INTHEBLACK May 2025 - Magazine - Page 39
Melanie Marks, director at elevenM, which
is leading the delivery of Safe AI Adoption
Model (SAAM), one of the Australian
Government’s AI Adopt Centres.
“These concerns focused around not
knowing the full benefits or how to get the
most out of AI and not understanding
the risks associated with adopting AI.”
The survey also shows that 20 per cent
of respondents cite financial barriers, such
as subscription fees, pricing models and
licensing fees, as a barrier to AI integration.
HOW TO BE “AI READY”
What do you need to have in place to
be “AI ready” and implement it safely?
Marks says this depends on what you plan
to use it for.
“AI takes so many different forms,” she
says. “We could be looking at something
as simple as using ChatGPT, which doesn’t
require a lot of readiness. In contrast, an AI
product that manages financials for a business
could require data impact assessments, data
firewalls or contract reviews.”
When considering significant AI
investments, creating a business technology
roadmap can help to guide safe and efficient
AI adoption. It should include a timeline that
features goals, assigns responsibilities and
determines key milestones, as well as project
phases and desired outcomes.
When creating a roadmap, resources
provided by tools like SAAM will draw
from best-practice AI safety frameworks,
including Australia’s Voluntary AI Safety
Standard and AI Ethics Principles and,
as well as other global standards.
While many of these frameworks are better
suited for adoption by larger and more
mature organisations, Marks says SAAM
will be tuned to the specific needs and
requirements of SMEs.
“With SAAM, we’re seeking to create
resources for SMEs to help them feel
safe in their adoption of AI tools, so they
understand the risks and they know how
to make informed choices,” says Marks.
“We have a two-year program to roll
out these resources.”
intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au 39
