Episode 6: Could COVID-19 influence our technological futures?

The Algorithmic Futures Podcast

In this episode, we explore the way technology scales in times of rapid change – such as the time in which we currently live. We’ll use a single piece of technology to shape our exploration: the South Australian Home Quarantine app. This was rolled out as a trial to enable home quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. The app was the focus of intense debate in Australia, and drew attention from commentators in the US, because it used facial recognition combined with GPS data to monitor participants in the program.

We have a fantastic line-up of guests to help us explore this issue, including:

• Professor Peter Wells, Business and Sustainability, Cardiff University, UK
• Professor Angela Webster, Clinical Epidemiologist, Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
• Dr Diego Silva, Senior Lecturer in Bioethics, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney
• Professor Mark Andrejevic, School of Media, Film, and Journalism at Monash University
• Associate Professor Gavin Smith, School of Sociology at the Australian National University
• Lizzie O’Shea - lawyer, writer, broadcaster and founder of Digital Rights Watch

This episode was created by Amir Asadi, Ned Cooper, Memunat Ibrahim and Lorenn Ruster, who are part of the ANU School of Cybernetics 2021 PhD Cohort. Memunat and Lorenn narrate the story.

This episode was inspired by work co-host Liz Williams has been doing on the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab, a collaboration between the Australian National University (ANU) Centre for European Studies, ANU School of Cybernetics, ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society, DIMACS at Rutgers University, and CNRS LAMSADE. The Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab is supported by an Erasmus+ Jean Monnet grant from the European Commission.

Disclaimers:

The European Commission support for the Algorithmic Futures Policy Lab does not constitute an endorsement of the contents of the podcast or this webpage, which reflect the views only of the speakers or writers, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

All information we present here is purely for your education and enjoyment and should not be taken as advice specific to your situation.

Episode Credits:

Hosts:

Memunat Ibrahim

Lorenn Ruster

Liz Williams

Zena Assaad

Guests:

Peter Wells

Angela Webster

Diego Silva

Gavin Smith

Mark Andrejevic

Lizzie O’Shea

Producers:

Amir Asadi

Ned Cooper

Memunat Ibrahim

Lorenn Ruster

Liz Williams