AI fuels faster cyber attacks, prompting Australia to push regional cooperation

Speaking at Singapore International Cyber Week, Assistant Minister Matt Thistlethwaite explained that artificial intelligence allows threat actors to compress weeks-long coding projects into minutes, endangering power supplies, hospitals and transport networks. To counter this, Australia launched an Office of AI in July and enforces regulations that require critical-infrastructure operators to report incidents and manage risks.

The country is deepening its cyber partnership with Singapore, renewing a cooperation pact and contributing to a A$83.5 million program aimed at boosting Indo-Pacific cyber resilience. Thistlethwaite also flagged the problem of scam centres in Southeast Asia, citing Operation Firestorm and recent intelligence sharing with Thai authorities. Finally, he said Australia intends to ratify the UN Convention against Cybercrime in the first half of 2027, emphasizing the need to protect children from online exploitation.