Using AI ethically should be every public servant’s business
Public servants are under growing pressure to use AI in their day-to-day work – but many are asking how this should be done if there is no clear guidance on how to do it responsibly or ethically.
ANZSOG’s new AI Tools & Ethical Practice program is designed for ‘middle layer’ leaders to give them the skills to build their ethical judgement around AI and the confidence and capability to navigate through when and how their teams use AI - often where guidelines and guardrails are unclear.
It is not another technical or tools-focused program to help create the perfect prompt, or a guide to high-level strategy.
It focuses on the skills and ethical understanding public servants need most as they navigate the grey areas, organisational constraints and competing priorities around AI.
Program lead Kate Carruthers, an industry leader in data, analytics, artificial intelligence, AI and data governance, and cybersecurity, will be joined by Martin Stewart-Weeks, ANZSOG’s Practice Fellow for Digital Government Strategy and Leadership, and a range of guest presenters as they unpack these challenges.
Ms Carruthers said that public servants were facing a tension between the push to implement AI as soon as possible, and a management structure that wanted it done with no risk.
“They're trying to navigate that tension in a sensible way, but they often don't have any frameworks or tools to do that. This program will give them something that will last beyond the next set of technical advances: a way to think about AI and talk to their teams about it.”
Mr Stewart-Weeks said that the rate of change meant AI would soon become everyone’s business.
“If you are in the public service, at some point in the next year or two AI is going to be on your plate - whether you like it or not. Any opportunity that can help leaders at every level think their way into the decision-making space with some degree of clarity is incredibly welcome,” he said.
What you take away from AI & Ethical Tools
Participants will be able to use AI Tools & Ethical Practice to orient themselves in the ethical landscape which is becoming an increasingly important part of the debate around AI.
“This is particularly important in the public sector where the overriding question is: who are we going to harm here and who are we going to help? This ethical framing is probably the most difficult part of the whole thing,” Mr Stewart Weeks said.
Mr Stewart-Weeks said that the key thing he wanted participants to take away was becoming more comfortable and confident as they grappled with the speed and intensity of change.
“At the moment, there's this awful sense that I've got to make the decision by breakfast tomorrow morning, otherwise the world will blow up. That is just not true. Mind you, it's not much point saying ‘we'll leave it and come back to that in six months’. That's not helpful either.”
“If we can get them comfortable and confident about how they should pace themselves - that will alleviate a lot of the very high pressure at the moment.”
Ms Carruthers said that the legacy of Robodebt was the ‘elephant in the room’ of the AI debate in Australia because no one wanted to preside over anything like it.
She said that she wanted participants to finish the program with the knowledge and ethical lenses to be able to make informed decisions about AI use.
“It's okay to say ‘no’ and it's also okay to say ‘yes’. You've just got to know why you're doing it,” she said.
Developing a plan for your team
Participants can expect to finish the program with the knowledge and ethical lenses to be able to make informed decisions about AI use and a tangible plan for their teams.
They will be encouraged to think about decision-making approaches, and moving beyond efficiency and look at the deeper ethical issues around AI, asking questions like:
Should we do it?
Who is affected?
Can we explain it?
Who is accountable?
How will we know if it goes wrong?
Participants will be able to bring their own key practical issues to the table, with facilitators using some of them as use cases to illustrate dilemmas for the cohort to collectively work through.
That will allow them to leave the program with practical ideas they can apply immediately, as well as a broader set of understandings and questions to help them make ethically considered decisions about AI, and a tailored strategic AI pitch for their team.
Who the program is for
The challenge of AI exists across all levels of the public sector, but AI Tools & Ethical Practice is designed primarily for public servants in the middle leadership layer at APS 5/6 and EL1/2 levels (or equivalent).
These are leaders and managers who are facing the most acute pressure to make practical decisions on AI and are often already shaping how AI is used in practice within the workplace.
It brings together participants from across jurisdictions, to compare different approaches and shared challenges.
AI Tools & Ethical Practice is being delivered for the first time in 2026.
AI Tools & Ethical Practice a Glance:
Experience: Designed for public servants in the middle leadership layer at APS 5/6 and EL1/2 levels (or equivalent).
The program will better equip participants to:
Evaluate AI use cases using ethical and governance-based questions
Apply consistent principles to guide AI-related decisions in their role
Lead and influence responsible AI practice with confidence and credibility
Delivery: Digital learning experience consisting of 3-5 hours learning over four weeks.
2026 course: commencing on 12 October.