Introducing the AWS Australian public sector user guide for building responsible AI systems

Australian public sector agencies can now harness AI’s transformative potential while maintaining ethical, transparent, and compliant systems with new practical guidance from Amazon Web Services (AWS).

AWS is excited to announce that the AWS Australian Public Sector User Guide: Building Responsible AI systems with Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI is now available through AWS Artifact. This comprehensive guide supports public sector customers as they navigate responsible AI implementation with practical, actionable guidance aligned with the Digital Transformation Agency (DTA) policy for responsible use of AI in government.

What you’ll find in the guide

The user guide helps Australian public sector agencies move from AI concept to compliant production deployment with confidence. It covers two core AWS services, Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI. Each serves distinct but complementary roles in responsible AI implementation. Amazon Bedrock provides access to foundation models (FMs) through a fully managed API, making it well suited for agencies building generative AI applications. Amazon SageMaker AI is a fully managed platform for building, training, and deploying custom machine learning (ML) models. Together, they address the breadth of AI use cases agencies are likely to encounter.

For Amazon Bedrock users:

• Amazon Bedrock has been validated under the Infosec Registered Assessors Program (IRAP) as having appropriate security and compliance controls for use with PROTECTED-level data.
• Amazon Bedrock includes built-in responsible AI features, including Amazon Bedrock Guardrails, which helps block harmful multimodal content before it reaches end users.
• Automated Reasoning checks in Amazon Bedrock Guardrails act as a generative AI safeguard that helps prevent factual errors caused by model hallucinations.
• The guide provides step-by-step implementation considerations to help agencies complete transparency statements in accordance with the DTA policy for responsible use of AI in government.

For Amazon SageMaker AI users:

• Amazon SageMaker AI provides comprehensive model monitoring capabilities that track bias, drift, and data quality in real time.
• Amazon Augmented AI (A2I) enables human-in-the-loop workflows for validating AI outputs in critical decision-making scenarios.
• Amazon SageMaker AI Model Cards support transparent documentation of a model’s intended use, performance metrics, limitations, and potential biases.
• Amazon SageMaker Clarify provides bias detection and mitigation tools to help agencies promote fairness across demographic groups.

The guide includes these practical resources:

• Example use cases specific to government operations, covering document processing, service delivery, compliance and fraud detection, and scientific research
• Security and privacy control frameworks that address data sovereignty and protection requirements
• Governance and quality management guidelines that help agencies maintain accountability and transparency across their AI deployments

Supporting your AI journey

AWS is committed to being a force for good in the Australian public sector, democratizing access to advanced AI technology and helping agencies implement AI responsibly while delivering measurable value to all Australians.

The guide addresses critical considerations for public sector AI deployment, including how to maintain human oversight for high-impact use cases, implement appropriate content filtering and safety controls, and comply with privacy legislation. It also provides detailed appendices with responsible AI features, transparency statement implementation guidance, and real-world government use case examples.

Get started with responsible AI today

The AWS Australian Public Sector User Guide: Building Responsible AI systems with Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI provides the practical guidance your agency needs to implement AI systems that are ethical, transparent, and compliant with DTA policy requirements.

This guide adds to the growing library of AWS resources supporting public sector compliance across Australia. By combining leading AWS AI capabilities with clear guidance on responsible implementation, Australian agencies can deliver measurable value to citizens while maintaining the highest standards of accountability and transparency.

Access the guide and next steps

You can access the AWS Australian Public Sector User Guide through AWS Artifact. For additional guidance on cloud-related regulatory compliance, visit the AWS Compliance Center.

Ready to discuss how Amazon Bedrock and Amazon SageMaker AI can support your agency’s specific AI initiatives and compliance journey? Contact your AWS account manager to get started.