CANBERRA, Australia, Feb. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Australian government has acknowledged the risks of foreign-controlled AI with its ban on DeepSeek R1. Now it must take decisive action to strengthen sovereign AI capabilities. Trellis Data stands with the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) in calling for greater investment in homegrown AI to protect national security, drive economic growth, and position Australia as a global leader in AI innovation.
The recent AIIA’s pre-budget submission warns that without immediate investment in local AI development, Australia risks becoming “a global laggard” in AI adoption. Trellis Data, an Australian AI company, strongly supports this call.
“Australia can’t afford to always rely on foreign AI that we neither control nor fully trust,” said Michael Gately, CEO of Trellis Data. “We need sustained investment in Australian AI companies to ensure our data remains secure, our AI capabilities remain competitive, and our economy benefits from homegrown innovation. We believe the Federal Government can lead the way by actually adopting and utilising more home-grown AI solutions.”
Advancements in AI, particularly in LLMs, have sparked fresh concerns over data sovereignty and security. Chinese-developed DeepSeek has sparked national security fears and has quickly seen the Australian government ban its use on government devices due to “unacceptable risks.”
Of course, banning foreign technologies doesn’t solve the problem for those who understand the benefits of using AI. Without a secure, sovereign alternative, staff may turn to unmonitored tools, personal devices, or other external workarounds, potentially introducing new security vulnerabilities. Government-led investment and adoption of trusted Australian AI solutions would help protect sensitive data and ensure public sector employees can leverage AI safely and efficiently within a controlled and compliant framework.
“A strong, sovereign AI sector isn’t just an economic advantage-it’s a national security imperative,” said Mr Gately. “We need a forward-thinking AI strategy that ensures Australia is building, not just consuming, AI technology. The time to act is now.”
Trellis Data is committed to developing secure, disconnected AI applications designed especially for customers in high-security environments, such as government, law enforcement and intelligence. Trellis Data aims to help Australia become a global leader in AI innovation, where data is protected, the economy is strengthened, and AI solutions are developed with Australian values at their core.
Further reading: Trellis Data appears before Senate Inquiry on Sovereign Technology (Feb 2024),
