Why Australia Is Falling Behind on AI and How to Fix It

Episode Summary

Australia has a new AI strategy, but does it match the speed of the moment? Dr Tom Kelly, CEO of Heidi Health, and Anish Sinha, founder of UpCover, sit at the coalface of deploying AI in two of the most regulated industries in the country: healthcare and insurance. They have both built companies where safety, compliance, and real-world adoption are not optional, and they bring that builder perspective to a frank assessment of the government’s latest plan.

In this episode of In The Blink of AI, Georgie sits down with Tom and Anish for a practical conversation on what Australia’s AI strategy gets right, what it completely misses, and what it would take to move from vague principles to measurable outcomes. They argue the plan needs sharper priorities, clearer success metrics, and a more decisive approach to accelerating adoption in industries where AI can lift productivity quickly.

Tom unpacks why Australia is non-competitive on energy and compute, why chip availability and latency matter if we want world-class AI experiences locally, and what policy levers could make Australia a serious data centre and infrastructure contender. Anish explains why tech-neutral regulation is a relief for startups, why government should focus on long-term market-making rather than short-term accelerators, and why Australia should look to Canada for inspiration instead of trying to copy the US or China.

This is a sharp, builder-led episode for anyone trying to understand what Australia should actually do next in AI, from infrastructure and sovereignty to education, public sector productivity, and stopping bad actors without slowing innovation.

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