Caroline Pegram

New research launched today throws a spotlight on the critical need for adult media literacy support in Australia, and the role of libraries in the age of generative AI. Adult media literacy levels continue to be below those needed to effectively and fully participate in society, and the advent of generative AI has the potential to widen the gap, with stark demographic differences between those who are using and those who are avoiding generative AI tools. Strikingly, key groups including older people, First Nations respondents, and culturally and linguistically diverse respondents are more likely to turn to library and community spaces for assistance with understanding the media and digital landscape. There is an opportunity now for the government to invest in a national solution, supporting the work of libraries and other cultural organizations and educators to equip community members with the skills they need as part of a national media strategy. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/gyDweTAH The Australian Library and Information Association appreciated the opportunity to contribute to this groundbreaking and essential research led by Tanya Notley, Sora Park, Simon Chambers and Michael Dezuanni and supported by the Australian Media Literacy Alliance. Thanks to Senator David Pocock who launch the report and the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House and Dr Stephanie Smith who hosted the launch. #LibrariesTransform #Library #GenerativeAI

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Libraries are such an important touch point for media literacy in Australia - and it's such a joy to be working with fellow cultural institutions and crack team of researchers in this space! Stay tuned, first research pieces are due to drop mid-year (and speaking as someone with a sneak peak, you'll not want to miss) #LibrariesTransform #MediaLiteracy #Library #LIS #Libraries https://lnkd.in/gcn-CD-p

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Very excited to read the report from the Untapped Research project. This ambitious (maybe slightly crazy) ARC linkage which the Australian Library and Information Association was a partner on, actually set up a publishing house, negotiated rights reversion for out of print Australian classics and then turned them into ebooks loaned through public libraries. The findings included: 1. There was substantial public demand to borrow these titles  2. There was substantial public demand to purchase these titles  3. There was no evidence that e-lending cannibalised book sales (and some evidence it may actually have increased them) 4. Library promotional efforts influenced circulation 5. Reversion can open up new streams of income for authors 6. Authors received economic and non-economic benefits through participation in the project Read the report - you'll enjoy it: https://lnkd.in/gUxZkyRs The report was launched at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Futures Summit - more on that to come! #LibrariesTransform #Libraries #eBooks

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📣🚀Launched today, The Australian Internet Observatory (AIO) is new #ResearchInfrastructure that will open up the 'black box' of digital platforms and their algorithms for researchers. It's part of the ARDC HASS Indigenous Research Data Commons. Digital platforms play a critical role in Australia’s economy and society, yet our capacities to collect and analyse data from digital platforms and observe their activities is very limited. The Australian Internet Observatory will develop the tools and capabilities required to gather and analyse online user experience data, algorithms, and interactions. It will support innovative approaches to the collection and analysis of digital social data and internet platforms and the analytical tools and governance required to support cutting-edge research on social, economic, health and environmental issues. Distinguished Professor Julian Thomas, AIO Program Lead and Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society said, “With the support of the Australian Research Data Commons, the Australian Internet Observatory brings together a group of researchers and universities with the capabilities to assemble the necessary techniques and systems. It’s not a problem that can be solved within any one discipline or research centre. It requires a collaborative, co-operative effort.” Jenny Fewster, Director, ARDC HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons said, “The Australian Internet Observatory is building on a strong foundation of digital research infrastructure to establish a national, joined-up ecosystem that will enable exciting research. It is a vital new part of the suite of research-accelerating national infrastructure within the HASS and Indigenous Research Data Commons.” 🔗Read more: https://lnkd.in/g2XtGUuJ 📖 #NCRISimpact Project partners: RMIT University  ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society  QUT (Queensland University of Technology) University of Melbourne  UQ Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child  Deakin University DeakinREDI  Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation  Swinburne University of Technology and the ARDC #HASS #HASSresearch #infrastructure

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Details of the penultimate seminar in our 2024 aaDH Digital Humanities series: 'The value of knowledge integrity in the digital age' Heather Ford & Michael Davis (University of Technology Sydney) Thursday 7th November 1 pm – 2 pm AEDT via Zoom Registration: https://shorturl.at/cvITU We look forward to seeing you there! #digitalhumanities #AI #epistemology #technology

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In 2023 Australian Network for Art and Technology partnered with 6 Australian universities, in our goal to nurture the next generation of artists. Positioning ANAT as a trusted leader in promoting interdisciplinary research and creative experimentation, we supported 9 extraordinary experimental collaborations between artists and academic research throughout Australia. These partnerships created opportunities for students and academics alike, encouraging new generations of artists, scientists, and technologists to collaborate on future-focused projects, shaping the next wave of innovation, experimentation. READ the 2023 ANAT Annual Report here, https://lnkd.in/gqMyRY9p [Image: 2023 ANAT Synapse resident, Alicia Sometimes, Dark Energy]. #Art #Science #Technology #Australia Creative Australia #ArtsSouthAustralia #research #experimentation #CreativeInnovation #FutureFocused #NextGenArtists #InterdisciplinaryCollaboration #ArtScienceTech #ShapingTheFuture #CreativeResearch #ArtResidencies

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Super excited to be part of this collaboration! This research infrastructure piece supports the CoE work and will extend our data and AI capabilities. Specifically, it will establish tools and processes to help researchers study the impact of automated systems that underpin the major digital platforms (social media, digital services and more) and monitor their role in shaping flows of information and communication. The aim is to empower researchers with the tools and methods desperately needed to study the social impact of digital platforms and draw on them to understand and solve social problems.  There will be a lot of applications to explore - from mis- and dis-information, to public health communication and awareness, and the flow of information during emergency and crisis events. Essentially this will help us gather the data to hold digital platforms to account and leverage social data for public good. Part of the work will be establishing methods for leveraging synthetic data with Large Language Models. And supporting all of the work is an ethics and governance package that will help to scrutinise the ethical and social implications of the way digital platform data is underpinning AI model development. Swinburne University of Technology   

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Excited to share my latest article for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)'s Religion and Ethics section, "The stories we live by." I delve into how fiction anticipates the future — for good or ill. Check it out and join the discussion on how the stories we choose to believe in shape our reality! 📖✨ #narrativepower #storytelling Read the full article here:

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I have spoken to Stacey Lee at FIVEaa Radio, the Wall Street Journal, AAP and Korean TV recently about the Australian government's proposed social media ban for young people under 16. Our research (https://lnkd.in/gtBABNdg) and the evidence collected by many experts and mental health organisations (https://lnkd.in/gnrbJ8kV) show that a ban will not result in safer online experiences for young people, will exclude many from essential forms of connection and communication, and will be unenforceable. This legislation is being rushed through parliament without an opportunity for the expert and practitioner community to review and provide input. The suggested approach of a statutory "duty of care" imposed on digital platforms recommended by the Joint Select Committee on Social Media and Australian Society is a more promising approach to enhancing digital benefits for young people and worth a read. https://lnkd.in/gtMwgB9g

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"With rising threats to democracy and new tools such as generative AI influencing the creation of mis and disinformation, Media Literacy is an essential skill for all Australians." This Library and Information Week ALIA and AMLA are continuing to highlight the role that libraries play in giving all Australians the necessary media and digital literacy knowledge and skills to navigate an increasingly complex information ecosystem. Read the full blog 👉 https://buff.ly/3LOGWSM

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Some exciting news about Kazacos.AI. Our team has been working relentlessly and everyone will soon see some of the great AI products that are referenced to in this article  https://lnkd.in/g-xvEM7J

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So much for objectivity and balance in reporting and journalism - the report by the AHRC and Media Diversity Australia proves how dangerous and counter-productive the DEI movement is. See https://lnkd.in/ggQ6hsuT

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Did you miss today's Media Centre for Education Research Australia (MCERA) Webinar Briefing on "AI in Education: Is it 'cheating'?" Watch the video HERE 👉 https://lnkd.in/g58ncW9K Featuring insights from experts Matt Bower (Macquarie University) and Phillip Dawson (Deakin University | DeakinREDI) My takeaways :- 💡 AI is not just chatgpt – there is plenty of other generative-AI tech (image-generation, music-generation, presentation tools) 💡 Students of the future are going to be expected to be able to harness AI, we need to prepare them 💡 (Humans + AI) can do more than (humans alone) and (AI alone) 💡 AI detection tools are not currently an adequate safeguard against inappropriate use of AI 💡 More useful to view AI as 'learning machines' rather than 'answering machines' in education 💡 What is 'cheating'? Our understanding of what cheating is changes over time. 💡 Opportunity to harness AI to support more diverse and inclusive education settings and programs

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Joint book presentation and panel discussion featuring Dr Shain Shappiro and Dr Guy Morrow. The event will take place at the University of Melbourne and is open to the public. It will feature free morning tea! This is a dual delivery event that will include a Zoom link for those of you who would like to join in that way. If you would like to attend, please register for it via this Eventbrite link:  https://lnkd.in/gNbC355b Each author will provide a brief presentation of their books and will then discuss them together on a mini panel. Shapiro’s book This Must Be the Place explores how music can make cities better. This Must Be the Place introduces and examines music’s relationship to cities. Not the influence cities have on music, but the powerful impact music can have on how cities are developed, built, managed and governed. Told in an accessible way through personal stories from cities around the world — including London, Melbourne, Nashville, Austin and Zurich — This Must Be the Place takes a truly global perspective on the ways music is integral to everyday life but neglected in public policy. Arguing for the transformative role of artists and musicians in a post-pandemic world, This Must Be The Place not only examines the powerful impact music can have on our cities, but also serves as a how-to guide and toolkit for music-lovers, artists and activists everywhere to begin the process of reinventing the communities they live in. Morrow’s book Music Artist Managers addresses the question: To what extent is it possible to do good work in music artist management? Drawing upon original research, this shortform book explores and evaluates motivation, remuneration and equity stakes within the music industries. Morrow ponders the apparent managerial exodus from the music industries and whether this brain drain could be addressed by providing better remuneration via equity. Based on evidence from Australia, the book illuminates how pay in this sector has remained flat despite increasing responsibility. Emphasising the quality of the subjective experience of music artist managers, this concise book provides readers with new insights into the important role managers play in the music business. The result is a book that is useful reading for academics and reflective practitioners. #musicbusiness #musiccities #music #musicartists #creativeindustries #musicindustries

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DASSH celebrates the significant contribution of our disciplines highlighted in this week's Australian Research Council Future Fellows announcement. More Future Fellowships were applied for and awarded in the Humanities and Creative Arts, Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences than any other discipline, with 32 approved. Future Fellowships provide four-year fellowships to outstanding Australian mid-career researchers allowing them to undertake high quality research in areas of national and international benefit. DASSH President Nick Bisley said it is great to see the ARC recognising the excellence of research in the arts, social sciences and humanities. “Research in these fields keeps our democracy strong, supports regional security, helps improve social and health outcomes for all Australians and tackles the big challenges and opportunities posed by generative artificial intelligence. “These Future Fellows will help leaders solve big challenges that impact all of us.” In 2024 602 applications were considered with 198 of them from the HSE disciplines. Of those 32 were approved accounting for around one third of all Future Fellows. Read our statement here: https://lnkd.in/gAWvpZMX

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Australia's innovation ecosystem stands at a critical juncture. While we pioneered groundbreaking technologies like Wi-Fi, our Science, Research and Innovation (SRI) architecture needs urgent recalibration to remain competitive globally. Our challenges are multifaceted: short-term funding cycles inhibit breakthrough research, geographical isolation hampers spontaneous innovation, and our research precincts do not yet have the vibrant cultural underpinnings that characterise successful innovation hubs like Boston's Kendall Square. Yet, we have unique advantages: world-class universities, political stability, and a strategic position between East and West. The solution requires reimagining our approach to innovation through new institutional frameworks, long-term funding mechanisms, and enhanced public sector entrepreneurship. The stakes are high as we navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Today's decisions will determine whether Australia leads the next wave of innovation or becomes a footnote in the global technology race. #Innovation #Research #AustralianTech #FutureOfScience #TechnologyPolicy #QuantumComputing #RnD #STEM #InnovationHubs #StrategicPlanning: https://wix.to/h26HkID #Science #Research #Innovation #Australia

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