Can Big Tech Really Save Humanity?
Sun
26
Sun 26 Oct 3:30 PM
Level 4 | National Library of Australia
Wheelchair
General Admission
60 Mins
October
What's the true cost of progress, and what do we lose in trying to attain it? Facing a rapidly approaching Artificial Intelligence existence, Big Tech promises that geoengineering, nanotech and AI can solve our health, environmental and social crises. So why does it feel so dystopian? In Brave New Wild, Richard King shows us that corporations and governments are attempting to remake nature itself – and could break the foundational connection that sustains us as a species. In her novel One Story, Pip Finkemeyer dives into the power of narrative in an AI world, and a turning point for Big Tech in the 2010s that paved the path we are on today. Saul Griffith lives in labs and boardrooms trying to harness the power of innovation, tech and corporate might for good – because if innovation can’t save us, what can? Moderated by Jennifer Mills (Salvage).
Pip Finkemeyer is a novelist living in Naarm/Melbourne. Her debut Sad Girl Novel was published in 2023. You can find her writing in Harper’s Bazaar, Kill Your Darlings, Big Issue, Eleven Stories: The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize, Mojo Best of Fiction Anthology, and more. She has a Masters in Publishing and Editing from RMIT. Pip has worked for tech companies in Australia and internationally, including a language learning app and in the not-for-profit space. She has a special interest in inclusive and accessible design. In this work as a UX writer, designer and researcher, she spent her days learning about the thoughts and feelings of people using the internet, and has tried to capture some of those thoughts and feelings in One Story.
Saul Griffith is an engineer and entrepreneur specialising in clean and renewable energy technologies. Over two decades in Silicon Valley, he has founded more than a dozen technology companies. He is the author of three books, including Electrify, The Big Switch, and his most recent release Plug In!. Saul has shifted his focus from his R&D lab, Otherlab, to public policy and advocacy, founding Rewiring America, Rewiring Australia, and Rewiring Aotearoa, non-partisan organisations dedicated to electrification and decarbonisation and the associated policy and regulatory implications of meeting our climate goals.
Richard King is an author and critic and a contributing editor to Arena Quarterly. His most recent book is Here Be Monsters: Is Technology Reducing Our Humanity?. His new book is Brave New Wild: Can Technology Really Save the Planet?
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Concession Tickets apply for children under the age of 16, full-time students, Commonwealth Health Care Card holders, Commonwealth Seniors Card Holders and Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card holders. Please have your eligible card with you at the venue.
Pip Finkemeyer is a novelist living in Naarm/Melbourne. Her debut Sad Girl Novel was published in 2023. You can find her writing in Harper’s Bazaar, Kill Your Darlings, Big Issue, Eleven Stories: The Desperate Literature Short Fiction Prize, Mojo Best of Fiction Anthology, and more. She has a Masters in Publishing and Editing from RMIT. Pip has worked for tech companies in Australia and internationally, including a language learning app and in the not-for-profit space. She has a special interest in inclusive and accessible design. In this work as a UX writer, designer and researcher, she spent her days learning about the thoughts and feelings of people using the internet, and has tried to capture some of those thoughts and feelings in One Story.
Saul Griffith is an engineer and entrepreneur specialising in clean and renewable energy technologies. Over two decades in Silicon Valley, he has founded more than a dozen technology companies. He is the author of three books, including Electrify, The Big Switch, and his most recent release Plug In!. Saul has shifted his focus from his R&D lab, Otherlab, to public policy and advocacy, founding Rewiring America, Rewiring Australia, and Rewiring Aotearoa, non-partisan organisations dedicated to electrification and decarbonisation and the associated policy and regulatory implications of meeting our climate goals.
Richard King is an author and critic and a contributing editor to Arena Quarterly. His most recent book is Here Be Monsters: Is Technology Reducing Our Humanity?. His new book is Brave New Wild: Can Technology Really Save the Planet?
_______________________________________________________________
Concession Tickets apply for children under the age of 16, full-time students, Commonwealth Health Care Card holders, Commonwealth Seniors Card Holders and Commonwealth Pensioner Concession Card holders. Please have your eligible card with you at the venue.