Johnstone and National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIS) [2025] ARTA 106 (Link to AUSTLII).
Serious injury compensation claims have for some years included provision for technology supports. This NDIS decision is novel in that the participant sought a paid subscription to “Chat GPT” at a cost of $300 per month. In support of the claim, a report identified a number of benefits including summarising and simplifying complex information, providing on‑demand assistance and information, providing guidance in emergency situations and others.
The Tribunal held at [173]:
I agree with the Agency’s contention that the paid version of ChatGPT does not represent value-for-money compared with the free version. I cannot see anything specifically in Mr Widmer’s report that deals with the additional advantages of the paid version. The bulk of the features which would reduce carer burden on Mrs Johnstone appear to be available in the free version. The Applicant’s lived experience with the free version not being suitable is of some weight, but ultimately provides little else to support a finding that the paid version is value-for-money. I am not satisfied that the subscription to ChatGPT is a reasonable and necessary support.
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