New Zealand will delay implementing artificial intelligence regulation until the government completes its planned public sector job cuts, Technology Minister Paul Goldsmith has confirmed.
The minister told Newsroom that developing an AI regulatory framework isn't a priority while his government is focused on reducing the size of the public service. The technology can wait, he suggested, but smaller government cannot.
Mate, this is genuinely backwards. AI is being deployed across New Zealand right now - in banks, government services, hiring processes, and surveillance systems. Saying "we'll regulate it later, once we've finished sacking public servants" is like saying you'll install seatbelts after you've finished the road trip.
Goldsmith's reasoning appears to be practical: his government doesn't have the capacity to develop AI regulation while simultaneously cutting thousands of public sector jobs. But that's precisely the problem. You can't regulate emerging technologies without skilled public servants who understand them.
The New Zealand government has cut thousands of positions across the public service in the past year, particularly in policy and regulatory agencies. The same people who would develop AI regulation frameworks are being made redundant. Now the minister says AI regulation isn't urgent anyway.
But AI deployment is urgent. Algorithmic decision-making is already affecting Kiwis' lives. Banks use AI to assess loan applications. Employers use AI to screen CVs. Social services use algorithms to assess risk. Without regulatory frameworks, there's no transparency, no appeal processes, and no accountability when these systems make mistakes.
Other countries are moving faster. The European Union has implemented comprehensive AI regulation. Australia is developing its own framework. Singapore has established AI governance guidelines. New Zealand, historically a leader in digital government, is choosing to wait.
