Think: Digital Futures

Techno-sexuality. Digi-sexuality. I-dollatry and Robophilia are new sexualities made possible by technology. So who is behind these identities? And what's the attraction?   Featuring Dr Belinda Middleweek, Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the School of Communications at University of Technology Sydney   Music from Epidemic Sound   Produced and presented by Lawrence Bull

Ya like robo-jazz? Featured:   Dr. Richard Savery: Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF), Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong Music: Shimon Aarhus perf. Aarhus Jazz Orchestra and Shimon (provided by Dr. Richard Savery) Faster Does It Kevin McLeod   As AI becomes more advanced and nuanced, it is inevitable that we see it entering the arts. After my conversation with Dr. Sara Oscar, I was curious to descend further down the rabbit hole of artificial creativity. Being a musician, there was no better way to challenge my beliefs of what is or isn't "music" than by exploring robot musicians. But it isn't just techno sounds and glitch, Dr. Richard Savery's robot musician Shimon can rap, sing, and play the marimba in a band.

For decades, stem cells have been the technology that's just around the corner. The medicine that would fix just about part of the body. But stem cell injections haven't delivered on their advertised potential. Now, thanks to ingenuity and machine learning, they'll have a shot. Featuring Dr Jiao Jiao Li, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney Produced and presented by Lawrence Bull

What is 'consciousness'? Featured: Dr Mahendra Samarawickrama; Director of the Centre for Consciousness Studies, Director of the Centre for Sustainable AI Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org The nature of consciousness is an emerging philosophical question that has been pondered for centuries. Now, with the advent of advanced Artificial Intelligence, the ethics and implications of conscious AI is at the forefront of people's minds. However, delving into just what consciousness actually is on the grand scheme of the universe could provide insight into the unanswered questions of the universe.

Where do AI generated imagery fall in the world of art? In September 2022, Jason M. Allen controversially won first prize in the Colorado State Fair's "digital arts/digitally-manipulated photography" competition. This event sparked a growing debate in the art world and on social media over the legitimacy of AI generated artwork. Many artists are calling foul on AI art, and are vehemently opposed to its inclusion in the arts on both creative and legal grounds. However, controversy always follows new technology, one only has to take a look at the last century to see similar fierce opposition to photography's standing as "legitimate" art. To unpack the issue surrounding AI art, I spoke to someone with their foot in both worlds. Dr. Sara Oscar is a photographer and Senior Lecturer at UTS's School of Design. Her research specialises in the cultural impacts of AI and deep neural networks. Hopefully, she can shine some light on the question 'Is AI Art, 'art'? Featured: Dr. Sara Oscar: Senior Lecturer, UTS School of Design Music: Dances and Dames Kevin McLeod Faster Does It Kevin McLeod Presented and Produced by Cameron M. Furlong

All of us have our own relationship with music, for some it provides some background colour to the day, for others it's an integral part of life. But technology has changed our relationship with music, both in how we consume it and how we collect it. While it's easier than ever to access an enormous amount of music from every era, genre and country on Earth, has it become more difficult to forge meaningful relationships with artists and their songs? How do we keep track of a lifetime's worth of music appreciation and listening, and is it even important that we do? Featured:  - Liz Giuffre, Senior Lecturer in Communication for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences - Darren Cross, Musician Music:  Darren Cross - hONEYCOMB (10.8.5) Darren Cross - Honeeey Pot Darren Cross - Pump Up the Dole-Drums (INFINITE3) Darren Cross - S u m_m e r T a p e d (courtesy of the artist)

Advances in technology and art require a solid foundation of history in order to improve, progress and innovate. What happens when that history is tied up with copyright restrictions or only exists as an expensive artifact? With video games the highest earning entertainment products, can publishers be forgiven for protecting their investments by deciding what relics from the past we now get to discover, or should these long lost treasures be more accessible? Featured: Dr Jaime Garcia Deputy Director (T&L Engagement), Faculty of Engineering and IT, Co-director UTS Games Studio   Music:  Lexica - Albatross (courtesy of Endemic Sound) DEX - Light In Reverse (courtesy of Endemic Sound) Ben Salter - Semi- Pro Gamer (courtesy of the artist)

Do you trust a robot with your beer? Featured: Doctor Nick Bennett: Senior Lecturer, School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering Danielle MacDonald: Brewer, Sydney Brewery Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms; sourced from Freesound.org. Outro music Modern Compersion One Man Book. AI will soon have a say in how you beer tastes. Researchers at UTS are developing new brewing technologies that will be able to monitor the brewing of beer at every step of the process. This could lead to more economical and cheaper brews, and the micro-analysis of the process means that brews could be cloned to twin breweries around the world. Can an AI analyst hold a candle to the experience and intuition of a human brewer, or will their own individual strengths elevate the process?

Can a printer save a life? Featured: Professor Majid Warkiani: Biomedical Engineer, University of Technology Sydney Sajad Razavi Bazaz: Biomedical Engineer, PHD Candidate, UTS Produced and Presented by: Andrew Herlinger Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org Stem cell research offers great promise in the treatment of Australians living with diseases, cancers or a physical disfigurement. But with that potential comes concerns over its tendency to being labour intensive, time consuming and expensive. As such, there is plenty of research being conducted that is looking to reduce its costs and time in a way that is both ethical and profitable for those that are investing money into this area. Think Digital Futures' Andrew Herlinger investigates.

Does your robot trust you? As research hastens to making Brain-Computer Interfaces between robots and human a reality, we ought to examine the cultural significance behind it. We must consider the definition of “trust” and how it can be applied to an interface between a robot and a human. We can easily understand how much a human trusts a robot, but have you ever considered if a robot can trust a human? Can we even consider it at all? Cameron M. Furlong investigates. Features: Distinguished Professor CT Lin, UTS School of Computer Science Doctor Chris Muller, Senior Lecturer, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org

What happens when you ask Google to tell you the truth? Featured: Associate Professor Heather Ford: Head Of Discipline Digital and Social Media, UTS Produced and Presented by: Lawrence Bull Music: Theme for Empty Stage by Luella Gren It's never been so easy to access quick information – a third of Australian adults use virtual assistants. But are we getting the facts?

Just how representative is the world's largest encyclopedia? Featured: Associate Professor Heather Ford: Head Of Discipline Digital and Social Media, UTS Produced and Presented by: Lawrence Bull Music: Ha-He by Just a Band The world's biggest encyclopedia has a big problem. Female editors at Wikipedia are outnumbered by a factor of eight. Africans are underrepresented by a factor of 17.  The bias is built into the code, and that code is programming our future. If Wikipedia – one of the largest databases of information on the internet and now used to train neutral networks – is biased, then how can we rely on it be a source of balanced information? Think: Digital Futures' producer Lawrence Bull investigates.

Are the decisions made by AI really as unbiased as we think they are? Featured: Distinguished Professor Fang Chen: Executive Director of The Data Science Institute, UTS Doctor Ben Swift: Senior Lecturer, School of Computing, ANU Produced and Presented by: Andrew Herlinger Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org As AI and machine learning systems become more advanced, the more we see them enter into different aspects of our day to day lives. We may think that the mathematical functions the machine learning algorithms are trained on are free from the mortal flaw of bias human decisions are cursed by – but the unfortunate reality is that they may not be as unbiased as we want them to be. How do we ensure these digital decision makers are operating fairly? This quandary is quickly becoming a significant concern as AI driven processes become involved in choices that have far-reaching impacts on our daily lives. Think: Digital Futures' producer Andrew Herlinger investigates.

For the last 5 years, Dr. Su and his team have been developing an electronic nose that can sense gas compound patterns in the air. The E-nose that they have developed has the capability to distinguish between different brands of whiskey, including smelling out counterfeits. However, the dream does not end there for Dr. Su. He sees potential uses for this e-nose as far as drug detection and food safety, and even as a part of a robot with the full suite of human sensors. But how does an e-nose work; how similar is it to a human nose; and can it beat out an eager set of human nostrils in a whiskey sniff test? Dr. Su has your answers.

How can AI help in ensuring gender equality in legislation?Featured:Dr. Ramona Vijeyarasa: Senior Lecturer Faculty of Law, UTS; Architect of the Gender Legislative IndexThe Hon. Ruth Forrest: Member of the Legislative Council of Tasmania; Independent member for MurchisonProduced and Presented by: Cameron M. FurlongMusic by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.orgAs more scrutiny is put on the type of exclusionary and gender-biased language used in legislation, law makers should be looking for ways to improve the process of creating laws. How can we know which laws need changing, and to what degree? Such a question cannot be answered by a human-powered review into every single law in existence - there is just too much to go through, and humans are inherently biased no matter how neutral they claim to be. The challenge has been set, and Dr Ramona Vijeyarasa has a solution - the Gender Legislative Index. The GLI compares legislation to global standards and gives a rating as to how biased or unbiased the law is. The GLI currently being used in 4 countries; Australia, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Sri Lanka to assess laws currently in effect. But what about future laws? Well, thanks to Ruth Forrest, the GLI may start to be directly involved in legislation passed in the Tasmanian Parliament. Hopefully, the value of the GLI is seen and its services are implemented at a Federal Level.

Most of our search for love and sex has been uploaded onto apps - for better or worse. What effect is this having on queer communities, and what are the experiences of queer people using these apps?Language warningFeaturing:Paul Byron, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Communication, UTSEric, Former dating app userDamien, Current dating app userProducer/presenter: Josh GreenMusic: Epidemic sound

As technology and social media algorithms evolve faster than we can monitor them, how has our ability to empathise with others been affected?Featuring: Joshua Krook, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide. Dr Heather Ford, Head of Digital and Social Media, UTS.Brennan Hatton, CTO and co-founder of Equal Reality. Producer/presenter: Bageshri SavyasachiMusic: Epidemic sound

What are the experiences of women using technology to make a baby? And how are they navigating the fertility industry online?Featuring: Natalie Hart, donor egg recipientProfessor Anita Stuhmcke, faculty of law, UTSDr Lizle Oosthuizen, reproduction medicine specialist, Cape FertilityProducer/presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic sound

In order to open up safely after two years of restricted movement, many countries are introducing COVID-19 vaccination passports. But how will this work? In this episode we look at the safety and privacy concerns of these technologies and consider how they should cater to the digitally disadvantaged.Featuring:Dr Manoranjan Mohanty, Lecturer in School of Mathematical and Physical Science at the University of Technology SydneyDr Helen Paik, Senior Lecturer the School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of News South Wales.Dr Katie Attwell, Senior Lecturer in School of Social Sciences at University of Western Australia and Lead Researcher of Coronavax: Preparing Community and GovernmentProducer/Host: Sophie EllisMusic: Epidemic Sound

In this episode we observe how online hate speech can result in real-life consequences. How gaming and social media platforms are failing to censor dangerous content. And pushback from the community.Featured:DK, content creator and gamer on Youtube and TwitchDr Marian-Andrei Rizoiu, senior lecturer, Behavioural Data Science, University of Technology SydneyProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelWith research assistance from Eamonn CulhaneMusic: Epidemic Sound

Technologies used to read and alter the brain are being introduced in courts around the world. But how will neuro-based evidence revolutionise the way we view criminals? Who decides who is a good citizen? And how do we create a future worth wanting and not merely inherit whatever future results from new technology?Featured:Dr Nicole Vincent, senior lecturer, Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation, UTSProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic Sound

As communities become increasingly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, how are architects using 3D-printing to ensure buildings are energy efficient?Featured:Dr Kim Loo, western Sydney GP, NSW chair, Doctors for the EnvironmentAssociate Professor Hank Haeusler, Director of the Bachelor of Computational Design, University of NSWDr Tim Schork, Associate Professor, School of Architecture, University of Technology SydneyProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic Sound, Blue Dot Sessions

Amazon CEO and billionaire Jeff Bezos recently flew into space, days after billionaire Richard Branson made it into orbit. Space has always been a frontier for innovation, but what has been achieved so far, by the growing privatisation of the space industry? What risks are there? Featured:Kurby Ikin, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Aerospace Consultants, National Space Society AustraliaIver Cairns, Professor in Space Physics, University of SydneyProfessor Anna Moore, Director, Institute for Space, Australian National UniversityDr. Joshua Chou, Senior Lecturer, School of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & IT, University of Technology SydneyProducer/Presenter: Soofia Tariq

Dementia is a confronting disease, with many barriers to early diagnosis and lengthy diagnostic processes. Researchers are developing new technologies in the hopes of easing that process.Featured:Sheila and DaleFernanda Tavares Vasconcelos Oliveira, PhD student, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)Dr Jaime Garcia, Senior Lecturer in Games Development, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)Producer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic sound

A huge repatriation effort has been ongoing for decades, in an attempt to return the ancestors and sacred objects of Indigenous people back to their homeland. We speak to two men who've helped develop a digital archive - to support that movement.Featured:Steve Hemming, associate professor, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, UTSDaryle Rigney, a citizen of the Ngarrindjeri nation, Director of the Indigenous Nations and Collaborative Futures Research hub, Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research, UTSProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic Sound, Blue Dot Sessions

As we expand our mining of minerals for the green energy transition, we may harm the biodiversity of surrounding areas and cause other environmental consequences. How are researchers developing alternative technologies to extract metals like Lithium sustainably?Featured:Professor Rick Valenta, Director of the WH Bryan Mining and Geology Research Centre, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of QueenslandDr Gayathri Naidu, researcher, Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, UTSProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic Sound

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has jumped on the opportunity to expand surveillance laws following the success of Operation Ironside. But members of the cybersecurity community say new laws have been rushed and may encroach on individual privacy. Featured:Patrick Fair, commercial lawyer with expertise in intellectual property, competition law, telecommunications and privacy lawEric Pinkerton, cybersecurity consultant, Trustwave Dr Priyardarsi Nanda, senior lecturer, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, UTS Music: Epidemic SoundProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-Catzel

As a parent, you would do whatever you could to ensure that your child has a good life. But what if you knew that your unborn child would have a condition that would severely impact their quality of life? What if you could, at the earliest possible stage, choose against this?Featured:Dr Peter Illingworth, Medical Director, IVF AustraliaProfessor Isabel Karpin, School of Law, University of Technology SydneySteph Agnew, disability and IVF advocateProducer/Presenter: Toby Hemmings

Which groups of Australians are benefiting most from digital mental health services? And how are psychologists adapting their practice to incorporate these new tools?Featured:Richard Mason, Batyr Lived Experience SpeakerBethany Wootton, Associate Professor in Clinical Psychology, UTSProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic Sound

The technological capabilities of 3D printers continue to advance. In this episode, we explore the capability of 3D bio-printing, the printing of biological structures, such as heart tissue, bones, and skin. Could 3D printed heart tissue replace heart transplants in the future? What hurdles are there to implementing this technology in hospitals in Australia?Featured:Dr Carmine Gentile, lecturer at UTS School of Biomedical Engineering, group leader of the cardiovascular regeneration group at the University of Technology Sydney and the University of SydneyAssociate Professor Payal Mukherjee, an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon, ENT lead for research from Royal Prince Alfred’s Institute of Academic Surgery, Clinical Associate Professor of surgery at the University of Sydney, Adjunct Professor at the University of Wollongong and the current chair of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons NSW.Professor Matthew Rimmer, Professor of intellectual property and innovation at the Queensland University of Technology.Presenter/Producer: Marlene EvenMusic: Epidemic SoundSound: 3D bio-printer recording, by Dr Carmine Gentile, second recording by Associate Professor Payal Mukherjee, Professor Gordon Wallace AO, Director ARC Centre for Electromaterial Science and his team.

Machines are beginning to replace human judgement and other cognitive tasks, not just physical labour, seeing millions of unemployed in coming decades. What will become of the unemployed masses? Idleness and depression? Or bountiful travel and leisure? And how will we distribute welfare equally? Featured:Dikai Liu, Director, Robotics Institute, UTSBenjamin Hunnicutt, historian, professor of work and leisure, Iowa UniversityProducer/Presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic sound

How are NFTs redefining the art world? Are blockchain powered marketplaces empowering artists or harming the the environment? Featured:Craig Blackmoore, digital artist, founder House of BlackmooreJaysson Guerrero, senior research consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology SydneyProducer/presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic:Epidemic soundSome of us, Craig Blackmoore

Why has Google fired members of its ethical AI team? How pervasive are problematic algorithms in society? And who is holding developers of new technologies to account? We speak to leading AI researchers about current challenges facing the industry. Featured:Tiberio Caetano, Chief Scientist, Gradient InstituteProfessor Fang Chen, Executive Director of Data Science, University of Technology SydneyProducer/presenter: Julia Carr-CatzelMusic: Epidemic sound

Online devices are becoming ubiquitous in our lives. Some of them are convenient, or even essential- others are just fun novelties. But many people haven’t considered the security risk of, for example, having a camera connected to the internet in their home- or a doll that records their children’s voices.In this episode we’re looking at the risks and benefits of Internet of Things technology- and how you can make sure your devices aren’t giving away your personal information

They say that nothing gets things moving like a crisis.In this episode of Think: Digital Futures, we’ll take a closer look at how your smartphone is fundamentally changing the way we interact with government services.In today’s world of delivery food and Zoom meetings, should accessing government services be as easy as ordering a pad thai?Or will ridding the public service of the pens and paper that have fueled their longevity simply end in one big glitch?

Sensors, ever smaller and cheaper, can collect ever more nuanced sets of data. With that data, we can understand our world in ever more detail. That can mean cleaner air in our cities, more efficient water usage, or even saving a rainforest species.

As climate breakdown makes farming an evermore unstable and unpredictable industry, technology is developing ways to maximise the efficiency of agriculture. This episode we look at how internet enabled devices, machine learning, and artificial intelligence are being used to improve farming practices in Australia.

Drones are all around us these days... everyone seems to own one, for better or worse. But should we be more wary of these flying sentinels? While they've proven to be effective in some of our biggest challenges, like wildlife conservation, they also pose massive risks to our civil liberties, and widen the surveillance state.

We're living in an era of unprecedented change... just like previous industrial revolutions, our current one (well underway) is more than the sum of its technological advances; it's the incredible social change that goes along with it. Join former World Economic Forum advisor and author Nicholas Davis, as he discusses why we shouldn't be hands off when it comes to tech, the power of AI... and just what still makes us human in this tech age.

Scientists have been warning the world about the rise of anti-microbial resistance for decades now- some strains of diseases like gonorrhea, tuberculosis and staph infections are almost completely resistant to even our most powerful drugs. A new project, headed up by the University of Technology Sydney, is working on tracking where this resistance develops, and predicting where resistant microbes might pop up next. We speak to some of the scientists on the project, about how it works, and who it can help.

Blockchain, Bitcoin... maybe you switch off when you hear those terms. But the cutting edge technology, and all the exciting possibilities it raises, can be summed up in one word: trust. From making sure your coffee really is fair trade, to trading solar power hours with your neighbour, blockchain is taking is to the future.

As more of our lives move online, could our democratic rights also be exercised on the internet? Is voting from your phone or computer as safe as popping your ballot into a cardboard box on election day? This week we look at the ins and out of electronic voting- how it's used, and how it could be expanded on in Australia.

Since 2015, Australia has been developing a database of citizens biometrics, to be fed into facial recognition software for the purpose of combating crime and identity theft. Most Australians are unaware of the scheme- but if you have a passport or state issued photo ID, your face is in this vast database. In this episode we look at the efficacy of facial recognition, and the implications of its use in Australia.

The world's biggest tech companies are in a big fight... with an Australian organisation. The ACCC has presented a plan that will force Facebook and Google pay more for news content shared on their sites. It could save the dying journalism industry, but so far, they're not playing ball.

In this special episode, we sit down with the Human Rights Commissioner Ed Santow. How does technology stand to affect our human rights? Facial recognition, AI, predictive policing... we discuss it all ahead of the AHRC report due out later this year.

Social media has well and truly become a place of activism. With current COVID restrictions, that is now necessary, with public gatherings banned. How effective is activism online? Derided as "slacktivism", is there nonetheless real world results from our online stands?

Regional news has been on the decline ever since the advent of the internet. COVID has exacerbated the decline sharply. Without a local publication, huge swaths of regional Australia are becoming "news deserts". As we turn more and more to social media for our information, what is the future of news in a digital world?

It doesn’t take much to realise that gambling is fast becoming part of our everyday. From the pokies, sports betting, online games and apps, gambling is everywhere and accessible at any time. While the temptations are manageable for some, for others they can be difficult to shake. In the time of the coronavirus shutdown, medical experts have aired concerns for the general public, who they say are just as vulnerable to addiction as anyone else.

Telehealth has seen a rapid expansion since March, as the government scrambled to slow the spread of coronavirus. Medical professionals have welcomed the changes, and medical associations are calling for them to stay in place after the pandemic is over. So why did it take a pandemic to bring telehealth to all patients? And is it an adequate substitute for in person health appointments.

Climate breakdown is changing the way people live- in cities, already soaring temperatures are compounded by the concrete, treeless layouts of most urban centres, while extreme weather decimates crops and disrupts our food supply chains. In this week's episode, we explore the possibilities green walls and vertical agriculture present for our urban centres, and how technology could help us adapt to a worsening climate.