New Technology and Democracy: compatible companions or awkward bedfellows?

In a recent speech on ‘AI in Australia’s interests’, the Prime Minister promoted a dual vision in which Australia’s stable democracy would be a critical drawcard for international investors in AI, while appropriate AI regulation could ensure that AI supports Australian democracy and reflects Australia’s democratic values of progress and fairness. A critical question arises, however, as to whether AI, and new technologies more broadly, support or hinder democracy and social cohesion. Our expert panellists will consider this issue and discuss the impact of recent technological trends on the viability and sustainability of Australian democracy.

Critical concerns include risks at an individual level, including problems of privacy and surveillance; risks to the information ecosystem arising from misinformation and disinformation; and broader social and systemic risks, including concerns about sovereignty, security, and the gradual erosion of social cohesion and trust.

Program

5.30pm: Registrations open, networking & refreshments
6.00pm: Event commences 
7.00pm: Networking and refreshments
8.00pm: Event concludes

Panellists

Carl Rhodes is Professor of Business and Society at UTS Business School. Carl researches the relationship between liberal democracy and contemporary capitalism. This work questions and endeavours to reformulate the role of business in society so prosperity can be shared by all. He is also the founder and director of the new Ultimo Institute which brings together research, policy and practice to reimagine the relationship between business, power, democracy and inequality, and shape fairer and more democratic economic futures.

Sophie Farthing is the Responsible Technology Program Lead at UTS’s Human Technology Institute. She is a public policy expert with extensive experience in the not-for-profit, campaigning and government sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. A human rights lawyer, her areas of interest and expertise include the accountable and responsible use of new and emerging technologies. In her previous role as the Senior Policy Adviser to the Australian Human Rights Commissioner, Sophie led the Human Rights and Technology Project at the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2017 to 2021. 

Aubrey Blanche is an AI ethicist, the founder of The Mathpath, and Director of Ethical Advisory & Strategic Partnerships at The Ethics Centre. Her current focus is on enabling ethical decision-making around AI deployment and supporting organisational transformation across technical systems and the humans within them. She was an executive at Atlassian and Culture Amp, is a masters student at the University of Cambridge in AI Ethics, and holds degrees in Political Science from Northwestern and Stanford Universities. Her previous research focused on the privatisation of democratic military operations and the role of international media in accountability for civilian death in democratic military operations.