AI in the public university – a critical conversation for HASS
Explore the social, ethical and democratic implications of corporate AI in universities through an interactive workshop
Artificial Intelligence (AI)/GenAI is being rapidly adopted across public universities in Australia, including at UNSW. The speed and scale of AI rollout has prompted concerns about environmental impacts and intellectual property, corporate influence, amplifying surveillance and discrimination, and more. Educators have signed open letters and published articles urging caution on the rollout of AI in universities, and students have signed petitions against the compulsory use of GenAI.
In this workshop, participants will explore the impacts and implications of corporate AI for the public interest orientation of universities. We will focus on universities as vital public institutions that have been widely understood as essential to democracy and social justice. Through a series of prompts, we aim to provoke conversations, advocacy and policy engagement by providing resources for further thinking and action. This workshop is an invitation to think together, slow down, ask questions, and make space for considering the social and democratic implications of corporate AI as it is rapidly shaping public universities.
The workshop is structured around eight short discussion starters and resources for further conversation, as outlined in our recent accessible think piece: https://apo.org.au/node/333125
An interactive workshop facilitated by Georgia Van Toorn (School of Social Sciences) , Tanja Dreher (School of the Arts and Media) and Sharon Aris (School of Social Sciences)
Attendees are invited to enjoy a light lunch, which will be served immediately after the workshop.
Limited online access is available on request. Please contact t.dreher@unsw.edu.a for details of the livestream option.
This event is brought to you by Social Sciences Week 2026. Coordinated by the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia, Social Sciences Week is an annual celebration of the social sciences and their role in addressing today’s most pressing issues.
