PROGRAM
ARE FAIR ELECTIONS POSSIBLE IN THE AGE OF AI?

WEDNESDAY 4 DECEMBER 2024

WiFi Access

WiFi Access
Network: RMIT Guest
Connection type: Event
Conference Code: 200487
Available from 9:00am

8:30 – 9:00am

Light Breakfast / Registration

Council Chambers, Building 1
RMIT University, Melbourne.

9:00 – 9:05am

Opening Remarks & Acknowledgement of Country
Alec Cameron, Vice Chancellor, RMIT

9:05 – 9:10am

Welcome message 
Andrew Charlton, Special Envoy for Cyber Security and Digital Resilience

9:10 – 10:10am

Scene Setting

Research Agendas for Understanding AIs, Automation and Election Communication
Julian Thomas, RMIT

Cybersecuring Democracy: The U.S. Experience
Adam Clayton Powell III, USC
Jung-hwa (Judy) Kang, USC

10:10 – 10:50am

From Believing Almost Everything To Believing Almost Nothing: The Decline Of Users Faith In The Credibility Of The On-line World
Jeffrey Cole, USC

Chair: Julian Thomas, RMIT

10:50 – 11:10am

Morning Tea

11:10 – 11:50am

What’s new — Platforms, Infrastructures & Hardware

It’s Not A Lie If You Believe It: Digital Infrastructures and the Political Economy of Truth
Tim Graham, QUT

Phone Farming: The Guerrilla Infrastructure Behind Influence-for-Hire
Dang Nguyen, RMIT

Chair: Daniel Angus, QUT

11:50am – 12:30pm

What’s new — Beyond US Platforms

Monitoring elections and public opinions on WeChat
Fan Yang,  University of Melbourne

After “Chinese” disinformation, what?
Haiqing Yu,  RMIT

Chair: Julian Thomas,  RMIT

12:30 – 1:15pm

Lunch

1:15 – 2:00pm

What Just Happened? The US Election in Review

Casey Briggs, ABC News

Chair: Mark Andrejevic, Monash University

2:00 – 3:00pm

What Do We Need To Know – Verifying and Checking

A Test Range For Digital Platforms
Christopher Leckie, University of Melbourne

Damiano Spina, RMIT
Devi Mallal, ABC News Verify

Chair: Mark Sanderson, RMIT

3:00 – 4:00pm

What Do We Need To Know – Editing, Auditing and Observing

Post Election Auditing
Michelle Blom, University of Melbourne

Dark Political Communication and the Problem Of Observability
Dan Angus, QUT

Misinformation and Media Obligation
Ariel Bogle, The Guardian

Chair: Haiqing Yu, RMIT

4:00 – 4:05pm

Closing Remarks
Adam Clayton Powell III, USC
Julian Thomas, RMIT

4:05 – 4:30pm

Afternoon Tea

4:30pm

Event Concludes