AI Australia Podcast

The AI Australia Podcast is hosted by Emma Bromet and Kathryn Collier and brought to you by Mantel. We report what’s going on in Artificial Intelligence in Australia today, with a particular focus on responsible AI, diversity and inclusion and AI at scale. What should we be aware of? And how could this affect society in Australia? We bring in leaders from across industries to get a sneak peak into what they’re working on and how they are handling any ethical considerations.

How AI is Reshaping Customer Expectations & Driving Business Value with Sandy Iyer 05/28/2025

Venture Capital in AI with Danielle Haj-Moussa and Roo Harris (Part 2) 09/05/2024

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 13 07/30/2024

Venture Capital in AI with Danielle Haj-Moussa and Roo Harris (Part 1) 07/23/2024

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 12 07/09/2024

AI in Education with Prof Andrew Maynard 06/13/2024

AI and Cybersecurity with Karissa Breen and EJ Wise 02/23/2024

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 11 12/15/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 10 12/01/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 9 11/24/2023

Maori Data Sovereignty with Megan Tapsell, Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP, and Assoc Prof Maui Hudson 11/03/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 7 10/26/2023

Eyes of AI with Khoa Le 07/23/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 6 07/11/2023

Indigenous Data Rights with Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter 07/05/2023

Indigenous Data Rights with Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter It is long overdue that we, as organisations, and people in organisations, start to question our own thinking. And as a global society need to move toward making a systemic paradigm shift when it comes to Indigenous research and all that it encompasses. Today, we are joined by a very special guest, Distinguished Professor Maggie Walter, coming to us today from Nipaluna, Tasmania. Maggie is a Palawa woman who descends from the Pairrebenne people of north-eastern Tasmania and is also a member of the Tasmanian Briggs Family. She is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Tasmania and is still heavily involved in Indigenous data sovereignty space and anything Indigenous data related. Join our very timely conversation as Maggie takes us on a deep dive into Indigenous data sovereignty 101, the two sides of data collection, and the problem with AI and using existing data sets. We talk about different challenges with funding and how there is a massive requirement for a paradigm shift in Indigenous research. This is a loaded episode with great points of conversation including a global look at relationships with indigenes, why presuming research equals change is dangerous, and why Maggie is more after ontological disturbance rather than money and time. You don’t want to miss this episode, so start listening, and join the conversation. Key Points From This Episode: An introduction to Maggie Walter, a Palawa woman and descendent of the Pairrebennes. Maggie runs us through Indigenous data sovereignty 101. The statistical indigene and what colonisation has done to us. She explains the two sides of data collection. (7:50) The problem with AI and using existing data sets: we always end as the problem. Thoughts on levers and tools aimed at shifting and solving the Indigenous data problem. The starting point, humans, and why AI is scary as it relates to Indigenous data (collection). She shares the challenges faced with Indigenous data collection. The challenges with funding and the required paradigm shift for Indigenous research. Why Indigenous research projects can’t be concentrated in health and should diversify. Her encouragement to challenge and flip mindsets with relationships to first peoples. We take a global look at other countries and their relationships with Indigenous peoples. The danger of presuming research equals change. Maggie divulges why she doesn’t do advisory committees anymore. The need for ethics codes. Why systemic change can only be done in increments. A discussion on who owns Indigenous data and the benefits, or lack thereof, of AI. Maggie tells us why she’s after ontologic disturbance rather than money and time. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Professor Sally Engle Merry /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/27369942

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 12 - Dr Ava Bargi 06/28/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 11 - Dr Muneera Bano 06/22/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 11 - Dr Muneera Bano Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our next guest is Dr Muneera Bano, from CSIRO’s Data61 within Diversity and Inclusion in AI. Bio: A passionate advocate for women in STEM, Muneera was announced as the ‘Most Influential Asian-Australian Under 40’ in 2019. A ‘Superstar of STEM 2019’ and member of the ‘Equity, Diversity and Inclusion’ committee of Science and Technology Australia, in 2021, Muneera was recognized by the Government of Pakistan Foreign Minister’s Honour List as under-40 Pakistani-Australian leader in ‘Science and Innovation’ for her leadership and advocacy in diversity and inclusion in STEM in Australia. Muneera graduated from the University of Technology Sydney in 2015 with a Ph.D. in Software Engineering. She specializes in socio-technical domains of software engineering focusing on human-centered technologies. She was the recipient of Schlumberger’s ‘Faculty For The Future Award’ for Women in STEM (2014 and 2015). Muneera was named as a finalist for ‘Google Australia’s Anita Borg Award for Women in Computer Science’, Asia-Pacific 2015, and won the ‘Distinguished Research Paper Award’ at International Requirements Engineering Conference 2018. Muneera was offered Fellowship for ‘Cultural Diversity and Leadership’ at Sydney University’s Business School in November 2019. She was selected for ‘Pathways to Politics’ by Melbourne University’s School of Government to complete the leadership program in 2021. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/27232155

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 10 - Dr Tabinda Sarwar 06/09/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 9 - Amanda Princi 06/02/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 8 - Kelly Brough 05/31/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 7 - Kendall Jenner 05/24/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 7 - Kendall Jenner Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our next guest is Kendall Jenner, Research Assistant at STELaRLab, Lockheed Martin's first research laboratory outside of the US. Bio: As a Research Assistant, Kendall performs research into Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, investigating the latest developments in the field and how it can be applied to defence applications. Before entering the workforce, Kendall studied a Bachelor of Science in Theoretical and Experimental Physics at the University of Adelaide, followed by a Masters of Philosophy in machine learning for gravitational wave astrophysics (which is still currently ongoing) with OzGrav – the Australian Research CoE for Gravitational Wave Discovery. Since starting with STELaRLab and Lockheed Martin Australia in the Graduate Program early last year, Kendall has worked on a variety of projects. She has investigated using machine learning for prognostics and health management of aircraft, link prediction in knowledge graphs, creating simulated data for a variety of other projects in the lab, and processing of overhead imagery. She enjoys the variety of tasks that her and her team partake in, and find that the work she does at STELaRLaB is the perfect balance between interesting and exciting state-of-the-art research, and the applications and practicality of implementing new solutions. Kendall's first introduction to machine learning was during a research internship with the University of Adelaide High Energy Astrophysics group, where the group was tasked with using a random forest classifier to classify blazars, which are a type of active galaxy. This project piqued her interest in AI, and so she pursued a career in it, leading to some extra-curricular activities with Adept at the University of Adelaide, work experience and internships, choice of topic for her postgraduate research degree, and now to her current role with STELaRLab. Outside of work and university, Kendall is a professional footballer (soccer) for West Torrens Birkalla SC. She enjoys gardening, playing boardgames with friends, and generally doing outdoor activities. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26934957

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 5 05/17/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 6 - Deborah Henderson 05/10/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 6 - Deborah Henderson Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our next guest is Deborah Henderson, Data & Cloud Partner at KPMG Australia. Bio: Deborah is a Partner in KPMG Australia’s Data and Cloud practice and has significant experience in technology specialising in data and analytics. She has worked internationally and locally in Australia, helping organisations across multiple industries lift their data and analytics maturity to enhance the value of their data assets. Deborah combines her vast technical background and experience in leading large scale data transformation programs across the public and private sectors and multiple industries to provide a holistic perspective on how organisations can drive value from data. Deborah is KPMG Australia’s Data and Cloud Education sector lead, and also heads up our ESG data offerings whilst continuing to deliver data services for clients in multiple industries. Deborah is recognised as a leader in delivering successful business outcomes across the entire data value chain from strategy through to implementation and has delivered keynotes at conferences and presented as a guest lecturer at some of the top universities in Australia. Deborah leverages her expertise in using modern cloud technology and human centred design to uplift and transform data and analytics capability for our clients, helping them navigate complexity to extract more organisational value from the investments they make and close the gap from data to impact. She believes that organisations need to be data fit to be future smart and that those organisations poised to use evidence based practice to make informed decisions and inspire action will have a lasting and positive impact that enables people, organisations, and society to thrive. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26796918

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 5 - Dr Rena Logothetis 05/06/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 4 - Dr Yun Sing Koh 05/02/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 4 - Dr Yun Sing Koh Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our next guest is Dr Yun Sing Koh, Associate Professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland. Bio: Dr Yun Sing Koh is an associate professor in the School of Computer Science at the University of Auckland, specializing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). Currently, she holds the position of Director of the Centre of Machine Learning for Social Good. Her research mainly focuses on three areas: continual learning and adaptation, anomaly detection, and data stream mining. She applies her research to interdisciplinary applications in environment and health domains. Throughout her career, she has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in top conference venues such as IJCAI, IEEE ICDE, IEEE ICDM. She has also published in high-quality journals, including Machine Learning Journal and Journal of Artificial Intelligence, and has received numerous awards, such as the best paper award at the Australasian Artificial Intelligence Conference (2022, 2018), best research paper award at IEEE Data Science Advance Analytics (2022), and AUT University Vice-Chancellor Emerging Researcher Award (2009). Between 2012-2023, she secured various grants and contracts, including being a primary investigator for prestigious grants internationally and nationally, such as the New Zealand Royal Society of Fast-Start Marsden and Office of Naval Research Grant, US. Currently, she holds or is a part of 7 major grants as a principal or associate investigator. Yun Sing is currently a fellow for the 2023 Convergence Research (CORE) Institute funded by United States National Science Foundation. Aside from her research work, she has also been active in contributing to service and leadership roles in various organizations. She held the position of General Chair of the Australasian Data Mining 2022 and General Chair of the IEEE International Conference of Data Mining 2021. She also served as Program Committee Co-Chair for the Australasian Data Mining Conference 2018, Workshop and Tutorial Chair for European Conference of Machine Learning and Principles and Practice of Knowledge Discovery 2021, Publicity Chair at 24th ACM International Conference on Information and Knowledge Management 2015, and Workshop Co-Chair, Pacific-Asia Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining Conference 2011. Since 2018, she has been a steering committee member for the Australasian Data Mining Conference and is a senior program committee member for top conferences, including AAAI, IJCAI, PAKDD, and ECML. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26725698

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 3 - Aruna Kolluru 04/26/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 3 - Aruna Kolluru Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our next guest is Aruna Kolluru, the Chief Technologist, Emerging Technology at Dell Technologies, Asia Pacific & Japan. Bio: Aruna Kolluru is the Chief Technologist for Emerging Technologies at Dell Technologies, Asia Pacific and Japan. In this capacity, she collaborates with organizations throughout the Asia-Pacific region to provide them with a comprehensive understanding of the potential of emerging technologies and how to conceptualize, create, and leverage these solutions to achieve tangible business outcomes. She is also a member National AI Centre, Australia, Think Tanks, providing expertise and insights on the topics of Responsible AI, Diversity and Inclusion in AI, and AI at Scale. She is also an Expert Advisor at Responsible AI Institute and a Technical committee member of TinyML Asia Pacific. Based in Sydney, Aruna is at the forefront of emerging technologies and has helped numerous companies build solutions with Artificial Intelligence, Digital Twins, Quantum Computing, Federated Learning, Big Data and other innovative technologies. She has 22 years of experience in the industry, covering a broad spectrum of technologies. Prior to her role at Dell Technologies, Aruna worked in various positions including Cloud Platforms Technologist, Big Data Technologist, Middleware Technologist, Java Architect and Presales specialist at both IBM and Oracle. Having worked across a variety of different technology areas, she appreciates facing new challenges and has enjoyed an ongoing learning process and new challenges. Her technical expertise coupled with her passion for educating and exciting others about new technology is what sets Aruna apart. She is an accomplished thought leader, passionate about intersection of business and technology opens in bettering business and society at large and is particularly interested in furthering the appetite for adoption of emerging technologies to achieve this. Her work on applying machine learning to optimise operational efficiency in data back-up systems has been patented. In addition, she has received and been shortlisted for several industry awards, recognising the work she had done to support customers across the APJ region. She is a co-author of the book 60 leaders in AI. Aruna is a speaker at AI conferences, round tables, podcasts, and several other events. Furthermore, she is an active mentor in the IT industry, frequently speaking at a variety of programs, including Dell Technologies' Girls in Engineering and Technology, the Dell and UTS partnership for Women in Action, AI Avengers program, the Dell Technologies Code like a Girl program and guest lectures at universities. Aruna holds a B.Tech in Computer Science and Systems Engineering from Andhra University in India, a masters degree in Software Systems from BITS, PILANI, India, and a Graduate Diploma in Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management. Aruna is a self-learner has completed extensive training programs and certifications to developed advanced technical skills and stay abreast with the latest. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26656278

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 2 - Malliga Krishnan 04/21/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 4 04/19/2023

AI Australia Presents: This Week in AI vol 4 There have been several noteworthy developments in the world of AI this week, and in today’s episode, we share our take on the good, the bad, and the WTF. We start off by discussing exciting developments at The Human Technology Institute and how their new project, The Future of AI Regulation in Australia, aims to help laws and regulations catch up with language learning models like ChatGPT. Next, we reflect on the tragic news of the first death directly linked to a chatbot, how little the public truly understands about these technologies, and what can be done to minimize these types of risks in future. Our conversation then delves into the proposed moratorium to halt the development of more sophisticated versions of ChatGPT and key concerns that are being raised around this topic. We also spend some time unpacking the problematic source behind this petition, namely, The Future of Life Institute, before discussing what experts like Emily M. Bender And Gary Marcus have to say about the topic. To learn more about this week in AI, including our top takeaways, be sure to tune in today! Key Points From This Episode: The Human Technology Institute’s new project: The Future of AI Regulation in Australia. Reflections on the first tragic death directly linked to a chatbot. Our thoughts on the petition for a moratorium to halt the development of more sophisticated versions of ChatGPT. The problematic elements of the proposed moratorium, including its lack of boundaries and guardrails. A reminder of the controversial origins of the Future of Life Institute and why the fact that they are funding this petition should act as a warning sign. An overview of the discourse around this topic and our key takeaways. Why laws and regulations have failed to keep pace with the language learning models like ChatGPT. How the Human Technology Institute’s new project aims to improve regulation, ensure more equitable distribution of wealth, and minimize the potential harm of these technologies. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26586393

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 1 - Professor Ann Nicholson 04/12/2023

Women in AI APAC Interview Series episode 1 - Professor Ann Nicholson Eliiza is teaming up with Jewelrock and Women in AI APAC to run a limited interview series in support of the Women in AI Awards 2023. The series will showcase conversations with a number of thought leaders and subject matter experts across industry and academia in Australia and New Zealand on topics like career, the future of AI technologies and the responsible application of AI. Our esteemed guests are all representing sponsors of the Women in AI Awards, which will be held on 16th June in Sydney for the APAC region. Our first guest is Professor Ann Nicholson, the Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. Bio: Professor Nicholson graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Hons) and a Master of Science (Computer Science) from the University of Melbourne. In 1988, she was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where she completed her doctorate in the Robotics Research Group. She then undertook a postdoc at Brown University before returning to Australia to join Monash. Professor Nicholson is the first woman appointed into her prestigious role of Dean, Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University. She is a champion for greater Indigenous participation in her faculty and supports many initiatives to bring more girls and women into IT careers. Professor Nicholson is responsible for more than 200 staff, 5,400+ students and leading IT courses taught in Australia, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and South Africa. Joining the University in 1994, her leadership expertise is broad and diverse – garnered through a range of executive roles across education, research and industry, including Associate Dean (Education) and Deputy Dean (Research). A globally-esteemed specialist in Bayesian Networks, Professor Nicholson’s research focuses on translational impact and social good, with cross-disciplinary collaborations in epidemiology, medicine, education, environmental science and meteorology. She has published more than 120 peer reviewed papers and co- authored the highly regarded ‘Bayesian Artificial Intelligence’ textbook. Her research has attracted over $12M in research funding, and has resulted in two start-up companies for technology transfer of Bayesian AI. Currently Professor Nicholson is the Honorary Secretary of the Victorian Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee; a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) and of the Computing Research and Education Association of Australasia (CORE) ; and a member of professional societies, ACM, IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. She was a co-founder, inaugural president and long-term board member of ABNMS. Links: /episode/index/show/aiaustralia/id/26526051

Live from the National AI Centre's AI Leadership Summit 04/05/2023

AI Australia Podcast

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