About the day
Australia is making decisions about the future of AI, how it’s built, used and who answers for it. This event brings together people with a range of experience and expertise to provoke new thinking, and to empower everyone taking part to help shape a better path forward.
The title is deliberately provocative. Many Australians are angry at AI. They are watching data centres being built near them, they see their work change without being asked. They speak to bots instead of people. Others see real promise in what AI can do, create, and build. And the day takes an honest look at all of it, with the focus on what comes next.
AI is here to stay. The question is how much say we have in what it looks like. That answer should rest on things we already value: privacy, accountability, freedom of expression, and a voice in decisions that affect us.
Across four Conversations, we’ll ask what it would take for AI to earn its place in our lives and communities.
You’ll leave with a clearer picture, practical ideas, and new connections to help shape Australia’s AI future in the public’s best interest.
Four conversations
Read about each onePresented by
The organisations behind the event
The Deakin Digital Life Lab is a research group in Deakin University’s Faculty of Arts and Education that studies how digital infrastructures shape social life. Its work spans the fair design of data flows, people’s control over their personal information, the environmental footprint of generative AI, and the power dynamics behind how technology is made, with the aim of building fairer digital environments.
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Deakin Motion Lab is a research and creative community at Deakin University exploring how screen technologies can enrich the way we learn, work and play. Its work spans immersive realities, participatory screens and virtual production, drawing on expertise in motion capture, game design and digital design, often in partnership with Australia’s creative industries.
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The Information Rights Project defends freedom of expression and the public’s right to know. It supports people whose information rights have been violated, including whistleblowers and publishers, and works for greater accountability and transparency, on the principle that open communication is the foundation of a free society.
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Common Edge is a research and advisory organisation working across the Asia Pacific to bring balance to our digital worlds. Through research, investigations and collaborations at the intersection of technology, human rights and culture, it works to reimagine how digital technologies can positively impact people and the planet.
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Credits
The people behind the day
- Concept
- Sam de Silva and Martin Potter
- Curation
- Nevena Spirovska, Gabriel Shipton and Sam de Silva
- Organising team
- Toija Cinque, Luke Heemsbergen, Martin Potter, Sam de Silva, Nevena Spirovska and Gabriel Shipton
- Input and guidance
- Dan Mackinlay, Paul Marshall and Kate Bower
- Graphic design
- Connor Brown
- Audio, visual and tech
- Dan Murphy and Sean Healy
The organisers gratefully acknowledge funding support from Deakin Digital Life Lab and Deakin Motion Lab.