Events

The humanities, arts and social sciences sit with the possibilities and tensions of living with artificial intelligence. Are we entering an era of extraordinary creativity, an explosion in our capacity to conjure ideas, images, and sounds? Are we flourishing with AI? The arrival of AI has been heralded by technologists with utopian dreams – the expansion of our imaginations, the escape from mundane tasks. Are these dreams becoming a reality? Join us for an informative debate that will not only entertain but also showcase the breadth of talent and inquiry across our Faculty. All welcome! Food and refreshments provided. Panellists: For the affirmative Prof Deb Brown A/Prof Jason Lodge Dr Awais Hameed Khan For the negative A/Prof Andrew Phillips Dr Luke Munn Dr Leah Henrickson About HASS Research and Innovation Week Debate: 'Humans flourish with Artificial Intelligence' Join us for an informative debate that will not only entertain but also showcase the breadth of talent and inquiry across our Faculty.

A Social Sciences Week special event Tuesday 5 September, 6.00 – 9.00pm AEST National Library of Australia Join us for a lively evening of discussion and debate at the National Library of Australia (NLA) in Canberra as we explore the power of sport to bring us together, or push us apart, alongside a matched exhibition at the NLA. Our esteemed speakers are Academy Fellows and published authors, The Hon Andrew Leigh MP and Emeritus Professor David Rowe who will take the stage to explore this fascinating theme alongside Seriously Social podcast host and journalist Ginger Gorman who will moderate the debate. The Great Sports Debate promises to be a thought-provoking and entertaining event, with opportunities for audience participation and engagement. Ticket includes access to the National Library of Australia's exhibition Grit & Gold: Tales from a Sporting Nation, drinks and canapes followed by the debate at 7pm, followed by Q&A. Proudly brought to you by the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia and the National Library of Australia, with support from Synergy Group. We are delighted to announce that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales to the Great Debate will be donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation charity in support of Indigenous […]

Sci Fight Science Comedy Debate brings together comedians and scientists to debate serious issues in a ridiculous way. UOW Science Space Theatre Doors open: 6.30 pm Run time 7:00 pm till 8:30ish Tickets $20 Paid bar service available Proceedings are loosely held together by your definitely qualified host, Alanta Colley. Sci Fight has been described as a nerdy, silly, and only occasionally litigious romp into what it even means to be alive. This round, we debate: should we fear AI? Just this year, AI chatbots have given people instructions on how to build a bomb, told users that they loved them, and instructed one user to leave their spouse and a child to stick nails into a live power socket. Before now you had to go to 4chan for that quality of abuse. Has Silicon Valley simply built a better troll? Programmers are running behind ChatGPT and other AI trying to fix the problems as they arise and yet for every bit of fool proofing they achieve, humanity builds a better fool. Our one saving grace right now? It’s bad at Wordle. But this will surely not be the case for long. Or is AI over hyped? Is our distrust […]