Improving our National Capability

Presented by the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE)
For Australia to face the challenges of our future, such as inflation, unemployment, and cost of living, it’s essential to grow and sustain our national capability.

Enhancing our national technology capability will enable Australia to support our resource-driven economy and foster high-tech industry growth.

Join Professor Anna Moore FTSE and Professor Elanor Huntington FTSE as they discuss the national capabilities of science and technology in Australia.

🗣 Professor Moore FTSE will examine Australia’s opportunities as we embark on the space race, particularly through expanding satellite capabilities for remote sensing.

The Role of space infrastructure in solving society’s challenges

The past decade has seen a drastic uplift in space activity made possible through reduced access costs combined with a growing commercial sector capable of innovative and agile solutions. Opportunities abound in this new arena – both in space and on the ground. The ANU Institute for Space was formed in 2017 to bring an all of University response to support our growing space sector, ensuring current and future societal challenges ranging from climate adaptability, space sustainability and economic resilience were the driving impacts of the institute. I will briefly introduce current space infrastructure that all Australians rely on today, and then focus on the opportunities where InSpace and Australia can shine in the future

🗣 Professor Huntington FTSE will delve into the rapidly evolving world of AI, highlighting how Australia can leverage it as a national infrastructure to boost productivity and develop new industries. She will also address the potential public sector benefits of adopting these technologies.

A new class of infrastructure – How AI foundation models can support future social and economic activity in Australia

Generative AI – as exemplified by ChatGPT – burst onto our collective imagination in 2023; triggering a flurry of GenAI theatre as well as genuine engagement. It’s part of a seismic shift in the nature and reach of AI. But not because I have an app that will remove the drudgery of writing legal briefs, fail to write good Haiku and give me a recipe for a Mojito. It’s what lies underneath – “foundation models”. These vast, powerful, fine-tuneable and re-usable models are what powers ChatGPT and its cousins. They’ve emerged as a new class of infrastructure. And we already depend upon them. This presentation will unpack that idea and its implications for Australia.

This seminar invites us to consider the role of national capability in science and technology in shaping Australia’s future and assessing how well-prepared we are to navigate the path ahead.