Podcasts
In this episode of DBrief, Louise McGrath speaks with Lee Hickin, Executive Director of the National AI Centre, about Australia's AI adoption journey and what it will take for businesses to move from experimentation to meaningful impact.
The discussion explores the gap between widespread use of AI tools and the slower pace of business transformation. Louise and Lee examine why many organisations remain cautious, how confidence and trust shape adoption decisions and what responsible AI looks like in practice for Australian businesses.
They also discuss the role of the National AI Centre and AI Adopt Centres in helping organisations build capability, navigate risk and identify practical opportunities for AI deployment. The conversation looks ahead to emerging developments such as agentic AI, Australia's role in the global AI ecosystem, and where the nation can build competitive advantage through its own strengths in areas such as healthcare, agriculture and highly regulated industries.
Key takeaways
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In her role as Australian Industry Group’s Head of Industry Development and Policy Louise provides strategic leadership and guidance for Australian Industry Group’s policy agenda in building competitive industries through global integration, infrastructure development and innovation. She ensures that through policy leadership members have a voice at all levels of government, by representing and promoting their interests on current and emerging issues.
Louise represents Australian Industry in several multilateral forums, such as the B20 Taskforces, Global Business Coalition, and the East Asia Business Council working group on RCEP. She advocates for the interests of Australian Industry Group members during Free Trade Negotiations and translates those agreements to support the strategic aims of members. She is a member of CSIRO’s Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Think Tank and the Manufacturing Advisory Group, the NESP Sustainable Communities and Waste Hub and the Advisory Group of The Australian Consortium for ‘In-Country’ Indonesian Studies (ACICIS).
Louise has studied a Bachelor of Arts (Arabic Language and Culture) at Deakin University and an Advanced Diploma in International Trade at RMIT. She has also studied Arabic at universities in Jordan and Egypt.
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