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We want Australians to be confident and capable users of trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI). The foundations of AI are being laid now, and it’s essential that as a country we apply it in a way that supports our agency, purpose and opportunity. That’s why humanities scholars are at the forefront of providing advice about AI to governments, starting with a rapid research report for the Chief Scientist.

Former State and Commonwealth MP, Minister for Science (1983-1990), and Deputy Chair of the 1998 Constitutional Convention on the Republic, The Hon Dr Barry Jones FAHA reflects that referenda are different from elections in one critical way – voting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ means very different things.

The Australian Academy of the Humanities acknowledges, with deep sadness, the death of Emeritus Professor Graeme Clarke AO FAHA, one of Australia’s most prominent classical scholars. Graeme played an integral role in the establishment of the Academy – of which he was elected in 1975 – and made many outstanding contributions throughout the Academy’s 54-year history.

A presentist might assume that audiobooks are a modern invention. They would be wrong. Long before the digital world, literature was being shared orally. Martyn Lyons FAHA takes us back through the centuries to reveal how those who couldn’t read or write maintained a literary culture.

ARC Laureate Fellow, Professor Peter Veth FAHA MAACAI, takes us on a journey from the Ningaloo Coast through the Pilbara and into the Western Desert where innovative science and Indigenous knowledge are helping develop new understandings of the 60,000-year custodianship of Australian deserts.

The Australian Academy of the Humanities acknowledges, with deep sadness, the death of Professor Ross Gibson FAHA, one of Australia’s most prominent writers, film directors and creator of multi-media environments. 

With King Charles III’s coronation taking place on Saturday 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London, Graham Tulloch FAHA reminds us that he isn’t the first royal Charles III. And, points out that despite their many obvious differences, they have more than a name in common.

The Australian Academy of the Humanities has committed in its Strategic Plan (2020-25) to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories, knowledges and practices as foundational to our national story, and recognise the role and contribution of Indigenous researchers and knowledge custodians.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Australian Academy of the Humanities recognises Australia’s First Nations Peoples as the traditional owners and custodians of this land, and their continuous connection to country, community and culture.