If his impressive academic record is any measure, Andrew Charlton might lay claim to one of the highest IQs in the parliamentary Labor party. Now, with his central role in the government’s AI policy, he’s grappling with issues thrown up by a very different sort of intelligence.

Charlton is only an assistant minister (for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy), junior to Industry Minister Tim Ayres, who’s in cabinet.

But he’s an expert on AI, and has been carrying much of the media load after Anthony Albanese’s speech last week on the government’s directions for handling this rapidly evolving technology that will transform modern life.

Charlton, Attorney-General Michelle Rowland and the Prime Minister’s Office were the key players in bringing together the framework Albanese outlined, setting terms to capture the benefits of AI while imposing some conditions on the rollout. Charlton undertook the talks with business.

Labor’s national conference in Adelaide, which opens on Thursday, will be a tightly controlled performance. But the debate on AI, due on Thursday, which pits issues of technological progress and productivity opportunities against the concerns of sections of the union movement, could be one of the livelier of the three-day jamboree.

As well as whatever he says on the conference floor, Charlton will address a “fringe” event on AI on the sidelines.

Last month, Charlton won the prize for Emerging Political Leader of the Year for 2025, awarded by the McKinnon Foundation, a non-partisan organisation that aims to promote “better governments”.

Its citation recognised his contribution in “shaping Australia’s response to artificial intelligence at a moment when the stakes for the country could not be higher”.

“Charlton’s work on artificial intelligence stood out for its........

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