Think: Digital Futures
Each episode explores how today’s technology is transforming tomorrow — from our biology, habits, relationships, spaces to our place in the universe.
Episodes
March 14, 2023 • 27 mins
Techno-sexuality. Digi-sexuality. I-dollatry and Robophilia are new sexualities made possible by technology. So who is behind these identities? And what’s the attraction?
Featuring Dr Belinda Middleweek, Senior Lecturer in Journalism in the School of Communications at University of Technology Sydney
Music from Epidemic Sound
Produced and presented by Lawrence Bull
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January 27, 2023 • 15 mins
Ya like robo-jazz?
Featured:
Dr. Richard Savery: Macquarie University Research Fellow (MQRF), Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature
Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong
Music:
Shimon Aarhus perf. Aarhus Jazz Orchestra and Shimon (provided by Dr. Richard Savery)
Faster Does It Kevin McLeod
As AI becomes more advanced and nuanced, it is inevitable that we see it entering the ar...
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January 20, 2023 • 15 mins
For decades, stem cells have been the technology that’s just around the corner. The medicine that would fix just about part of the body. But stem cell injections haven’t delivered on their advertised potential. Now, thanks to ingenuity and machine learning, they'll have a shot.
Featuring Dr Jiao Jiao Li, School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Technology Sydney
Produced and presented by Lawrence Bull
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December 23, 2022 • 13 mins
What is 'consciousness'?
Featured:
Dr Mahendra Samarawickrama; Director of the Centre for Consciousness Studies, Director of the Centre for Sustainable AI
Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong
Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org
The nature of consciousness is an emerging philosophical question that has been pondered for centuries. Now, with the advent of advanced Artificial...
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December 16, 2022 • 16 mins
Where do AI generated imagery fall in the world of art?
In September 2022, Jason M. Allen controversially won first prize in the Colorado State Fair's "digital arts/digitally-manipulated photography" competition. This event sparked a growing debate in the art world and on social media over the legitimacy of AI generated artwork. Many artists are calling foul on AI art, and are vehemently opposed to its inclusion in the arts on both...
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December 9, 2022 • 17 mins
All of us have our own relationship with music, for some it provides some background colour to the day, for others it’s an integral part of life. But technology has changed our relationship with music, both in how we consume it and how we collect it. While it’s easier than ever to access an enormous amount of music from every era, genre and country on Earth, has it become more difficult to forge meaningful relationships with artist...
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December 1, 2022 • 21 mins
Advances in technology and art require a solid foundation of history in order to improve, progress and innovate. What happens when that history is tied up with copyright restrictions or only exists as an expensive artifact? With video games the highest earning entertainment products, can publishers be forgiven for protecting their investments by deciding what relics from the past we now get to discover, or should these long lost tr...
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November 17, 2022 • 12 mins
Do you trust a robot with your beer?
Featured:
Doctor Nick Bennett: Senior Lecturer, School of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering
Danielle MacDonald: Brewer, Sydney Brewery
Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong
Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms; sourced from Freesound.org. Outro music Modern Compersion One Man Book.
AI will soon have a say in how you beer tastes. Researchers at UTS are developing new brewing technolo...
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November 9, 2022 • 29 mins
Can a printer save a life?
Featured:
Professor Majid Warkiani: Biomedical Engineer, University of Technology Sydney
Sajad Razavi Bazaz: Biomedical Engineer, PHD Candidate, UTS
Produced and Presented by: Andrew Herlinger
Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org
Stem cell research offers great promise in the treatment of Australians living with diseases, cancers or a physical disfigu...
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October 25, 2022 • 22 mins
Does your robot trust you?
As research hastens to making Brain-Computer Interfaces between robots and human a reality, we ought to examine the cultural significance behind it. We must consider the definition of “trust” and how it can be applied to an interface between a robot and a human. We can easily understand how much a human trusts a robot, but have you ever considered if a robot can trust a human? Can we even consider it at a...
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September 28, 2022 • 16 mins
What happens when you ask Google to tell you the truth?
Featured:
Associate Professor Heather Ford: Head Of Discipline Digital and Social Media, UTS
Produced and Presented by: Lawrence Bull
Music: Theme for Empty Stage by Luella Gren
It’s never been so easy to access quick information – a third of Australian adults use virtual assistants. But are we getting the facts?
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September 21, 2022 • 21 mins
Just how representative is the world’s largest encyclopedia?
Featured:
Associate Professor Heather Ford: Head Of Discipline Digital and Social Media, UTS
Produced and Presented by: Lawrence Bull
Music: Ha-He by Just a Band
The world’s biggest encyclopedia has a big problem. Female editors at Wikipedia are outnumbered by a factor of eight. Africans are underrepresented by a factor of 17.
The bias is built into the code, and that co...
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August 17, 2022 • 28 mins
Are the decisions made by AI really as unbiased as we think they are?
Featured:
Distinguished Professor Fang Chen: Executive Director of The Data Science Institute, UTS
Doctor Ben Swift: Senior Lecturer, School of Computing, ANU
Produced and Presented by: Andrew Herlinger
Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org
As AI and machine learning systems become more advanced, the more we see ...
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August 10, 2022 • 15 mins
For the last 5 years, Dr. Su and his team have been developing an electronic nose that can sense gas compound patterns in the air. The E-nose that they have developed has the capability to distinguish between different brands of whiskey, including smelling out counterfeits. However, the dream does not end there for Dr. Su. He sees potential uses for this e-nose as far as drug detection and food safety, and even as a part of a robot...
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August 3, 2022 • 31 mins
How can AI help in ensuring gender equality in legislation?
Featured:
Dr. Ramona Vijeyarasa: Senior Lecturer Faculty of Law, UTS; Architect of the Gender Legislative Index
The Hon. Ruth Forrest: Member of the Legislative Council of Tasmania; Independent member for Murchison
Produced and Presented by: Cameron M. Furlong
Music by Trev Lewis from Hagfilms, Drakensson, and TheoTer. Sourced from Freesound.org
As more scrutiny is put on...
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December 10, 2021 • 25 mins
Most of our search for love and sex has been uploaded onto apps - for better or worse. What effect is this having on queer communities, and what are the experiences of queer people using these apps?
Language warning
Featuring:
Paul Byron, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Communication, UTS
Eric, Former dating app user
Damien, Current dating app user
Producer/presenter: Josh Green
Music: Epidemic sound
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November 25, 2021 • 27 mins
As technology and social media algorithms evolve faster than we can monitor them, how has our ability to empathise with others been affected?
Featuring:
Joshua Krook, PhD candidate, University of Adelaide.
Dr Heather Ford, Head of Digital and Social Media, UTS.
Brennan Hatton, CTO and co-founder of Equal Reality.
Producer/presenter: Bageshri Savyasachi
Music: Epidemic sound
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November 18, 2021 • 34 mins
What are the experiences of women using technology to make a baby? And how are they navigating the fertility industry online?
Featuring:
Natalie Hart, donor egg recipient
Professor Anita Stuhmcke, faculty of law, UTS
Dr Lizle Oosthuizen, reproduction medicine specialist, Cape Fertility
Producer/presenter: Julia Carr-Catzel
Music: Epidemic sound
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October 1, 2021 • 21 mins
In order to open up safely after two years of restricted movement, many countries are introducing COVID-19 vaccination passports. But how will this work? In this episode we look at the safety and privacy concerns of these technologies and consider how they should cater to the digitally disadvantaged.
Featuring:
Dr Manoranjan Mohanty, Lecturer in School of Mathematical and Physical Science at the University of Technology Sydney
Dr ...
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