How will mass automation affect life Down Under?
REPORT
22 Jan 2019
How will mass automation affect life Down Under?

From driverless trains in the mining sector to robots that build houses, numerous sectors in Australia have embraced automation. But how do people feel about machines that may threaten their job security? Do the benefits of increased efficiency and convenience outweigh the perceived risks?

Dr. James Patrick Underwood

Dr. James Patrick Underwood is a senior research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Australian Centre for Field Robotics (ACFR). He has led many robotics and intelligent systems R&D projects in defence, mining and agriculture, and has consulted for firms including Rio Tinto, BAE Systems, The South Korean Agency for Defence Development, Leica Geosystems, Dairy Australia, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute.

Michael Milford

Michael Milford is a QUT robotics professor, Australian Research Council Future Fellow, Microsoft Research Faculty Fellow and Chief Investigator at the Australian Centre for Robotic Vision. He conducts interdisciplinary research at the frontier between robotics, neuroscience, and computer vision.

Anders Sorman Nilsson

Anders Sorman Nilsson is the founder and creative director of Thinque. His global perspectives help leaders, teams, and business owners in Australia, the US, Europe, and Asia to understand and harness disruptive trends. His client list includes organisations ranging from Apple and MTV to Macquarie Bank.

David Wilson

David Wilson is an APAC-based travel and tech specialist whose experience in journalism spans two decades. His stories have run everywhere from the South China Morning Post to Slate and The New York Times. In his spare time, he does strength training and hangs out with cats.