George Talks: Fight the fear
What we don’t understand often looks dangerous, and the barriers of our own anxieties are hard to get over. The incomprehensible power of new and complex ideas and technologies see us pull back in fear. These reactions stop us from thinking – so maybe if we want to be able to deal with change, we need to dive into what seems dangerous.
This series of three short talks will delve into some of our most dangerous ideas and technologies - artificial intelligence, nanoparticles and gene drives – to reconsider how we might avoid panic and leverage the opportunities that are presented to us.
Robert Brooks
Rob Brooks is a Scientia Professor of Evolution at UNSW Sydney. His research considers the conflicting evolutionary interests that make sex sizzle and render reproduction complicated. Working on both human and non-human animals, Rob explores the evolutionary and ecological consequences of sexual reproduction, to help us understand both nature and the human condition.
His first book, Sex, Genes & Rock ‘n’ Roll: How Evolution has Shaped the Modern World, won the Eureka Prize and the 2012 Queensland Literary Award for Science Writing, and his recent book Artificial Intimacy: Virtual friends, digital lovers and algorithmic matchmakers, considers humanity’s evolved capacities for friendship, love, and intimacy, and what happens when they encounter new technologies like social media, online dating, and virtual reality sex.
Lee Rollins
Lee Rollins is a Scientia Fellow in Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science at UNSW Sydney. She was awarded a PhD from UNSW in Conservation Genetics in 2009 and was awarded fellowships from Deakin University (2012) and from the Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher scheme (2015). Her research investigates genetic and epigenetic drivers of evolution during exotic species invasion using species like cane toads and starlings. She is keen to understand how environmental factors affect gene expression across generations, a topic that likely impacts all organisms on our planet.
Haris Aziz
Dr Haris Aziz is a Scientia fellow and senior lecturer in computer science at UNSW Sydney. His research interests lie at the intersection of artificial intelligence and game theory. A central research theme of his research is to design algorithms that make fairer decisions.
Haris was a recipient of the Chris Wallace Research Excellence Award, the CSIRO Julius Career Award, and the Oxford University Noon Scholarship. In 2016, he was selected by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) as one of the top ten rising stars in AI.