Expert Panel Discussion: Navigating the complexities and shaping our future as community-minded leaders

Can artificial intelligence help solve society’s biggest challenges and drive real, positive social good? What impact is AI having on the way we connect, learn and create social change? What will this mean for our collective futures?

Join us for an insightful panel discussion with leading AI thought-leaders, researchers, practitioners and change-makers that will discuss how AI is being applied to real world issues, is shaping our communities, and how we can harness its uses to create better futures for all.

Hosted by the ANU McCusker Institute, this event will dive into how transdisciplinary collaboration turns bold ideas into meaningful social impact. Whether you’re passionate about technology, politics, ethics or community leadership, this event will challenge you to think beyond the classroom, provide an opportunity to connect with fellow learners, and explore different perspectives on how AI can be a powerful tool for change.

Register now for your opportunity to join this thought-provoking discussion and contribute your ideas to ANU’s approach to AI.

Panellists:

Professor Ed Santow, Director (Policy and Governance), Human Technology Institute, UTS - Professor Ed Santow is a leading expert in human rights, technology ethics and legal regulation with extensive experience at the intersection of public and discrimination law, policy and emerging technologies. As the former Australian Human Rights Commissioner and Co-Founder of the Human Technology Institute, he has championed the protection and promotion of human rights in the context of responsible technological innovation for public good, focusing on the impact of AI and digital technologies on privacy and equality. Ed currently serves on the Australian Government's AI Expert Group, Government Service Delivery Advisory Board and National Quantum Advisory Committee to inform developments in digital government, the future of AI regulation and assurance. Ed also serves on a number of state government advisory bodies, including the NSW Government AI Review Committee. He is a patron of the Refugee Advice + Casework Service, and a Fellow of the UTS Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion. Professor Santow will offer his unique perspective on the ethical use, regulatory and oversight challenges AI presents, drawing on his diverse experience in law, industry, and academia to illuminate pathways for responsible AI development and deployment.

Associate Professor Katrina Sluis, Head of Photography and Media Arts in the School of Art and Design and convener of the SOAD Computational Culture Lab, ANU - With a background in contemporary arts and digital media, Assoc. Professor Katrina Sluis has curated major public projects and published extensively on the ‘softwareisation’ of photography over the past two decades. Her current research examines the growing influence of machine learning in art and visual culture, investigating how computational systems reshape creative labour, cultural institutions, and the circulation of images. In 2023, she initiated the project Critical AI in the Art Museum; she is currently an ANU co-investigator on the CHCI Global Humanities Institute 'Design Justic AI' and the ANU Integrated AI network.

About the ANU McCusker Institute

The ANU McCusker Institute was enabled by a gift from the McCusker Charitable Foundation and support from the National Priorities Industry Linkage Fund. The Institute focuses on creating transdisciplinary learning opportunities that inspire students to tackle real-world challenges and make a positive social impact.

The Institute's mission is to empower students to become socially engaged citizens and community-minded leaders by bridging the gap between academic research and real-world challenges.

The Institute’s SoCIETIE Initiative curriculum which offers hands-on learning opportunities commenced in Semester 1, 2025.

Contact the host of GenAI for social good?