NSW AI Operational Policy

About the policy

The NSW AI Operational Policy is an all-of-government policy that outlines mandatory agency requirements to ensure the safe, lawful and ethical use of AI in the NSW Government.

Read the NSW AI Operational Policy

Download the Policy

NSW AI Operational Policy (PDF, 527.11 KB)

Your responsibilities under the policy

Public servants

• Adhere to Australia’s AI Ethics Principles if you’re using, designing, developing, deploying or implementing AI systems. These principles replace the NSW AI Ethics Policy to align NSW with a nationally consistent ethics approach.
• Use AI in line with your agency’s ICT Acceptable Use Policy.
• Complete AI literacy and policy training courses if you use AI in your work. 
• Report AI incidents or safety issues, or policy non-compliance, to your agency AI governance board or follow your agency reporting process.

Agencies

Agencies must follow the mandatory requirements in the policy, including to: 

• Adhere to Australia’s AI Ethics Principles when using, designing, developing, deploying and implementing AI systems. Agencies should use AI in ways that benefit individuals, society and the environment.
• Appoint an accountable official to oversee the policy’s implementation and act as a point of coordination with the Office for AI.
• Establish governance and assurance of AI use using existing functions where possible.
• Ensure that all AI use cases are registered in the AI Assessment Framework Platform and maintain accurate and complete records through the AI system lifecycle.
• Apply the AI Assessment Framework to an AI use case where the registration process determines an assessment is required.
• Refer high-risk and critical-risk AI use cases to the AI Review Committee for advice on risk mitigation.
• Align agency ICT Acceptable Use policies to the acceptable use principles and practices in the NSW AI Operational Policy. 
• Make AI literacy and policy training courses available to relevant employees using AI in their work.

To support implementation, the Office for AI is providing guidance material, rolling out AI literacy and policy training courses, and deploying the AI Assessment Framework Platform.

During the transition to the AI Assessment Framework Platform, agencies must continue to apply the existing AI Assessment Framework Excel-based assessment process to all AI use cases until the platform is fully adopted.

Who must comply?

The DCS-2026-02 Use of Artificial Intelligence by NSW Government Agencies mandates compliance with the policy. Refer to the Circular and policy for details about which entities are included.