SYDNEY, Sept 20 (Reuters) – Apple Executive Chair Tim Cook views the Australian government’s pioneering curbs on social media as “world-leading”, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Sunday after meeting with Cook at the company’s US headquarters.
“Tim Cook gave us a lot of time this morning. He regards the work that we’ve done on social media to be world-leading,” Albanese said in remarks from Apple Park, California, televised in Australia on Sunday.
Australia this month took the next step in its push to improve online safety with a plan to give social media users the option to select the content they see on their feeds.
In December Australia became the first country to ban social media for children under 16. Other governments have followed this year, with the European Commission the latest to propose such a ban for children under 13.
Asked for comment on Albanese’s remarks, an Apple spokesperson referred to a post by Cook on X, saying he was grateful to share with Albanese “some of our newest innovations, including strong and intuitive controls to help keep kids safe online”. Cook recently stepped down as Apple CEO after 15 years in the role.
Albanese’s visit to the US comes as industry leaders there are split over how fast companies should develop the increasingly powerful technology, and as an AI safety debate roils Silicon Valley.
Albanese said AI entails risks that must be mitigated.
“There is a need for a discussion about what the global framework is for the roll out of AI, because it is moving very quickly, and we need to make sure that humans remain in control,” he told reporters, according to an official transcript.
The Australian leader’s comments contrast with the position of President Donald Trump, who has downplayed concerns about AI and argued that additional regulation is unnecessary.
(Reporting by Sam McKeith in Sydney; Editing by William Mallard)
