Professor Hind Benbya, director of Deakin University's Centre for AI. Image: supplied Deakin University's Centre for AI and the Future of Business will hold its third annual AI Festival in Melbourne on 1 and 2 June, including panels from industry leaders exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to create value for businesses, as well as debating issues of trust, ethics and privacy. The third annual AI Festival's 2023 theme 'Co-Creating Value with AI' will bring together more than 150 business leaders, tech innovators, scholars, and policy makers, including 25 expert presenters. A highlight of the program will be a panel featuring Google's Head of Innovation Scott Thomson and Deakin Business School Adjunct Professor Matt Kuperholz (named in Australia's top AI innovators) in a discussion about how businesses can harness the potential of generative AI such as ChatGPT. The thought-provoking panel will be moderated by the Director of Deakin's Centre for AI and the Future of Business, Professor Hind Benbya. "With the recent rise of generative AI and the potential advent of general AI at the horizon, our festival gives industry leaders the chance to reflect on the lessons from the past year and share insights to navigate the opportunities and challenges of this new technology," Professor Benbya said. "This year's program will shed light on a variety of pressing topics, from exploring different dimensions of creating an AI strategy, to the boundaries of generative AI and its ethical considerations, and ways in which AI can foster collaboration and trust in various sectors. "We are at a pivotal moment where the power of AI can be harnessed for co-creation of value in unprecedented ways. Through this festival, we aim to inspire and guide the discourse on AI, enabling participants to better understand and leverage these technologies to shape our future." Business leaders come together for AI Festival to talk value, ethics Find out more about the Centre for AI and Future of Business 2023 AI Festival on Co-Creating Value with AI on 1-2 June 2023 to showcase state of the art AI applications across industries. Leading Australian and international practitioners, executives, academics, and policy makers will share best practices and thought on how to leverage AI for the co-creation of value, AI for Strategy and Culture, AI for Ethics and Society, AI for Trust and Truth, and the AI Value Pathway to the Future. It is a must-attend event for professionals, senior executives, digital managers, heads of IT and digital innovations, academics and alumni in AI and the future of work. To register for the festival, download the festival program here or to find out more information, visit here. Deakin's Centre for Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Business is a multidisciplinary centre based in Deakin Business School. It connects industry, academia and government to provide thought leadership, research and education, with a particular focus on using AI in ethical and sustainable ways. Originally published by Deakin University on 25 May 2023
Photo: Max Potts The Earth Village Community, Jenny Barber, Victoria University Polytechnic, Archana Chanddrabu Victoria University [Source: DJSIR] SummerTech LIVE program helps students become job ready and businesses boost digital skills Thanks to a Victorian Government program, more than 170 technology students used their summer break to get hands-on experience while also helping Victorian businesses solve real-world tech challenges. The highly successful SummerTech LIVE program operates as a paid 10–12-week studentship during the summer break. Students and graduates receive $5,000 each for their participation and the program is delivered at no cost to businesses. The program has matched more than 500 students with 290 Victorian businesses since it began in 2017. Last year, the Victorian Government announced it would inject a further $2.5 million over two years, allowing even more students to kickstart their digital careers, while also providing much-needed digital skills to Victorian businesses. STL2023 Showcase On 18 April, students and employers presented their projects at a showcase event, sharing their learnings and achievements. Photo: Kelly Hutchinson returned as MC for the fourth year and kept the teams on track with their 3-minute pitches. [Source: DJSIR] Besides supporting students to gain vital professional skills and build their networks, SummerTech LIVE is also focused on increasing cyber security by connecting businesses with a workforce that can develop solutions and tackle constant threats head-on. SummerTech LIVE is delivered on behalf of the Victorian Government by the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The next round of SummerTech LIVE is expected to open later this year. For more information, please visit SummerTech LIVE. Originally published by Victorian Connection on 19 April 2023
Two Swinburne researchers were cited in not one, but two, categories in the 2022 Highly Cited Researchers. Congratulations to Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han (left) and Dr Xianming Zhang (right). At this time of year researchers eagerly await to see who will be celebrated for their global influence. Researchers can measure their impact in many ways. One of these is to publish excellent research that is used by other researchers. The second is to secure funding to pursue their research. DIF News features stories of Victorian researchers making an impact in STEM-related fields. This time we shine a light on Swinburne with a raft of awards and grants that demonstrate how people and technology working together can build a better world in action through the work of these esteemed researchers. Swinburne was recently named the lead Australian research institution in Automation & Control Theory, Computing Systems and Nonlinear Science by The Australian’s 2023 Research magazine. The esteemed annual list also recognised Distinguished Professor Qing-long Han as the top researcher in Engineering and Computer Science and Associate Professor Tonghua Zhang [pictured above] as the Australian leader in Nonlinear Science which is on top of their recognition by Clarivate which is indeed a reason to celebrate. “Swinburne has provided me with outstanding support and has established an extremely high-profile research team, allowing me to conduct high-quality research to make impactful contributions to the future of engineering,” Professor Han, School of Software and Electrical Engineering Highly Cited Researchers 2022 If you’ve ever wondered how the top researchers are selected, well in the case of Clarivate, they draw its data from the published papers that rank in the top one per cent by citations for field and publication year in the Web of Science citation index. The 2022 Highly Cited Researchers list includes the Swinburne researchers recognised below. Of eight of the researchers making the list in 2022, five were from computer science, engineering and mathematics. Clarivate compiles those in the top one per cent by citations for their field during the past decade. Professor Jinjun Chen is Deputy Director of the Swinburne Data Science Research Institute. His research spans cloud computing, distributed systems and algorithms, mobile computing, hardware security, system and network security, data security and protection, and software and application security. Dr Xiaohua (Jamie) Ge is a computer engineer with expertise in networked control systems, multi-agent systems and cyber-physical systems. In a practical sense, his research is applied to intelligent ground/surface/underwater vehicles, electric vehicles, connected automated vehicles and intelligent transportation systems. Distinguished Professor Qing-Long Han is Swinburne’s Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research Quality), but he still makes time for his own research. He is an internationally recognised leader in Control Theory and Control Engineering. Impressively, he is cited in the top one per cent for both computer science and engineering in 2022. Dr Xianming Zhang has published over 100 fully-referred journal articles and conference papers, including – most recently – on automated and electric vehicles. Dr Zhang is also cited in two categories: computer science and engineering. Associate Professor Tonghua Zhang is a mathematician interested in differential equations, nonlinear dynamical systems and mathematical biology. He has applied his expertise to topics varying from supply chains to the transmission model of a Zika virus. Professor Qing-Long Han, was also named an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Fellow for his Industry 4.0 research contributions to the control and filtering of networked systems. Image source: Swinburne Swinburne researchers share in $221 million for ARC Discovery Projects More than $221 million of funding for 2023 Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Projects has been announced. The scheme provides funding of between $30,000 and $500,000 each year for up to five years. Six Swinburne projects were among the individuals and research teams supported to innovate and build new knowledge. Three of the projects contribute to the development of the digital economy examining last-mile connectivity with the internet of things, cybersecurity in the cloud and technology in aged care. Australia’s 5G transition to get a boost Almost half a million dollars will go to the world's first attempt to systematically tackle the challenges of enabling cost-effective last-mile service of 5G mobile edge computing. Led by software engineering and cloud computing expert Associate Professor Qiang He, the project will drive Australia's 5G transition and innovations and promote national post-COVID economic recovery. We’ll see an improvement to real-time mobile and Internet of Things applications, such as telehealth, remote learning/working, industry 4.0, and ensure Australia’s pioneering position in the global 5G research. Australian data to be made safer on the cloud Data auditing is a promising way to prevent information being modified or lost on the cloud. It could give us timely warnings, meaning we could take precautions and avoid potential data loss. But current auditing approaches are lacking in efficiency and security. Swinburne’s Deputy Director of the Swinburne Data Science Research Institute, Professor Jinjun Chen, will undertake innovative research into the challenges of data auditing and aim to establish solutions for enabling efficient and secure data integrity auditing on the cloud. The project will help safeguard Australians in a fast-growing cyber connected world. The future of high-tech aged care Technology isn’t just for the young. Older adults would benefit from more and better technology in aged care. Lead of the Swinburne Living Lab, Professor Sonja Pedell, is shepherding a project on meaningful experiences and tech skill development of people in aged care. It’s important to introduce technologies that support agency and confidence – instead of making older Australians frustrated, confused or dependent on the help of others. This project takes the interests, abilities and everyday experiences of people in aged care and uses their wants and needs to inform how to boost technology uptake in residential settings. Professor Karen Hapgood joined Swinburne University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research in March 2022. Image source: Swinburne Originally published by Swinburne University: Swinburne highly cited researchers rise to the top in 2022 15 November 2022 Swinburne researchers share in $221 million for ARC Discovery Projects 28 November 2022