The Trump administration’s recent decision to block foreign access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) models has reignited AI sovereignty debates – where nations strive to build and maintain their own AI, rather than using models developed elsewhere.

Recently, Defence Minister Richard Marles weighed in, telling a defence conference that Australia should “build some agency” in relation to AI.

But what does such “agency” look like? Australia can’t brute force its way to frontier AI capability. The costs are prohibitive and Australia has few natural advantages.

Instead, the immediate priority should be influencing how the United States shares AI models with allies for collective benefit.

Frontier AI refers to large-scale models that have cutting edge performance across a range of tasks. Earlier this month, the US government slapped export controls on Anthropic’s latest frontier models – Mythos and Fable – over concerns that their safety guardrails could be bypassed or “jailbroken”.

Anthropic insists its guardrails are robust compared to other widely available models. The White House claimed they’re too dangerous to release to non-US citizens.

Whatever the claims and counterclaims, the ban sent governments and businesses scrambling for workarounds. Even though the export controls have now been lifted, the episode raises troubling questions about the future of frontier AI access for everyday consumers.

Not just ‘teething........

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