"News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball

Speak Fearlessly in the Age of AI There’s a moment just before you speak when time slows. Your breath catches, your heart reminds you that it’s there, and a tiny voice whispers, “What if I get it wrong?” That moment is ancient. Humans have felt it for thousands of years — from fireside storytellers to TED speakers. But something new is happening. Our audiences are changing. Some are in the room, s...

A biodiverse episode of NFT with the wonderful Natalie Kyriacou, OAM, and what the future holds with regard to greenwashing, citizen science, politics, and the biodiversity we still have left… We now have a global focus and a political will around environmental protection, the benefits transfer values of ecosystem services, the protection of zones rather than just cuddly species, and the significa...

What’s the invisible reach of the apps we have all let into our lives. When technology is working it is invisible… until celebrities complain would we even know if there was overreach or a breach of trust? Professor Johanna Weaver is a leader in this space, and is charging forward on all matters of tech regulation and communication. The Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National Universi...

Would you have a robot do your fake eyelashes? Are you willing to trust a robot massage bed? Can AI be used to forecast new materials and textiles to make the fashion industry more sustainable and working in a circular methodology. More data means better answers from AI. This could be the key to fixing the ‘broken’ fashion industry. Do you wear fast fashion? Climate change related risks to water s...

The term AI might be controversial but what’s more interesting to me are the opportunities from ‘orphan’ industries, that seem to have been left behind by technology, but which are actually intrinsically involved in the democratisation of creativity. Generative AI is a toddler in general terms, but has been around for quite some time, and those who are riding the wave first are creating the stage...

Surrounded by good intentions around STEM engagement and literacy it seems we are not really shifting the dial. What can we do more of and what can we do better to make sure we have the skills and talent pipelines stacked and packed for the future needs across Australia. Learn more about Inspiring Australia as a national programme, as well as the different array of events and opportunities people...

We never talk about nanotechnology. Here’s Richard Feynman’s famous lecture on the idea of nano machines being able to manipulate atoms… Plenty of Room at the Bottom There has been a quiet technological revolution happening out of the spotlight and Jiawen Li’s work in Adelaide is world leading research on manipulating the smallest of sensors to access our most internal places, i.e. the very chambe...

Dialling in from the Caribbean and inside the world of Web3, AI, Brand, and Relationships comes the awesome Katerina and her works with her start up Immersifi. Learn more here Immersifi on Instagram and here Immersifi Website What is Web3? What is Blockchain? How can this make my shopping experience fruitful and happy? How do I get a body scan? What clothes size am I in which fashion brand? Could...

As we continue to ride the shockwaves of a scaling climate crisis, are there still any good news stories in the data or research? The answer is: we still have hope. New and Emerging technologies are building a new paradigm of data and impact around measuring and mitigating emissions. What are the economic values of Mother Nature’s services, and how can the invisible hands of economics help fight c...

The Smithsonian Institution is a collection of 21 museums and a Zoo…. at the Natural History Museum they have 148 MILLION items in their collection, with 4.5 Million visitors each year plus thousands of scientific collaborations. Rebecca is originally from South Australia, and is now visioning what science of the future for museums should be from a global stage (what a career path!!!!)…. What is t...

“Trying to understand how our own brains work is like trying to bite our own teeth” according to the late, great Michael Crichton. But what can future technology teach us about ourselves that we can’t figure out for ourselves? Did you know all the things our brains are responsible for? We are learning more all the time, and it is unlocking the very foundation of who we are and how we exist. Meet o...

Learn about exponential intelligence, Transhumanism, and ask whether IQ will even matter into the future…. (clue: likely not as much) How do we build in skills for the future when the curriculum already seems too late? But, this should not be a constant burden for teachers. Who should be responsible for the speed of Silicon Valley being taught in schools? Find out more about Jeanette at www.startw...

Alex is a marine ecologist and a science communication guru with a passion about using ecosystem services to fight anthropogenic climate change. The teams Alex works with are diverse and deeply technical, this broad depth and wide horizon gives her a multi-faceted point of view when it comes to communicating complicated systems-thinking research. How do we get inventions from the lab to the factor...

Seeing gaps and opportunity in the systems with the advances in AI and the surge in disruption. But, though we appear to be rushing to change, are we all just swimming fast to actually stand still and return to BAU? Claudine loves acceleration and democratisation of AI backed technologies. What happens to industry when it is disrupted by AI that is powered by quantum computing? How can companies c...

Water systems are incredibly complex and yet we don’t really connect well with where our drinking water comes from or the systems it passes through. In the near future there will be more flooding and more drought than our grandparents ever knew. Will there be wars over water? Do you know what a listening stick is? A global point of view applied to a local problem can mean fresh ideas and travel is...

We have dormant volcanoes in South Australia and Victoria, did you know? We aren’t specifically monitoring them either… But volcanoes are more use to humans than being the location of a Bond villain’s lair- they harbour amazing stories and secrets of the magma we all float upon. Teresa likes to apply interrogation to any volcanic rocks she can get her hands on. Can we learn more about our planet’s...

Ever eaten an Australian grown oyster? Was it from a fishery that also exports? How do we deregister pesticides that others have already banned? How do we protect farmers and workers from pesticide-related health problems? No, this isn’t a review of Silent Spring by Rachel Carter, this is about the scientists trying to get better data and information about how pesticides behave in Australian ecosy...

As we look to electrify Australia and scale the energy revolution we need to understand the composition of the Earth’s Crust soon, but where is the Taylor Swift of Geology? Maybe it’s Indrani on this week’s podcast episode. A more accurate and higher resolution map of the Earth’s crust will be needed to have more efficient mining for the metals and minerals we need. A Digital Twin one could say? A...

Half of the current voting population in Australia is 45+ years old, and this means that half of the current voting population in Australia will be retiring in the next 20 years, with the end of this decade taking the first wave of the tsunami. We have never had an ageing population like this before and won’t again. What will this mean for the economy, and you personally? Would you make use of a f...

Welcome to the second episode of News From The Future! Trish Kerin uses her platypus methodology to enable leaders to see risks in the systems. But what is the future of disaster prevention and process safety in a technologically enabled world? Find out more on this podcast episode and learn more at: https://leadlikekerin.com Thank you for reading "News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball. Thi...

Mark Pesce is one of Australia’s most experienced tech futurists. Connect with him at www.markpesce.com We like to keep these chats short, sharp, and informative… let me know who you’d like to hear on NFTF…. Want to be on my caffeine-shot of a poddy? Sign up with the EOI. Thank you for reading "News From The Future" with Dr Catherine Ball. This post is public so feel free to share it. This is a pu...