Media Release: Cultural Sector AI leaders to address Fantastic Futures Conference in Canberra

PUBLISHED FRIDAY 3 MAY 2024
 

• Keynote speakers have been confirmed at the AI-focused conference on 17-18 October 2024.
   
• The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) will host the event on behalf of AI for Libraries, Archive and Museums (AI4LAM), an international community focused on advancing the use of artificial intelligence.

Fantastic Futures 2024, whose theme is ‘Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work in the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums) Sector’, will bring together a range of international organisations concerned with AI and Machine Learning technology. 

The acclaimed keynote speakers will focus on AI/ML application to cultural, research and heritage collections, and feature a strong presence from Australian and New Zealand sector leaders to highlight the innovation and expertise emerging in the region. 

Associate Professor Kirsten Thorpe (Worimi, Port Stephens), is a Chancellor's Indigenous Research Fellow at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education & Research at the University of Technology, Sydney. She leads the Indigenous Archives and Data Stewardship Hub, which advocates for Indigenous rights in archives and data, and drives research to support culturally appropriate management of Indigenous knowledges. 

Associate Professor Sydney Shep is a Reader in Book History and The Printer, Wai-te-ata Press: Te Whare Tā O Waiteata, Te Herenga Waka, Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. She brings historic and contemporary media into creative conversation though explorations into the digital handmade, generative AI, and augmented reality experiences. 

Peter-Lucas Jones (Te Aupōuri, Ngāi Takoto, Ngāti Kahu) is the Chief Executive Officer of Te Hiku Media, a communications hub at the forefront of an initiative to revitalise te reo Māori using AI technology. 

Kathy Reid, Australian National University PhD candidate, works at the intersection of open source, emerging technologies, and technical communities, most recently working as a voice open-source specialist for Mozilla. Her research centres on voice data and ways to prevent and respond to bias in machine learning systems that use voice and speech, such as speech recognition.

Eryk Salvaggio is an artist, writer, and researcher examining the social and cultural impacts of artificial intelligence. He serves as the Emerging Technologies Research Advisor for the Siegel Family Endowment and was a 2024 Flickr Foundation Fellow.

Kartini Ludwig is the Director and Founder of Kopi Su, a digital design and innovation studio in Sydney whose projects empower artists to access and control new technology. Kartini is the driving force behind the AI music and performance series Sonic Mutations and has worked on numerous other projects at the intersection of arts, culture and technology. 

‘These extraordinary people work at the forefront of some of the most pressing challenges facing the cultural sector today,’ said Dr Keir Winesmith, NFSA Chief Digital Officer. ‘Fantastic Futures is a unique opportunity to progress industry thinking as we navigate a new era of AI’s impact on curation, collection and digital preservation.’

The call for papers for Fantastic Futures remains open until 14 May 2024. More details are available on the NFSA website.

Images available here on Dropbox.

Media enquiries:
Jacqui Douglas | Communications Specialist | 0417 738 434 | comms@nfsa.gov.au