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Anna Goldsworthy on Being Human in the Era of AI, Plus the Wonders of the Paris Menagerie

ABC News

ENRICHED

Details

Date Published
18 Nov 2024
Priority Score
2
Australian
Yes
Created
17 June 2026, 02:00 pm

Description

The rapid advance of artificial intelligence is making writer and musician Anna Goldsworthy feel both more human - valuing what it is that differentiates us from algorithms -  and simultaneously worried about the capacity of AI to reduce human agency. And, established in 1793, the Paris zoo captured the essence of enlightenment thinking, where science, spectacle, and shifting ideas about animals came together in one place.

Summary

This discussion explores the philosophical and existential tensions created by the rapid development of artificial intelligence, specifically focusing on the erosion of human agency. Using Anna Goldsworthy's Quarterly Essay as a foundation, it argues that AI's capacitive growth threatens to outsource human creativity and decision-making to algorithms. These concerns touch upon the cultural risks of delegating human cognition to frontier AI systems, emphasizing the need to preserve human-centric values in a digital age. The conversation highlights Australian intellectual perspectives on the societal shifts required to mitigate the loss of autonomy as AI integration accelerates.

Body

The rapid advance of artificial intelligence is making writer and musician Anna Goldsworthy feel both more human - valuing what it is that differentiates us from algorithms -  and simultaneously worried about the capacity of AI to reduce human agency. And, established in 1793, the Paris zoo captured the essence of enlightenment thinking, where science, spectacle, and shifting ideas about animals came together in one place.Anna Goldsworthy, author of Quarterly Essay, ‘The God we made: the threat and promise of artificial intelligence’. Dean of the Elder Conservatorium of Music and School of Performing Arts at Adelaide University, and incoming Artistic Director of the Australian National Academy of Music.Richard W Burkhardt Jnr, Emeritus Professor in the Department of History, University of Illinois in Chicago and author, The Leopard in the Garden:Animal and Human Lives in Paris at the First Public Zoo of the Modern EraCreditsDavid Marr, PresenterProgram:More from Late Night Live2itemsIn this episode1 of 2Being human under the AI advanceDuration: 25 minutes 59 seconds25m 2 of 2The Paris menagerie that made the modern worldDuration: 25 minutes 16 seconds25m