A surge in Australian data centre construction driven by artificial intelligence (AI) risks pushing up power bills and climate pollution, according to this report. With more than 90 projects in the pipeline, this report proposes that every new data centre in Australia must be subject to strong standards for both its energy and water use.

This report examines the environmental footprints of the energy required to power artificial intelligence's (AI’s) rapid expansion. It frames AI’s environmental footprint as a governance and justice challenge, not only a technical problem. The benefits of AI often flow across borders and sectors, while the environmental burdens can be concentrated in specific communities and regions.

This report argues that policymakers must confront a fundamental choice as the agentic web transforms the economy: whether artificial intelligence agents must primarily represent the interests of users or will be permitted to serve the interests of the corporations that deploy them. It finds that the potential for exploitation is great and outlines recommendations for...

Governments have moved rapidly from experimenting with artificial intelligence (AI) to deploying it. But a gap has emerged between governments’ ambition to scale AI and their ability to deploy systems with confidence. This report finds that most governments have established AI ethics principles, governance models or national frameworks. The challenge lies in day-to-day execution.

Australia is in the midst of a data centre boom. This report reveals how the rollout of artificial intelligence (AI) data centres in Australia is set to derail the renewable energy transition, entrench gas and accelerate climate pollution, prompting calls for an urgent moratorium on data centre approvals until appropriate guardrails are in place.