AI-powered data centers must deliver real benefits, Australian minister says | MLex | Specialist news and analysis on legal risk and regulation

By Saloni Sinha ( September 17, 2025, 06:42 GMT | Insight) -- Australians will accept data centers that support artificial intelligence if the facilities are linked to tangible community benefits, Competition Minister Andrew Leigh said Tuesday in Sydney. The government will release a national AI policy statement at the end of the year outlining how capital-intensive investment in data centers can support everyday Australians. Leigh said the energy demands of AI mean projects must secure a “social license” by showing benefits for workers such as truckers, teachers and aged-care staff. Australians will accept data centers that support artificial intelligence if they are connected to real benefits, with the technology’s “social license” resting on algorithms that make lives easier for workers, Competition Minister Andrew Leigh has said....

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