AI and the future of work

The impact of technology and artificial intelligence (AI) on the future of work will be the focus of a major conference in Canberra this month.

The 25th annual Australian Computer Society (ACS) Canberra conference at the National Convention Centre on 15 August should be compulsory for anyone working in IT and wanting to negotiate the brave new world AI is creating.

ACS Canberra branch executive chair Michael Hawkins said the work landscape was changing rapidly with whole sectors affected.

“There’s Tesla and driverless cars so taxi drivers may disappear, accountants, paralegals won’t be needed because computers can do searches and prepare documents for lawyers,” he said.

Its evolving to the point that even IT jobs may disappear with automated testing and programming.

But the AI revolution has also brought great opportunities for new businesses.

He said AI was changing the face of marketing and being deployed in defence and border protection with facial recognition and algorythms identifying patterns of travel.

There would also be strategic roles for people because “we can think out of the box and not have to wait to be programmed to think a certain way”.

Mr Hawkins said the conference would have multiple streams across the different sectors and help explode the myths and negotiate this future.

“It will also raise awareness about whats happening in the world and locally and get some perspectives to help people start some thought processes around possibilities. We might see some more startups around town not waiting for a problem to solve,” he said.

With 350 attendees from CEOs to students it will also be a great place to network.

The conference will present dynamic and thought-provoking speakers including Microsoft Australia Chief Technology Officer James Kavanagh, NSW Government Chief Information Security Officer Dr Maria Milosavljevic, and international speaker and International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) President Professor Mike Hinchey.

Inspirational comedian Anh Do will also be on the line-up.

Local leadership experts Sally Dooley (experienced facilitator, speaker and executive coach) and Rod Hattch (CEO of registered training organisation Wisdom Learning) will lead discussions about the ever-increasing importance of leadership in the future of work.

“Our one-day conference will provide educational and thought-leading discussions on how new technologies may move into the work environment, supplementing and supporting the work of ICT professionals, and perhaps eventually replacing them, but also creating new jobs,” Mr Hawkins said.

“Our streams of discussions include: technology and the future of work, security, leadership, education, ethics and professionalism, analysis and design and data management.

“As we continue through a phase of rapid technology development, there is rarely a person or business that does not have a connection with computing. We welcome everyone with an interest in the ICT industry to attend our conference and join our discussions.”

“The ACS is currently offering a limited number of tickets at a special rate for interested members and non-members. We’re offering the first 10 members to buy a ticket before 7 August a special rate of $400 (conference-only, excludes dinner) and the first 10 non-members to buy a ticket before 7 August a special rate of $600 (conference-only, excludes dinner).

Visit our registration page and enter the code ‘OURFUTURE’ if you’re a member, or ‘CANCONGUEST’ if you’re a friend of a member.”

The conference begins at 9 am and concludes at 5.30 pm. A cocktail reception will be held between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm to all participants to network and connect. The gala dinner begins at 7 pm.

For more information on the conference and the world-class speaker line up, visit
www.canberraconference.acs.org.

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What: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the future of work conference
When: Tuesday 15 August, 9 am – 5 pm
Where: National Convention Centre, 31 Constitution Ave Canberra ACT 2601
Tickets: Registration page

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