The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science is seeking interest from ACT senior students (years 11 and 12) to participate in Techtonic: Shaping Australia’s AI Future on the afternoon of Friday, 15 November 2019.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase productivity, create new industries and provide more inclusive services, creating jobs of the future. The event is your opportunity to help us drive effective change, so together, we can build a strong AI ecosystem in Australia. As the voice of the future, listening to the ideas of students is important in how we can develop AI for Australia.
The exciting opportunity is for a collective group of approximately 10-15 ACT senior students to participate in the following workshop activity, which will be run by Questacon. This activity will be part of the larger program for the event being held at Old Parliament House, which will involve approximately 100 key AI stakeholders from across the country from academia, industry and the community sector.
School student workshop activity at Questacon
1pm
School students will arrive at Questacon and experience a free guided tour of Born or Built? Exhibition.
1:30pm
School students will then have a 30 minute Questacon presentation following the exhibition.
2pm
School students will workshop and discuss the themes they have learnt from the exhibit. Workshop will be facilitated with experienced Questacon staff. The topic will be: What benefits and opportunities will AI provide for your future?
School students will prepare a pitch as part of this workshop. There will be flexibility in format so as to best suit the talent within the group of students.
3pm
School students will walk 2-3 minutes from Questacon to the main event location (Old Parliament House), and will present a 10 minute “Pitch for the Future” to the Techtonic audience during the end of afternoon tea.
3:30pm
Following afternoon tea there will be a series of AI policy idea presentations from other event participants – school students can stay for this entire pitch session, which will conclude at approximately 1630-1700.
Students are encouraged to bring their creativity to the event. This is not an event where they will need a deep understanding of what AI is, but rather explore ideas in which AI can create a more inclusive and productive future. Questacon will help facilitate the event, including the workshop where they will develop their “Pitch for the Future”. Students may like to examine a general look into AI but no further preparation is required before the event. Students will need to make their own way to and from the event.
Teachers will need to register their school’s interest in attending by 8 November.
Names of students will be required. Once schools have registered we will be in touch with the next steps.
If teachers have any questions, please contact Hayley Svenson (Digital Economy and Technology Division, Department of Industry, Innovation and Science) on (02) 62137428 or email: artificial.intelligence@industry.gov.au.