The Imagination and the Quest for Consciousness

Without permission, or payment, artificial intelligence has stolen the published words of thousands of Australian writers, and it seems that they have little power to stop it.  What does this mean for the future of human creativity?

Anna Funder's speech was recorded live at the 2025 Sydney Writers Festival.

The panel discussion, Can Australian literature survive in the age of streamers & AI? was recorded at Readings bookshop in Hawthorn.

Speakers

Anna Funder - Author, Wifedom, Stasiland, All that I Am

Sophie Cunningham - Writer, artist, teacher, speaker and advocate, Chair of the Board of the Australian Society of Authors, non- executive director of the Copyright Agency

Emily Bitto - Author, The Strays (2015 Stella Prize winner), Wild Abandon

Jenny Darling - Literary agent, Jenny Darling & Associates

Ben Eltham (host) - Arts, media and cultural critic, commentator and journalist