Pandemic of the Mind Project
A Pandemic of the Mind ?
The impact of AI on National Security and Resilience
Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) most profound impacts may not be only technological but also cognitive, affecting how humans process information, make decisions, and maintain the mental capacities essential for the effective functioning of a democratic society and for national security. The metaphor of a "Pandemic of the Mind" aims to capture the systemic, spreading nature of cognitive changes that could transcend individual choices to become societal vulnerabilities.
Please read the workshop discussion paper, before the event, as the format will be primarily a discussion of the paper, not a detailed presentation. You can download the paper here - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/f3nenm8enypvj8t6vuy1j/CoLab-Workshop-AI-a-pandemic-of-the-mind.pdf?rlkey=nur2otmclj3ezt4ahq8fajnkz&dl=0
John Blackburn is a former Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Air Force with senior leadership experience across strategy, policy, operational command, capability development and defence logistics. He is Chair of the Institute for Integrated Economic Research Australia (IIER-A) and works as a consultant in defence and national security. A Fellow of the Royal Society of NSW, the Institute for Regional Security, the Sir Richard Williams Foundation and the Australian Institute of Energy, John has written extensively on national resilience and preparedness, energy and fuel security, economic and cyber security, and defence policy. His work brings a systems perspective to how technological, economic and geopolitical risks affect Australia’s security and democratic resilience.
AI CoLab events are intentionally open and collaborative. For this session we may capture photos to share publicly. This is done in line with the Charter’s values; transparent, ethical innovation and knowledge sharing to accelerate collective learning (see join.aicolab.org). By participating in this event, you agree to being photographed and for those images to be shared in accordance with this policy.