Author: WP_Admin_Chair

Date

Wed, 10 Sep, 5pm – 7pm

Location

ANU Birch Building (#35) Innovation Space, Level 2, Acton ACT, Australia.

Register

This event is brought to you by the School of Cybernetics at The Australian National University.

This thought-provoking lecture challenges human-centred views of intelligence, introducing the Integrated Cognitive Framework—a model that recognises cognition in humans, AI, and nonhuman life. Through case studies spanning microorganisms to large language models, Hayles explores how embracing ecological relationality can lead to flourishing futures for all species.

Hosted by Professor Chris Danta, from the ANU School of Cybernetics, this public lecture is supported by the Australian Research Council through the Future Fellowship Future Fables: Literature, Evolution and Artificial Intelligence. The session aims to spark fresh thinking on our place in the web of life, the future of AI, and what it means to thrive alongside our nonhuman symbionts. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of the most influential voices in science, technology, and literary studies, as she shares insights from her latest book Bacteria to AI.

Abstract

Cognizing Subjects: Our Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts

Among the practices driving the planet toward ecological collapse is anthropocentrism, the belief that Homo sapiens is the species superior to all others.  Such ideas find support in the notion that humans are cognitively the most advanced. Crucial to bringing sanity, sustainability and ecological balance back, then, is a reassessment of cognition. The Integrated Cognitive Framework (ICF) proposes a relational definition of cognition as a process that interprets information in contexts that connect it to meaning. This definition opens cognitive practices as well as meaning-making to nonhuman lifeforms and to AIs such as Large Language Models. In developed societies, most of the work is performed by cognitive assemblages, collectivities of humans, nonhumans and computational media through which information, interpretations, and decisions flow. 

The broader context within which ICF operates is ecological relationality. Its implications are explored through case studies, including the cognitive capacities of microorganisms. The cognitive capabilities of computational media are explored through analyses of the architectures and textual productions of Large Language Models, specifically OpenAI’s Transformer models. Replacing liberal political philosophy with ecological relationality enables us to take responsibility without at the same time reinscribing human dominance, and for embracing choices that will lead to flourishing futures for humans and nonhumans.  

Biography

N. Katherine Hayles is the Distinguished Research Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the James B. Duke Professor Emerita from Duke University.  Her research focuses on the relations of literature, science and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries. Her twelve print books include Postprint: Books and Becoming Computational (Columbia, 2021), Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious (Univ. of Chicago Press, 2017) and How We Think: Digital Media and Contemporary Technogenesis (Univ. of Chicago Press 2015), in addition to over 100 peer-reviewed articles. Her books have won several prizes, including The Rene Wellek Award for the Best Book in Literary Theory for How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Literature, Cybernetics and Informatics, and the Suzanne Langer Award for Writing Machines. She has been recognized by many fellowships and awards, including two NEH Fellowships, a Guggenheim, a Rockefellar Residential Fellowship at Bellagio, and two University of California Presidential Research Fellowships. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her latest book is Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with Our Nonhuman Symbionts, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2025.

Date

Thu 22nd Aug 2024, 10:30 am – 12:00 pm AEST

Video Recording

Designing Tomorrow

Please join us for a conversation with the authors of the book Designing Tomorrow, Martin Tomitsch and Steve Baty.  

Co-hosted by ACM SIGCHI Chapter for Canberra and the ANU School of Cybernetics, this event includes 30 minutes networking with light refreshments provided from 10.30am to 11am. From 11am to 12pm Martin and Steve will present and invite questions. 

About the book 

We decided to write this book after listening to each other’s talks at the UX Australia conference in August 2021. Hearing Steve share insights from his practice about the far-reaching impact design can create, Martin recognised the connection between his research on life-centredness and strategic design practice. 

Our objective for the book became to combine Martin’s academic knowledge with Steve’s industry experience. We both feel passionate about design and its potential to drive positive change. We believe that we owe it to future generations to enable this change.   

We also realise that we have contributed to the issues discussed in the first three chapters through our research, teaching, and practice. This experience provides us with perspective as well as a responsibility to change what we do and become part of the solution. 

Read more about the book and the authors on:

https://www.designingtomorrowbook.com

Date

Tue 23rd Apr 2024, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm AEST

Title

The Power of Images: How Visual Data is Transforming Our World

Abstract

From the paintings that move us to the medical scans that save lives, images have the power to inform, inspire, and even heal. Distinguished Professor James Wang, a world-renowned expert in visual data analysis, takes you on a journey through the hidden world of images. He’ll reveal how computers are learning to ‘see’ like we do – detecting patterns in medical images for faster diagnosis, guiding robots through complex environments, and even understanding the emotions that a piece of art might evoke.

Prof. Wang’s groundbreaking research explores how images speak to us on multiple levels. Discover how his work is teaching machines to decipher the language of visuals, potentially making them more in tune with human emotions. With fascinating examples and clear explanations, this talk will change how you perceive the vast amount of visual information that surrounds you.

Speaker’s bio

Prof James Z. Wang is the Distinguished Professor of Information Sciences and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his bachelor’s degree in mathematics summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota, and the MS degree in mathematics, the MS degree in computer science, and the PhD degree in medical information sciences, all from Stanford University. His research interests include image analysis, image modelling, image retrieval, and their applications. He was a visiting professor at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University (2007-2008), a lead special section guest editor of the IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence (2008), and a program manager at the Office of the Director of the National Science Foundation (2011-2012). He is on the editorial board of the IEEE BITS — The Information Theory Magazine’s special issue on Information Processing in Arts and Humanities (2022). He was a recipient of a National Science Foundation Career Award (2004) and Amazon Research Awards (2018, 2019, 2020).

The event is brought to you by the Collaborative Robotics Lab at the University of Canberra and the ACM SIGCHI Chapter for Canberra.

Date

Monday 22 January, 2024, 10 – 10.45 am.

Title

“If All You Have is a Hammer”: Designing Digitally Augmented Physical Tools

Abstract

Since the dawn of mankind, the history of the human race is reflected in the history of their tools and their usage. Many of these tools provide augmentation to our physical capabilities: power tools increase the body’s strength, bikes increase locomotion efficiency, and glasses and microscopes increase vision and the human ability to explore the world. However, more interestingly, tools also shape the way we think. It is known that “if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (Maslow’s hammer), and to some extent, this is true for any type of tool, as they unconsciously reshape our perception of reality, our consciousness, and our understanding of how to interact with the world surrounding. In this presentation, I show examples of digitally augmented physical tools that shape our perception of reality and give us new perspectives on how to design for supporting prototyping as an exploration activity, and virtual-physical interactions. 

Speaker’s bio

Andrea Bianchi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Industrial Design, an Adjunct Professor in the School of Computing, and the director of the Make lab (make.kaist.ac.kr) at KAIST, in South Korea. He researches in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) focusing on building tools for prototyping interactive systems, and hardware devices for body augmentation in Mixed Reality. Before joining KAIST, he worked at Sungkyunkwan University (Korea) as a faculty member in the Department of Computer Science, and as a video game programmer for a New York startup. Andrea has published in major venues, including ACM CHI, UIST, and IMWUT, and his work has been recognized with multiple Best Paper Awards and Design Awards. His work has also been covered in the news by Engadget, ZDNet, New Scientist, MAKE, and Gizmodo among others. Andrea received a Ph.D. from KAIST (Korea) in 2012, and his Masters from New York University in 2007.

On Friday, 3 November, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, we will gather to map out Canberra’s HCI space. We’ll employ a workshop approach and use research speed networking to gather information on our research and practice focus areas.

Please join the chapter to receive an invite and further details. This is an in-person event.

9.30 – 9.45 Registration

9.45 – 10 Welcome and agenda

10 – 10.15 Participants introductions

10.15 – 10.40 Keynote Roland Goecke, Ph.D. is Professor of Affective Computing in the School of Information Technology & Systems at the Faculty of Science & Technology at University of Canberra. He is the Director of the Human-Centred Technology Research Centre and Head of the Vision and Sensing Group.

10.40 – 11 Break

11-11.25 Interactive Mapping Session

11.25 – 11.45 Mapping discussion

11.45 – 1200 Closing remarks