The Algorithmic Futures Podcast

We talk to technology creators, regulators and dreamers from around the world to learn how complex technologies may shape our environment and societies in the years to come.

S03E08: How AI and geopolitics are driving change in the nuclear sector, with Cindy Vestergaard 11/06/2024

S03E07: Engineering futures, with Jane MacMaster 10/02/2024

S03E06: Regulating artificial intelligence, with Geoff Mulgan 08/28/2024

S03E05: Soaring with drones, swimming with whales, with Dr Vanessa Pirotta 07/31/2024

S03E04: Exploring AI standards, with Dr Kobi Leins 06/26/2024

S03E03: How AI is transforming astronomy (and other stories), with Dr Sara Webb 05/29/2024

S03E02: The art of artificial intelligence, with Eryk Salvaggio 04/23/2024

S03E01: Relics, reciprocity, and risk: A tale of two co-hosts 03/27/2024

S02E09: Robotics, Entrepreneurship, and Art, with Damith Herath 11/29/2023

S02E08: Navigating autonomous weapons systems and responsible military technology, with Lauren Sanders 10/25/2023

S02E07: Exploring the nuclear mindset, with Veronica Taylor, Ed Simpson, and Will Grant 09/27/2023

S02E07: Exploring the nuclear mindset, with Veronica Taylor, Ed Simpson, and Will Grant In this episode, we explore the “nuclear mindset” – a term being thrown around in discussions about Australia’s plans to acquire conventionally-armed, nuclear powered submarines as part of the AUKUS trilateral partnership between the US, UK, and Australia. With the help of Veronica Taylor, Will Grant, and Ed Simpson, guest co-host AJ Mitchell and I explore what a nuclear mindset might look like, and discuss how we can help train a new generation of nuclear technology creators, regulators and dreamers approach their work with the care needed to make use of nuclear technologies safely, responsibly, and securely in an Australian context. Along the way, we talk about Australia’s already lengthy history of working with nuclear technologies, tricky considerations like how to manage nuclear waste (even for widely accepted applications like nuclear medicine), and far more in this wide ranging and transdisciplinary discussion. There will be lessons in this episode for anyone who designs, manages, or regulates technologies used in safety-critical applications – including those enabled by artificial intelligence. Episode Credits: Host: Liz Williams Guest co-host: AJ Mitchell is a Senior Lecturer in the ANU Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications. He is the convenor of the , does research in fundamental nuclear structure and applied nuclear science, and is a passionate educator and science communicator. He is also actively involved in teacher-training projects in Timor Leste and leads a program with the University of Yangon in Myanmar to build teaching and research capacity in physics. Guests: , the Professor of Law and Regulation in the School of Regulation and Global Governance (or RegNet) at ANU. She is former Dean of the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, is a member of the ANU Steering Group on Nuclear Technology Stewardship, and is one of the chief investigators for the newly awarded Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Radiation Innovation. is Associate Professor in Science Communication at the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, which is based at ANU, and is a prolific writer and contributor on the interaction between science, politics and technology. He is also a member of the ANU Working Group on Nuclear Technology Stewardship. Will has some fantastic podcasts of his own: , and . is a Senior Lecturer at the ANU Department of Nuclear Physics and Accelerator Applications, Nuclear Science Lead for the ANU Research School of Physics, and is one of the few nuclear theorists I know who can hold his own in laboratory settings. He is heavily involved in nuclear science education here on campus, has experience in government through service as an Australian Science Policy Fellow, and is also a Chief Investigator on the new Australian Research Council Industrial Transformation Training Centre for Radiation Innovation. Producers: Liz Williams, Martin Franklin (), Zena Assaad Acknowledgements: A special thanks to the for allowing us to use their recording studio for this episode. For the full episode transcript, visit: Regarding the explicit rating: This episode mentions nuclear weapons and weapons testing, and also talks about the use of nuclear propulsion for Defence. If you don't wish to discuss these topics with small children, it may be worth saving this episode for another time. /episode/index/show/algorithmicfutures/id/28158290

S02E06: How to shape technology (and society) with equity and inclusion in mind, with Tracey Spicer 08/30/2023

S02E05: Safeguarding the Future: Responsible AI Use in Education and Beyond, with Simon Chesterman 07/26/2023

S02E04: How the oak tree flourishes in the cheese grater of innovation, with Kate Devitt 06/28/2023

S02E03: Navigating space law and space inclusivity with Cassandra Steer 05/24/2023

S02E02: The future of robotics in Australia, With Sue Keay 04/26/2023

S02E01: Artificial intelligence and the human gaze, with Julie Carpenter 03/29/2023

Episode 10: Creating purposeful technology with Jenny Zhang 11/16/2022

Episode 9: Education, Intersectionality, and Inclusive Technologies, with Dr Caitlin Bentley from King’s College London 10/12/2022

Episode 8: A look back, a look forward - Podcasting as a medium for collaboration and education, and a glimpse at the future of the Algorithmic Futures Podcast 08/31/2022

Episode 7: The future of water is digital, with Sam Yenamandra from Murrumbidgee Irrigation 06/29/2022

Episode 6: Could COVID-19 influence our technological futures? 05/25/2022

Episode 6: Could COVID-19 influence our technological futures? In this episode, we explore the way technology scales in times of rapid change – such as the time in which we currently live. We’ll use a single piece of technology to shape our exploration: the South Australian Home Quarantine app. This was rolled out as a trial to enable home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app was the focus of intense debate in Australia, and drew attention from commentators in the US, because it used facial recognition combined with GPS data to monitor participants in the program. We have a fantastic line-up of guests to help us explore this issue, including: Professor Peter Wells, Business and Sustainability, Cardiff University, UK Professor Angela Webster, Clinical Epidemiologist, Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney Dr Diego Silva, Senior Lecturer in Bioethics, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney Professor Mark Andrejevic, School of Media, Film, and Journalism at Monash University Associate Professor Gavin Smith, School of Sociology at the Australian National University Lizzie O’Shea - lawyer, writer, broadcaster and founder of Digital Rights Watch This episode was created by Amir Asadi, Ned Cooper, Memunat Ibrahim and Lorenn Ruster, who are part of the ANU School of Cybernetics 2021 PhD Cohort. Memunat and Lorenn narrate the story. This episode was inspired by work co-host Liz Williams has been doing on the , a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU) , , , , and . The Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab is supported by an Erasmus+ Jean Monnet grant from the European Commission. Disclaimers: The European Commission support for the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of the podcast or this webpage, which reflect the views only of the speakers or writers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. All information we present here is purely for your education and enjoyment and should not be taken as advice specific to your situation. Episode Credits: Hosts: Memunat Ibrahim Lorenn Ruster Liz Williams Zena Assaad Guests: Peter Wells Angela Webster Diego Silva Gavin Smith Mark Andrejevic Lizzie O’Shea Producers: Amir Asadi Ned Cooper Memunat Ibrahim Lorenn Ruster Liz Williams /episode/index/show/algorithmicfutures/id/23221604

Episode 5: AI policy approaches in Australia and the EU, with Katherine Daniell and Flynn Shaw 05/11/2022

Episode 4: Banking pasts and futures, with Dan Jermyn of Commonwealth Bank 04/27/2022

Episode 3: Public trust and accountability in the digital age, with Pia Andrews 03/30/2022

Episode 2: An ocean of data, with Lyndon Llewellyn from the Australian Institute of Marine Science 02/27/2022

Episode 2: An ocean of data, with Lyndon Llewellyn from the Australian Institute of Marine Science In this episode, we chat with Dr Lyndon Llewellyn, Research Manager for the (AIMS), about the past, present, and cyber-physical future of AIMS's work on the Great Barrier Reef. As you'll hear in the episode, Lyndon is a multidisciplinary scientist, with expertise in biology, pharmacology, biotechnology and data science. He has a track record of creating and leading multi-organisational projects focusing on biotechnology, marine ecotoxicology, and e-research. He is also well versed in the business of doing science, with a long track record of serving in management roles that have enabled him to gain skills in commercialisation and intellectual property considerations. As , he is passionate about converting science into "real world change" and "maximising the value of marine science to its many stakeholders." We invited Lyndon on this podcast because the issues AIMS is dealing with as an organisation are fundamentally connected with larger questions about whether, when, and how we integrate autonomous technologies into our current work practices. AIMS was one of our research partners when we both worked at the ANU School of Cybernetics, and in our work with Lyndon and his colleagues, we were struck by the deep commitment Lyndon and his colleagues have to serving their many stakeholders -- including the Great Barrier Reef itself. We also observed that the questions AIMS has been grappling with while considering the use of autonomous technologies for its monitoring programs are not unique to AIMS -- and for some, may offer a glimpse of their own organization's potential future. This episode was created in support of the , a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU) , , , , and . The Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab is supported by an Erasmus+ Jean Monnet grant from the European Commission. Disclaimers The European Commission support for the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of the podcast or this webpage, which reflect the views only of the speakers or writers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. All information we present here is purely for your education and enjoyment and should not be taken as advice specific to your situation. Episode credits Podcast Creator - Liz Williams Hosts - Zena Assaad, Liz Williams Guest - Lyndon Llewellyn Producers - Zena Assaad, Liz Williams Assistant producers - Hannah Feldman, Flynn Shaw Episode artwork - Zena Assaad Audio editing - Liz Williams Acknowledgements - We would like to thank Andrew Meares for his helpful feedback on episode 1. See full episode transcript at for musical credits and references. /episode/index/show/algorithmicfutures/id/22224209

Episode 1: Sputnik, revolutionaries, and algorithmic systems with Alexis Tsoukiás and Fred Roberts 01/24/2022

Episode 1: Sputnik, revolutionaries, and algorithmic systems with Alexis Tsoukiás and Fred Roberts In this episode we chat to Fred Roberts, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at Rutgers University, and Alexis Tsoukiàs, a CNRS research director at LAMSADE, PSL University, Université Paris Dauphine, on how they came to be prominent researchers within their respective fields, complex real-world systems, and how the Social Responsibility of Algorithms workshop series (, , ) came to be. Fred S. Roberts is a Distinguished Professor of and D, a US Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence (COE). For 16 years he directed , which was founded as one of the original US National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers. Roberts is author of four books, editor of 25 other books, and author of 200 scientific articles. His recent edited books include the first book on maritime cyber security in 2017, a 2019 book on “Mathematics of Planet Earth,” and a 2021 book on “Resilience in the Digital Age.” His research deals with such topics as meaningfulness in measurement, mathematical social sciences, applications of graph theory, and homeland security, and he has been a leader in the world-wide effort called Mathematics of Planet Earth. Among his awards are the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers Pioneer Award and the award of Docteur Honoris Causa by the University of Paris-Dauphine. Alexis Tsoukiás is a research director at in the , located at the . He holds a PhD in Computer Science and Systems Engineering from the and is the author of two books, editor of several books and special issues, and has published more than 90 journal articles. He has a long-standing interest in algorithmic decision theory and was responsible for introducing the concept of policy analytics to the academic world. He has also actively involved in applying his research to real-world problems. This episode was created in support of the , a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU) , , , , and . The Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab is supported by an Erasmus+ Jean Monnet grant from the European Commission. Disclaimers The European Commission support for the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of the podcast, which reflect the views only of the speakers or writers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. All information we present in this podcast is purely for your education and enjoyment and should not be taken as advice specific to your situation. Episode credits Liz Williams – creator, co-host, producer Zena Assaad – co-host, producer Fred Roberts – guest Alexis Tsoukiás – guest Katherine Daniell – assistant producer Flynn Shaw – background research Music – from Sputnik news clip – Sputnik beep – /episode/index/show/algorithmicfutures/id/21797315

The Algorithmic Futures Podcast

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