ANU School of Cybernetics

03/09/2026

Australia is facing one of the most consequential technology shifts in a generation.

The choices we make now will shape whether AI improves life for Australians and the environment, or erodes what we've already built.

Join guest speaker Dex Hunter-Torricke, Founder and President of The Center for Tomorrow, with nearly two decades experience at SpaceX, Meta, Google and UN, as he answers the question ‘What can Australia do to secure its national interests in the face of rapid AI progress?’

Along with Director of ANU School of Cybernetics Professor Katherine Daniell, the panel will address what long-term governance of AI would mean for Australian society.

Come discuss, ask hard questions, and meet others who share a common interest. A flourishing future is possible if we're willing to ask the right questions and imagine what it could look like.

Register on Humanitix: https://events.humanitix.com/another-tomorrow-2026/tickets

Monday 7 September, 12–1.30pm AEST
Innovation Space, Australian National University

Systems & Society at ANU

28/08/2026

The August edition of The Australian National University’s School of Cybernetics newsletter is out now!

The month was busy, with visiting speakers, workshops and the ANU Community Day.

In this newsletter, you can find out more about:
📌the upcoming event with guest speaker Dex Hunter-Torricke, Founder and President of the Center for Tomorrow
📌our Unplugged Education workshops, co-facilitated by Cybernetics and visiting speakers Professor Tim Bell – creator of CS Unplugged – and Dr Henry Hickman
📌The Attachment Hacking episode of the Alive to This podcast, where Associate Professor Maia Gould was invited to contribute to the conversation around connection, attachment and rewards dependence.

Click through to read: https://mailchi.mp/lists.anu.edu.au/cybernetics-2026-july-newsletter-12852521

You can subscribe to our mailing list via the ANU School of Cybernetics site.

27/08/2026

What does it actually mean to “know,” “generate,” or “participate” in a world?

Earlier this year, the ANU School of Cybernetics visited the Museum of Contemporary Arts for the exhibition, Data Dreams: Art and AI.

Two of the works featured were Angie Abdilla’s Meditation on Country and Kate Crawford in collaboration with Vladan Joler’s Anatomy of an AI System.

Read along to see how Dr Sungyeon Hong reflected on visiting this exhibition.

Read the full reflection on our news page: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/news/2026/05/20/more-to-human/

25/08/2026

Early in June, Dr Ben Swift, Eddie Aloise King, Dr Hannah Feldman and Cole Cooney went to teach upper primary kids about large language models (LLMs) for the first time.

Using cutouts, the Year 5 students were able to sort pairs and generate new sentences from children’s books, helping them see the probabilistic nature of LLMs.

This was made possible thanks to Pip Hall and the Duffy Primary School team and ACT Academy of Future Skills for the connection.

Read the full article on our news page: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/news/2026/06/02/how-ai-writes-stories-at-duffy/

21/08/2026

1 week left until applications close! Do you have everything you need to apply for our Master of Applied Cybernetics?

Read the checklist here or go to our webpage to read our application pack.

Applications close 12pm AEST, Friday 28 July. Apply here: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/education/masters/

We look forward to receiving your applications!

20/08/2026

As artificial intelligence becomes abundant, what stays precious?

Associate Professor Maia Gould joined the Alive to This podcast to discuss connection, attachment and rewards dependence. Unpacking the interface between LLMs and psychology, Maia – along with neuroscientist Joel Pearson and anthropologist Monty Badami – explores how we make sense of reality when we rely on AI.

Facilitated by podcast host Eleanor Gammell, the group poses provocative questions: is it intelligence that’s really at risk, or is it depth? Are we at risk of losing depth of connection with each other?

Watch the Attachment Hacking episode here: https://youtu.be/F7Lk5bCGFYo?si=v-E7KVWFPjlHbpJt

Listen to it on Spotify or Apply Podcasts.



📷: Wes Nel

18/08/2026

In June, we held our Demo Day for our Master of Applied Cybernetics students!

In their course ‘Building Cyber-Physical Systems’ students get to draw from their expertise and combine this with their learnings to create cyber-physical artefacts to showcase.

It was amazing to see how they incorporated feedback loops, sensors and actuators while considering how their systems could scale.

Congratulations to our students, and thank you to the staff, students and collaborators who joined us to celebrate this well-earned accomplishment!

Keep an eye out on our news page to find out what each student showcased.

17/08/2026

In his recent article, Cybernetics’ Dr Ben Swift explores the broader implications of recent developments in ‘open weight’ AI models – when capabilities in the ballpark of the best AI models become available to anyone.

Read more: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/moats-are-still-shallow-stakes-are-much-higher

Why a freely downloadable Chinese model and a security breach at Hugging Face should make universities wary of signing exclusive AI contracts

15/08/2026

2 weeks left until applications close! Study our Master of Applied Cybernetics in 2027.

If you are interested in:

◽️understanding emerging technologies,
◽️systems and systems thinking,
◽️working at the intersection of society, technology and the environment
…then this postgraduate program might be for you.

We look forward to seeing your applications!

Applications close 12pm AEST, Friday 28 July.

Apply here: https://cybernetics.anu.edu.au/education/masters/