DTA releases AI Reference Architecture

The Digital Transformation Agency has issued new guidance to give Australian Government agencies a shared foundation for designing and governing AI systems. The guidance aims to help agencies design, procure and govern AI systems while strengthening trust, accountability and public value.

The DTA’s AI Reference Architecture translates government policy and technical expectations into reusable architectural structures. The DTA says agencies can adapt these structures to their objectives and operating environments, while also being able to apply them according to their risk profiles.

As agencies adopt AI, technical decisions about data, models, integrations, vendors and human oversight can have significant implications for several factors impacting the long-term public good, such as: privacy, accountability, fairness, safety and interoperability. Yet the consequences of those decisions are often not visible until after commitments have been made.

The AIRA helps agencies design trustworthiness and assurance into AI systems from the beginning, as opposed to retrofitting them after key technology decisions have already been made.

“Artificial intelligence presents enormous opportunities to improve services and outcomes for Australians,” said Lucy Poole, Deputy CEO - Digital Strategy, Planning and Performance at the DTA. “But agencies need practical tools to make informed decisions about how these technologies are adopted and governed. The challenge for agencies is designing systems that meet their needs while the technology keeps evolving.

“Designing an AI system has a lot in common with designing a building. Every structure needs certain fundamentals: a solid foundation, core utilities, clear points of access and safety overrides if things go wrong. And those elements will look very different depending on whether you are designing a cottage, a skyscraper, or a warehouse. The AI Reference Architecture gives agencies a common foundation for AI without prescribing the final design.”

That common foundation brings together four architectural constructs: The functional stack, communication, trustworthiness and assurance, and human agency, oversight and control.

The AI Reference Architecture is supported by a companion guide focusing on scenarios that show how agencies can apply the architecture in practice. Each scenario helps agencies identify where control sits. The scenarios also highlight where further evidence or safeguards may be needed.

The full AI Reference Architecture and supporting AI Reference Architecture Companion Guide - Scenarios can be found on digital.gov.au.

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