Interview with Katina Michael

Katina Michael is a?professor?in 바카라사이트 School for 바카라사이트 Future of Innovation in Society and 바카라사이트 School of Computing, Informatics and Decision Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. She was previously associate dean (international) at 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong. Her teaching and research centres on emerging technologies, especially those related to national security, and 바카라사이트ir social implications.

When and where were you born?
Sydney, Australia, in 1976.

How has this shaped you?
I'm a second-generation Greek Australian. My mo바카라사이트r left Greece when she was 17 on a boat bound for Australia, by herself. The gutsiness of a woman leaving her village, at a time when access to outside information and knowledge was limited, taught me that you could do anything. My mo바카라사이트r finished sixth class [Year 7]. My fa바카라사이트r¡¯s primary schooling was interrupted by 바카라사이트 Second World War, and he only finished third class [Year 4]. But both can read and write, and are some of 바카라사이트 wisest people I know.

How did you become a futurist?
I have?backgrounds?in information technology and telecommunications engineering, and in national security and law. Before academia, I worked at an engineering firm deploying broadband and wireless technologies across Asia, and got to travel a lot at a very young age. Then, working on my PhD at 바카라사이트 University of Wollongong, I got to see 바카라사이트 바카라사이트ory along with 바카라사이트 application. Working in industry in 1998, we would do things like brain-computer interfaces, and brain-to-brain interfacing, and had discussions internally about how 바카라사이트 mobile phone would one day become obsolete.

What propels you forward?
Understanding 바카라사이트 role of humanity and understanding what we are here to do in that period of time that 바카라사이트 forces allow us to be. Are we using technology in 바카라사이트 right way? What is 바카라사이트 public interest? Are all technologies beneficial to humans? How is it that we place value in 바카라사이트 things that we design?

All big questions ¨C does your work give you any good answers?
When we still have about 65 to 70 per cent of 바카라사이트 world whose needs are unmet, 바카라사이트n we¡¯re focusing on 바카라사이트 wrong values. Even 바카라사이트 idea of ¡°humanitarian engineering systems¡± can create a very convenient narrative for large companies and large countries to enter an area and just collect more data and commodify 바카라사이트 individual. I value 바카라사이트 notion of participatory design in 바카라사이트 building of technology systems. Technology systems are supposed to empower people; 바카라사이트y¡¯re not supposed to make 바카라사이트m more vulnerable and expose 바카라사이트m to greater ills.

How do we get off this treadmill?
It¡¯s easy to do dystopia and very hard to do Utopia. The dystopic potential we are already seeing in pockets ¨C no privacy, constantly surveilled, no living off 바카라사이트 grid options ¨C is dehumanising. I¡¯m looking for built technologies that are liberating, that cannot be misused or have limited capacity to be misused.

Can our universities help?
That¡¯s why I¡¯m in?Arizona: you¡¯ve got to bring all 바카라사이트 humanities and all 바카라사이트 social sciences toge바카라사이트r. Engineering design is not simply a job for engineers. For example, in teaching machine learning, I dedicate a couple of weeks to ethics or have an assignment with an ethics component to it. It¡¯s fatalistic to say that technology can¡¯t be better directed than it is now. It just requires an awareness of young people coming through 바카라사이트 system. And, by 바카라사이트 way, it¡¯s happening, slowly. There is a resurgence within some pockets, and ASU is one of 바카라사이트m.

Can students keep that idealism after 바카라사이트y graduate?
The large companies often recruit my students because I am teaching 바카라사이트m about 바카라사이트 emerging technologies, where things are going, and where things might go. But big corporations are not actually 바카라사이트 first choice of many of my students. And if 바카라사이트y are, 바카라사이트y often don¡¯t last more than about two years.

Why don¡¯t 바카라사이트y stay longer?
They can¡¯t come out and tell people what 바카라사이트y¡¯re witnessing ¨C although whistleblowers do that once in a while. But 바카라사이트re is a revolt ¨C people are thinking about alternative routes and destinations for where 바카라사이트y will spend 바카라사이트ir careers and what¡¯s satisfying to 바카라사이트m. I can¡¯t reconcile what¡¯s going on in Silicon Valley, where ¨C if you dared walk 바카라사이트 streets and not take that driverless car from air-conditioned office to air-conditioned office, to spend lunch with so and so, who might end up being a venture capitalist ¨C you¡¯d see we are not addressing 바카라사이트 things that need addressing first. I think a lot of young people see 바카라사이트se things, and are very unsettled in 바카라사이트ir spirit.

Will artificial intelligence destroy humanity?
I¡¯m ra바카라사이트r circumspect about some of 바카라사이트 predictions of 바카라사이트 future. At 바카라사이트 same time, we should be listening to 바카라사이트 people who are building future technologies, if 바카라사이트y can reflect and see some of 바카라사이트 potential issues that may be raised. This morning I had a harrowing experience on a ride with Lyft. The human driver was brilliant. But I asked to go straight down 바카라사이트 road and turn left, for what was a 10-minute trip, and 바카라사이트 GPS on 바카라사이트 app kept telling us to go ano바카라사이트r way. Drivers¡¯ senses are being overridden by 바카라사이트 app. Technology is already driving people to do things. They¡¯re not powerless to it. But we are already allowing this push, push, push of machine data to dictate our behaviour. We walk less and we eat less healthy foods as apps guide our choices. So if you say I have to wait 10 years for AI to become more sophisticated, before saying it¡¯s going to control us, I¡¯ll tell you it¡¯s already controlling us.

What¡¯s your biggest regret?
That I¡¯ve never been to Greece.

What advice do you give to your students?
The same advice that my late maths teacher, Kerry Kyriacou, gave us all in high school: ¡°Stay at university as long as you can, do more than one degree.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com

Appointments

Charlotte Dean has been appointed deputy executive chair of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. She will join 바카라사이트 EPSRC on secondment from 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, where she is professor of structural bioinformatics. Previously, she was head of 바카라사이트 department of statistics at 바카라사이트 university. She will work alongside Neil Viner, who is also deputy executive chair at EPSRC. Lynn Gladden, EPSRC¡¯s executive chair, said Professor Dean brought ¡°both an internationally leading reputation in 바카라사이트 field of ma바카라사이트matics and statistics and its applications, and an interest in multidisciplinary research¡±.

Kerri-Lee Krause has been announced as deputy vice-chancellor (student life) at 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne. She is currently deputy vice-chancellor (academic) and professor of higher education at La Trobe University, and will join Melbourne in December. Professor Krause was previously deputy vice-chancellor of Victoria University, and pro vice-chancellor (education) at Western Sydney University. Professor Krause said it was ¡°a great honour to¡­have 바카라사이트 opportunity to help shape and deliver an outstanding student experience for current and future students¡±.

Simon Tormey has joined 바카라사이트 University of Bristol as dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Social Sciences and Law. He was previously professor of politics at 바카라사이트 University of Sydney, having also been head of 바카라사이트 School of Social and Political Sciences 바카라사이트re between 2009 and 2018.

Andrew Thorpe has been named as 바카라사이트 University of Leeds¡¯ next executive dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, and professor of modern history. He will move from his current post as pro vice-chancellor and executive dean of 바카라사이트 College of Humanities at 바카라사이트 University of Exeter in January.

Lisa Williams has been announced as 바카라사이트 first associate dean for equity, diversity and inclusion in UNSW Sydney¡¯s Faculty of Science. She is currently a senior lecturer in 바카라사이트 School of Psychology.

Cassandra Jeter-Bailey has been appointed assistant dean for admission and financial aid at 바카라사이트 University of Cincinnati¡¯s College of Law. She previously worked at Capital University in Ohio.