Sydney Ideas

Hear from Kate Crawford, Honorary Professor at the University of Sydney and one of the world's foremost scholars on the social and political implications of artificial intelligence. Timed for the Australian launch of her new book, 'Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence', Kate speaks with Fenella Kernebone to explore how artificial intelligence is not objective or neutral but a technology of extraction. Hailed in Nature as an essential read, Kate's book "exposes the dark side of AI success" by taking us on a journey that uncovers how planetary computation is fueling a shift toward undemocratic governance and increased inequity. For further links and resources, including a transcript for this podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3yLBV4P This conversation was recorded on 6 July, 2021.

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the world we live in. Moving forward, how might we navigate work, health and wellbeing, and safety with COVID as an ongoing and evolving factor in the long-term? Hear from academic experts at the University of Sydney, as they share insights into lessons from the pandemic and what it might mean for us all into the future. We discuss: – What we’ve learned about COVID-19 in the past 18 months – Australia’s approach to managing the health crisis – What a long-term COVID-normal looks like The panel: – Professor Julie Leask, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Ramon Shaban, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Tania Sorrell, Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Faculty of Medicine and Health – Professor Maree Teesson, The Matilda Centre for Research in Mental Health and Substance Use – Fenella Kernebone (Moderator), Head of Programming at the University of Sydney This discussion was recorded on 15 June 2021. For more information, visit sydney.edu.au/sydney-ideas

During the pandemic last year, many of us delayed our health check-ups, from going to the dentist to cancer screenings, and much more. This has major flow on effects across all parts of society. So this discussion is the health check we need today: What issues were left unaddressed by Australia's pandemic response? How do we reset the agenda, and rethink the health system - to provide better care, and prevent further strain? Hear from experts in oral health, ethics, lifestyle and chronic disease, and government and policy. Featuring: –Associate Professor Melody Ding, The University of Sydney School of Public Health – Dr Kathryn MacKay, Sydney Health Ethics, The University of Sydney School of Public Health – Dr Brendan Murphy, Secretary of the Department of Health – Professor Heiko Spallek, Head of School and Dean, The University of Sydney School of Dentistry – Professor Robyn Ward (Moderator), Executive Dean and Pro Vice-Chancellor Medicine and Health, University of Sydney For further links and resources, including a transcript for this podcast, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3vsmOv2 This discussion was recorded on 10 June, 2021. It was a virtual event hosted by the University of Sydney. We acknowledge the tradition of custodianship and law of the Country on which the University of Sydney campuses stand. We pay our respects to those who have cared and continue to care for Country. Music: Buoancy by Chad Crouch (CC BY-NC 4.0), from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Chad_Crouch/arps-ii/buoancy

It's been a big year. We’ve put together a few of our key talks, with leading thinkers from the University of Sydney and beyond to reflect on 2020 and what might lie ahead in 2021. Take a listen, and dive into the longer talks. Sydney Ideas will be back with more talks and ideas in the new year! FEATURING: – Mark Scott AO, The road ahead [00:00:00] – Professor Tim Soutphommasane, Combating viral panic [00:00:27] – Professor Ian Hickie, COVID-19 and mental health [00:0035] – Professor Julie Leask, The vaccination gap [00:00:57] – Professor Jaky Troy, In this together [00:01:10] – Sam Mostyn, Rebuilding Australia's future [00:01:35] – Mariam Mohammed, What will the future of women's work look like? [00:01:50] – Roxanne Moore, Raising the age of criminal responsibility [00:02:08] – Dr Gareth Bryant, The asset economy [00:02:34] – Professor Guy Standing, The basic income imperative [00:02:51] – Minister Matt Kean, Charging ahead with clean energy [00:03:00] – Professor Dianne Wiley, Running out of water [00:03:31] – Bruce Pascoe, Perennial Soil [00:03:44]

Black holes are the most mysterious objects in the universe; matter and space folded into an enigmatic knot from which not even light can escape. The 2020 Nobel Prize awarded research into black holes, thinking about the unthinkable, and seeing the unseeable. But just what did these extraordinary scientists do? Tune in as we try to unravel the puzzle. FEATURING – Professor Geraint F. Lewis, University of Sydney. Geraint's research focuses on cosmology, gravitational lensing and galactic cannibalism, all with the goal of unravelling the dark-side of the universe. – Professor Peter Tuthill, University of Sydney. Peter is an expert in astrophysical imaging; studying stars and their immediate environments with unprecedented resolution. This public talk was held virtually and recorded on 2 December 2020. For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/36wwXfZ

The science and economics tells us sustainable energy alternatives make sense. So, what’s the missing link in the path to a clean and prosperous future? FEATURING: – Matt Kean MP, NSW Minister for Energy and Environment, offers perspective into the economic impacts and benefits of investing in alternative energy sources. – Professor Anita Ho-Baillie, John Hooke Chair of Nanoscience and a world leader in perovskite solar energy cells, shares insights into solar photovoltaic research and its potential to produce cost-effective ways of energy generation. – Professor Thomas Maschmeyer presents a case study on gelated zinc bromide batteries, an Australian technology breakthrough. – Linda Scott, President of Local Government NSW (LGNSW) and City of Sydney Councillor, will talk about sustainability at a local level and community engagement. – Dr Tanya Fiedler from the University of Sydney Business School moderates the discussion. Dr Fiedler played a key role in the development of the University's Sustainability Strategy. This discussion was held virtually and recorded on 30 October 2020. For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3dcCaw9

This year has seen a complete restructure of how society conducts its business. The shift from traditional "face-to-face” work environments has been both unsettling and disruptive. But for some, particularly people with blindness or low vision, it’s proof that flexible or alternative working is a marker of both efficiency and productivity. We bring together a panel of individuals with lived experience to explore new ways of working amid disruption; and how organisations adapt to support and develop people with disability to thrive in the workforce. FEAUTURING – Simran Goyal, EY Associate – Matt O'Kane, Director of Notion of Digital Forensics – Gareth Ward MP, NSW Minister for Families, Communities and Disability Services – Chair: Professor Peter McCluskey AO, Director of the Save Sight Institute at Sydney Eye Hospital – Audience Q&A moderator: Professor John Grigg, Head of the Discipline of Ophthalmology at the University of Sydney This discussion was held virtually and recorded on 28 October 2020. For further resources, including the transcript, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3iGibam

It has never been more important to be sharing Indigenous knowledge. So many solutions to the problems we face today can be found in that wisdom. Bruce Pascoe delivers a lecture on Indigenous farming and land management. The 'Dark Emu' author is also joined in a conversation with plant breeder and agricultural scientist Dr Angela Pattison. Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) at the University of Sydney, chaired this public talks event. This event was held virtually and recorded on 19 October 2020 and marks the inaugural Arthur and Hilda Winch annual lecture in pre-colonial Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture; made possible by a donation from Mr Ron Winch and the Winch family. For more information, including further resources and the transcript, visit the Sydney Ideas website: https://bit.ly/3kZDG7u

COVID-19 has ushered in a global economic slump, which may lead to a global depression. But is the coronavirus just the trigger for a financial crisis that was waiting to happen? Globalisation and the economic policies of recent decades have produced a fragile system best described as rentier capitalism, characterised by a global class structure with rapidly growing precariat, and an increasingly deteriorating income distribution system. A basic income as an economic right suggests an alternative way out of the pandemic slump – so what are the social risks of ignoring or delaying this? FEATURING – Professor Guy Standing, SOAS University of London and Co-founder of Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) – Professor Greg Marston, School of Social Science, The University of Queensland – Moderator: Professor Lisa Adkins, Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences, The University of Sydney For more info, including a transcript to this conversation, visit our website: https://bit.ly/3mwUcgK

How is the shift to digital shaping workplaces, cultures and employment opportunities? Explore future ways of working that are truly inclusive of people with disability. FEATURING – Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of Centre for Inclusive Design – Professor John Buchanan, University of Sydney Business School – Dr Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes, University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work – Charles Humblet, Co-Chair, Disability at Work Network, University of Sydney – Penelope Pitcairn, Staff Accessibility Manager, University of Sydney – Moderator: Associate Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry, Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy This conversation was held as part of Disability Inclusion Week at the University of Sydney (21-25 September 2020). For more info, including a transcript to this discussion, visit the website: https://bit.ly/2RgEKHq