Can We Stop 'Policy Bulls**t' in the Automated State?

Governments make mistakes. But bulls**t is different. Philosopher Harry Frankfurt argues that bulls**t is not about whether a claim is true or false, but whether the person making it cares about the truth.

In public policy, problems arise when governments rely on claims and assumptions despite serious questions. Robodebt shows the difference between calling bulls**t and stopping it: concerns were raised, yet the scheme continued.

In the face of AI and automation, are our accountability systems strong enough to make governments pause before harm occurs?

Panelists:
Distinguished Professor Julian Thomas, Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S); Associate Professor Yee-Fui Ng, Director (Higher Degree by Research), Monash University Faculty of Law.

Moderated by Professor Tim Marshall, RMIT Deputy Vice-Chancellor Design and Social Context and Vice-President.

More panelists to be announced.

Presented by RMIT University.