Anthony Albanese was quick to put up a cheesy selfie with Donald Trump when the two rubbed shoulders at the president’s reception for those visiting the United Nations for leaders’ week.

“Always good to catch up with @POTUS. We spoke tonight on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly,” the prime minister posted.

The staged image of faces close, the hint of dialogue, belied the reality that this week has seen Trump and Albanese at odds about how the international community should be approaching AI.

And, while the prime minister is in New York, the US embassy in Canberra – which now has its Trump man in residence – issued a blistering attack on the government’s proposed Digital Duty of Care legislation, casting it as an attack on free speech, among other objections.

Albanese’s schtick during his time in New York has been how AI and social media need guardrails. He’s highlighted Australia’s forward-leaning work in these areas, through its social media ban for under-16s, its proposed Digital Duty of Care legislation, and its advocacy of balancing the positives and risks when it comes to AI.

Australia was one of 19 countries plus the European Commission that issued a statement this week declaring: “To realise AI’s potential, industry, governments and society must act now to address the risks and strengthen the oversight – without widening........

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