Australian tech companies have long been global leaders and innovators in a range fields from medicine right through to mining, agriculture and industry.
The bionic ear, wi-fi technology, the black box flight recorder – just to name a few – are common examples of Aussie ingenuity and its widespread application in real-world settings to improve safety, security and efficiency.
What is perhaps not widely as known outside of industry circles is Australia’s all-encompassing commitment to new and emerging fields in Information and Communication Technologies.
Through a combination of government initiatives and industry investment, Australia has developed a burgeoning ICT sector over the past few decades that leaves it well positioned to lead the world into the second half of the 21st century and beyond.
Few would argue against the significance of Artificial Intelligence as we move forward into the future.
Identified as an area of immense scientific and economic value on a global scale, Australia has taken definitive action to ensure that it remains at the forefront of its development and innovation.
The government Department of Industry Science, Energy and Resources has outlined a range of commitments and initiatives to ensure AI Is given the attention it deserves across industry, education and government sectors including an ethical framework, a CSIRO commissioned AI Technology Roadmap, and allocated funding for grants for AI projects.
To see the full range of government initiatives see here.
In the education sector, The University of Technology Sydney has established the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII), described as “a world leading research institute in AI with a vision to develop… (and) drive significant progress in areas like computational intelligence, business intelligence, computer vision, data science, machine learning, brain computer interface, bioinspired neural networks and information systems.” For more information about the AAII see here.
The AAII has a firm focus on a range of practical AI applications for industries including healthcare, defence, transportation, education, finance and marketing.
And as with any nation cooperatively focused on the future, the government and education sectors are complimented by on-the-ground leaders in industry – the real-world companies that actually drive development forward and realise the social and economic benefits that new technology allows.
Foresense Technologies is one such company.
Foresense Technologies is right at the forefront of presence detection technology, in Australia and across the world.
With significant ramifications for wide ranging sectors including educational institutions, hospitality, airports, stadiums, security, office and factory floors and retail settings, the Foresense platform collects behavioural data utilising leading edge proprietary Artificial Intelligence systems.
It analyses how people act – and interact – on-site in real world settings.