Governing the unseen. AI, law, power and complexity with Prof Lyria Bennett Moses

In this episode of Technology & Security, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Lyria Bennett Moses, one of Australia’s foremost experts in technology and law. We explore how government responses to AI often focus on regulating technology rather than addressing the human and social challenges these systems impact. We discuss how to centre humanity in legal responses to technology. We examine regulatory approaches, anti-discrimination laws and governance structures to better address the realities of AI-driven decision-making. As AI is increasingly embedded in daily life, much like past technological shifts, its influence may become invisible, but its impact on knowledge, democracy, and security will be significant.

Future leaders must develop systems thinking, recognising the deep interconnections between technology, law, politics, and security. Education must beyond data literacy to equip students with an understanding of how different systems function and their limitations. AI is reshaping how we access information, formulate ideas, and tell stories and it is shifting power in ways we are only beginning to grasp. In this episode, we explore the evolving role of search and AI-generated knowledge and the geopolitical tensions shaping the future of technology. This thought-provoking conversation will change the way you think about AI, law, knowledge creation and the future of regulation.

Professor Lyria Bennett Moses is the head of the School of Law, Society and Criminology and a professor at the University of New South Wales. She was previously the director of the Allens Hub for technology and has held many academic leadership and research roles related to law, data, cybersecurity and AI. She's worked on AI standards with Standards Australia and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and has published extensively on technology and law. Lyria is a member of numerous editorial boards. She is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and Royal Society of New South Wales, and a fellow of the Association of Social Sciences Australia. 

Resources mentioned in the recording:

+ The Rest is History podcast (BBC) www.therestishistory.com

+ The Machine Stops, E.M Forster 

This podcast was recorded on the lands of the Gadigal people, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge their continuing connection to land, sea and community, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Music by Dr Paul Mac and production by Elliott Brennan.