D3 - The Digital3 Podcast

On this episode of the D3 podcast we explore the intersection between human rights, individual liberty and frontier technology with Lorraine Finlay. Lorraine is Australia's Human Rights Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission. Prior to taking the post in 2021, Lorraine was Senior Human Trafficking Specialist with the Australian Mission to ASEAN, an academic at Murdoch University, and State Prosecutor with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Western Australia. D3 podcast host is also joined by Dr Jonathan Kolieb, a Senior Lecturer in Law at RMIT and co-director of RMIT's Business and Human Rights Centre. Welcome Jonathan!

Are digital markets competitive? What does competition mean in a digital economy? Competition policy - the policy that tries to ensure markets are competitive - has its origin in in an economy vastly different to our own - an economy of factories, not bits. Sometimes competition policy is called 'antitrust', referring to its origins in the trust-busting era that responded to America's gilded age. In this episode of D3, Associate Professor Thibault Schrepel joins Chris Berg to unpack the future of competition policy in a world of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and the metaverse. Thibault is Associate Professor of Law at the Amsterdam Law & Technology Institute. He is also a Faculty Associate at the CodeX Center at Stanford University, has advised the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and the Luxembourg Competition Agency. He is the author of two books, including most recently *Blockchain + Antitrust: The Decentralization Formula* published by Edward Elgar Publishing. Chapters 01:50 Competition Policy / Antitrust and Policymakers 03:47 Underlying Principles of Public Policy in Competition 05:57 Competition Agencies’ response to the Digitisation of Economy 08:45 “Predatory Innovation” and How it Relates to Digital Transition 11:51 Smart Contracts 15:45 The Blockchain Ecosystem and Areas for Competition Policy Attention 18:08 Microtransactions and Recent Antitrust Cases 22:00 Blockchain and AI: The Evolving Nature of Global Jurisdictional Competition 27:08 Regulatory Complexities of Open-source AI Models 30:28 Behavioural Economics and Antitrust laws 31:58 Solving Competitive Concerns by Design 34:27 What is the Metaverse Competition Agency? 36:53 Conclusion Episode recorded: 23 May 2024 Resources: Thibault Schrepel and his workLearn about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedIn Twitter YouTubeJoin the D3 Community

In this episode Professor Chris Berg chats to art historian and web3 art expert Dr Jessica Priebe about the intersection of art and technology, particularly NFTs and blockchain. The discussion draws parallels from 18th century fine art and the evolution of the creative process to the AI technology of today. Jessica says it’s an exciting time for Australian Artists to not only connect and collaborate with artists worldwide through digital technology but also create new avenues to monetise their art. Dr Jessica Priebe, is an art historian and lecturer at the National Art School (NAS) teaching blockchain, AI and metaverse curation using a web3 curriculum, an advisor in emerging technology at the Museum of Contemporary Art and founder of Arts3, an education and creative agency delivering web3 education and training to the arts and creative industry such as AI art and metaverse workshops. Select your avatar and launch yourself into Jessica's NAS metaverse teaching gallery and see a selection of visual examples and references from the episode here. Takeaways Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:40 The connection between 18th century French art material culture and web3 02:40 Teaching NFTs and blockchain in art 04:00 Addressing the gap of education of blockchain education in schools 04:20 The divergent perspectives on NFTs for Artists 05:00 Initial concerns about NFTs by Art Students 06.20 Monetising Digital Art 07:40 The value of NFTs and excessively monetised digital art 06:46 Exploring different approaches to digital art 09:40 The technical knowledge required for artists such as Smart Contracts 11:20 The role of AI in the creative process as part of the artist toolbox 12:40 How art students are using AI 14:00 The ethical considerations of AI art 15:40 The replication of artistic styles with AI 17:10 Combining AI and art history 18:00 Integrating technology into art education 22:30 Building digital literacy in teachers 23:40 Degree of digital knowledge in teachers 25:35 Opportunities for Australian artists 29:10 Conclusion Episode recorded: 15 December 2023 Resources: Dr Jessica Priebe and Arts3Jessica's NAS Metaverse Teaching GalleryThe Museum of Contemporary Art AustraliaNational Art SchoolFind out about NFTs via the D3 freemium short courseLearn more about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedInTwitter YouTubeJoin the D3 Community

In this episode of the D3 podcast, Professor Chris Berg sits down with Dr Peyman Khezr to discuss the intersection of artificial intelligence, market design, and human behaviour in the context of auctions. Dr Khezr is the Deputy Director of the RMIT Business Behavioural Lab, a researcher at the RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub and a Senior Lecturer of Economics at RMIT University. He is an applied microeconomist who applies behavioural and experimental methods in various contexts such as environmental markets, real estate, and the decentralised digital space. Market design involves structuring markets to ensure they operate efficiently and fairly, and AI has revolutionised this field by enabling more accurate predictions and the processing of vast amounts of data. Dr Khezr explains that the goals of auction design depend on the context, such as reducing carbon emissions or maximising seller revenue. Technology, particularly the internet and blockchain, has increased the demand for auctions and made them more complex. AI is now being used to simulate market behaviour and learn from real-world patterns, leading to more effective auction design. The research in this field has implications for public policy and can help improve the efficiency and fairness of auctions in various industries. Takeaways Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Market Design 02:32 Optimizing Auctions 05:17 Impact of Technology on Auctions 08:08 The Importance of Auction Design 10:09 Block Allocation Problem 12:27 Fairness in Auctions 14:23 AI in Auction Design 17:29 Learning Patterns in Auctions 21:00 Innovation in Auction Design 26:57 Policy Implications of Auction Design 31:22 Competition between Humans and AI in Auctions 33:12 Conclusion Episode recorded 8 December 2023 Resources: RMIT Business Behavioural LabRMIT Blockchain Innovation HubLearn about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedInTwitter YouTubeJoin the D3 Community

In this episode, Host Chris Berg and Professor Kok-Leong Ong discuss the use of Generative AI tools in businesses and enterprises. They explore the initial response of businesses to ChatGPT and the development of Large Language Models (LLM). They also discuss the debate between one giant model and customized models for specific use cases. The dominance of Nvidia in the industry and the role of closed source and open source models are examined together with the policy environment in Australia, the legal liability for decision making and the role of Generative AI in the education sector. Takeaways Episode recorded 11 December 2023 Resources: RMIT Enterprise AI and Data Analytics HubAustralian Government Department of Industry, Science and Resources - Supporting Responsible AI Discussion Paper closed 4 August 2023RMIT Digital3 Learn about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedInTwitter YouTubeJoin the D3 Community

This episode breaks down the future of quantum computing with guest Dr. Peter Rhode who is a Senior Quantum Researcher at global tech company BTQ, honorary Senior Lecturer at Macquarie University and co host of The Quantum State and Terminally Quantum Podcast Dr Rhode explains that quantum computing takes advantage of new physical rules introduced by quantum physics, such as superposition, to build computers that can outperform classical computers in certain circumstances. The conversation also covers the hype and investment in quantum computing, potential applications and limitations, geopolitical considerations, and the development of post-quantum cryptography. Takeaways Recorded on the 8 December 2023. Resources: About Digital3 Learn about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedInTwitter YouTubeJoin the D3 CommunityD3 Podcast

In this first episode of the D3 Digital3 podcast recorded on 20 November 2023, Professor Chris Berg is joined by legal academic and barrister Dr Aaron Lane to discuss the regulation and public policy surrounding cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. They explore the purpose of regulation in this frontier technology and the ideological divide on whether it should be regulated at all. They also delve into the Australian Government's perspective on crypto regulation, particularly the proposal for licensing digital asset platforms. The conversation touches on the international environment of crypto regulation, the importance of aligning with the United States, and the challenges of tackling financial scams in the crypto economy. The episode concludes with a look ahead at the future of crypto public policy. Takeaways: Dr Aaron Lane is a Senior Lecturer in Law and Senior Research Fellow with the RMIT Blockchain Innovation Hub. His research is focused on the intersection of regulation and innovation and is internationally recognised as an expert on the regulation of blockchain and cryptocurrency. In previous academic roles, Aaron lectured and coordinated programs and courses including Company Law, Competition & Consumer Law, Business Tax Law, and Law & Technology. Dr Lane is a member of the Victorian Bar and accepts briefs to advise and appear in all matters of commercial, public law and white-collar crime. He commenced his legal career at Maddocks and was Special Counsel at Duxton Hill practicing in fraud, misconduct and financial crime. Resources: Australian Federal Government’s Regulating Digital Asset Platforms Proposal Watch Dr Aaron Lane providing a snapshot of the proposal About Digital3 Learn about emerging tech through D3 short online courses LinkedInTwitter YouTubeJoin the D3 Community