Australia is showcasing some of the region’s most promising AI ideas to help tackle real-world challenges, from disaster response and health care to climate resilience and access to essential services.
Twenty organisations and individuals have been selected to showcase their work at Situation 2026, supported by the Australian Government in partnership with the Development Intelligence Lab.
The projects demonstrate how AI can be used in practical ways to help people and communities when it matters most.
In Indonesia, AI is helping health workers identify pregnancy risks earlier, while other projects are improving access to information and services in remote communities.
This is a practical example of how emerging technology can help governments and communities make faster, better-informed decisions and deliver support where it is needed.
Australia is supporting this work because the value of AI is not the technology itself — it is what that technology can do for people.
Through KONEKSI, Australia is also supporting Indonesian researchers, governments and innovators to turn locally developed ideas into solutions that can be expanded and shared across the region.
In Papua New Guinea, the Bilum platform is using AI to help officials better track development funding, strengthen planning and align investments with national priorities.
Situation 2026 brings together leaders from government, research, development and technology to explore how AI can be used responsibly, ethically and effectively to tackle some of our region’s biggest challenges.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for International Development, Dr Anne Aly:
“AI has enormous potential, but what matters is how we use it to make people’s lives better.
“Whether it is helping responders understand where support is needed after a disaster, or helping health workers identify risks earlier, we are already seeing what practical, responsible AI can achieve.
“The strongest solutions are locally led, grounded in real needs and developed alongside the communities they are designed to serve.”
“The Albanese Government is proud to back ideas that can help people, strengthen communities and build a safer, more resilient region.”
Quotes attributable to the CEO of the Development Intelligence Lab, Bridi Rice:
"Situation 2026 brings together world-class capability to tackle some of the hardest questions of inequality and justice in our region. Australia should be proud to help put that capability at the service of our Indo-Pacific partners.
"AI can open new ways to expand access to health care, justice, education and information. Situation 2026 is about ensuring Indo-Pacific communities are not just users of new technology, but active partners in shaping solutions that reflect their priorities and needs."