreme heat and frequent disconnections from electricity when pre-paid credit runs out. Targeted policies could prevent life-threatening outages.