Automated Societies

When AI systems mislead, discriminate, or get things wrong—who is actually responsible? In this episode of Careful Minds , Rayane El Masri speaks with Dr Joanne Kuai about the growing “responsibility gap” in AI.  From AI-generated news and election misinformation to invisible labour and global power imbalances, they explore how accountability becomes blurred across developers, platforms, and insti...

Conversational agents based on Large Language Models are increasingly stepping into roles that look and feel like partnership, friendship or even love.  These systems can comfort people, reduce loneliness and offer a sense of connection. But they also raise difficult questions about authenticity, dependency, power and care.  In this episode, Rayane El Masr, PhD student of the ADM+S,  speaks to Pro...

In this episode of Automated Societies , we introduce a new ADM+S podcast series: Careful Minds: AI, Ethics and Society, hosted by Rayane El Masri.  Rayane, an ADM+S PhD student and recipient of the 2025 Marc Sanders Foundation Philosophy in Media Podcasting Fellowship, brings a fresh perspective to discussions on AI, ethics, and society. Her research explores how care ethics, drawing on Joan Tron...

Google’s new AI Mode is the biggest shift to search in years  but what does it mean for how we find and trust information? In this episode, we talk to ADM+S researchers Dr Ashwin Naggapa, Dr Oleg Zendel and Sara Fahad Dawood Al Lawati from the Australian Search Experience project to explore how AI is transforming search engines into conversational systems that summarise rather than connect  us to...

"Against the backdrop of the ongoing housing crisis, renters are increasingly interacting with digital technologies at every stage of their housing experience." PhD researcher  Samantha Floreani  from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society at Monash University is conducting a study on the growing influence of digital technologies in the residential real es...

On the 16 May 2025, ADM+S hosted a presentation by Associate Professor Trebor Scholz titled From Vibe to Viability: A methodology for Building Transformative Alternatives in the Digital Economy. In his talk, Assoc Prof Scholz analyses real-world models of doing things differently—from a driver-owned ride-hailing platform in New York City, to a community telecoms co-op in South Africa, a care worke...

What if death wasn’t the end, but just... a transition to the cloud? In this episode, we explore the rise of digital personality emulations — AI-powered avatars that let you talk to the dead . Philosopher Rob Sparrow joins us to unpack the ethics, cultural impacts, and spiritual questions surrounding these technologies. From ancestor worship with digital shrines to grieving via chatbots, we ask: a...

In a recent announcement from Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, the tech giant has decided to do away with it’s third party fact-checking model, opting for a ‘community notes’ system similar to X.  How will this decision impact public trust in platforms? What are the implications for the broader misinformation ecosystem? What is the balance between ‘free expression’ and the responsibility to combat...

Dang’s interest in internet cures grew out of the misinformation boom in 2016, but instead of following the popular research agenda she wanted to understand the cultural and historical contexts behind these practices. Unravelling the intricate connections between social, technological, biomedical, and non-biomedical spheres, Dang’s new book  ‘Internet Cures’ explores the intersection of miracle cu...

On 4 December 2024 ADM+S invited guest speakers from industry partner organisation the ABC, to be part of a panel titled ‘What is a Public Service Algorithm and Why Might We Need One?’  Providing an alternative to commercial forms of content curation is one of the challenges faced by public service media in the digital era. The conversation explores how automated recommendation systems might suppo...

Research funded by VicHealth and the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education, supported by ADM+S, has found that alcohol and gambling companies use Facebook data to profile and target  people most at risk with their product advertising. In this episode, hear from Dr Giselle Newton, ADM+S Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, and Dr Aimee Brownbill, Industry partner from the Foun...

Did you know that globally, Australian’s lose the most money per capita to gambling? In response to a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, reports suggest that the Federal Government is considering a ban on gambling advertising online. Findings from the Australian Ad Observatory highlight the complexities of enforcing such a ban, with the prevalence of giveaway ads, raffles and rewards club...

In this episode we discuss the risks and benefits of sharing household energy use data, highlighting the opportunity for increased user awareness and sustainability, while also considering concerns around surveillance and data privacy. This conversation is based on ‘Household Wattch: Exploring opportunities for surveillance and consent through families’ household energy use data’, a recent article...

In this episode we discuss the technological, legal and societal challenges present in the indie porn industry, and how these struggles intersect with broader issues of stigma, capitalism and social justice. This conversation is based on ‘Indie Porn’, a new book by Dr Zahra Stardust from Queensland University of Technology, published with Duke University Press Read 📕 https://www.dukeupress.edu/in...

In this episode of ADM+S In Conversation, Natalie Campbell sits down with Dr Georgia van Toorn to talk about her recent paper, co-authored with Prof Terry Carney, titled 'Decoding the algorithmic operations of Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme’. In recent years, Australia’s National Disability Insurance Agency's (NDIA) has embarked on a digital transformation of its soci...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Assoc Prof Michael Richardson, co-lead on our new project titled ‘ADM, Ecosystems, and Multispecies Relationships’. For mo...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies. In this episode, hear from Dr Daniel Featherstone on 'Mapping the Digital Gap'. For more information visit: https://www.admscentre.org.au/mapp...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Kimberlee Weatherall on 'The Regulatory Project'. For more information visit: https://www.admscentre.org.au/t...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Dr Kylie Pappalardo about our new project titled ‘Evaluating Automated Cultural Curating and Ranking Systems with Syntheti...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Kimberlee Weatherall about our new project titled ‘GenAI Sim: Simulation in the Loop for Multi-Stakeholder Interactio...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Haiqing Yu about on new project titled ‘Language and Cultural Diversity in ADM: Australia in the Asia Pacific’. For m...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Anthony McCosker, co-lead on our new project titled ‘Generative Authenticity’. For more information visit: https://ww...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Axel Brunns, co-lead on The Australian Search Experience 2.0. For more information visit: https://www.admscentre.org....

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Prof Anthony McCosker, co-lead on our new project titled ‘Critical Capabilities for Inclusive AI’. For more information vi...

In 2024 the ARC Centre of Excellence is introducing a suite of new research projects investigating critical questions, regulatory intervention, design, application and deployment of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making technologies.  In this episode, hear from Assoc Prof Nicholas Carah, co-lead on the Australian Ad Observatory 2.0. For more information visit: https://www.admscentr...