Boyer Lectures 04 | Amelia Lester: AI on Australia’s terms
Nov 8, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Amelia Lester, Deputy Editor at Foreign Policy and a former managing editor at The New Yorker, delves into the complex challenges surrounding AI. She highlights the struggle to have meaningful conversations about its societal impact and warns of the threats to democracy and privacy posed by unchecked AI. Advocating for Australia to take a proactive stance, Amelia emphasizes the nation's potential to shape humane AI policies rooted in human rights. The conversation also explores creative and educational implications, urging a democratic approach to AI governance.
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Waymo Ride Revealed AI's Everyday Power
- Amelia Lester rode in a Waymo self-driving Jaguar and found the experience calmer and safer than a regular taxi.
- The ride made her realise AI could remove human unpredictability from everyday tasks like driving.
Big Tech Shapes The AI Narrative
- A handful of big tech firms control the public narrative because AI development is siloed in the private sector.
- This concentration forces citizens to parse hype from fact instead of shaping the debate themselves.
AI Threatens Democratic Norms
- AI poses special risks to democracies including degrading information environments and impinging civil liberties.
- Australia can respond by insisting AI be integrated safely and humanely, reflecting its values on work and rights.
