The one-night exploration of artificial intelligence brings together leading thinkers, artists, creatives and technologists for live talks and performances, a large-scale video installation and exciting new hologram technology.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping our future, and on Friday, 24 April 2026, it will take centre stage at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) as part of a major collaboration with UNSW's Centre for Ideas.
At a moment when AI is hailed by evangelists as the greatest development humanity has known, while critics warn of its destructive force, AI: Breakthrough or Breaking Point? is an evening of art, ideas and technological spectacle examining the fate of AI and humanity.
In a technological first for most Australian audiences, interdisciplinary artist Xanthe Dobbie will appear via a holographic display platform and discuss and share their creative practice in a post-truth world. They will be joined by AI expert and UNSW Scientia Professor Toby Walsh, who will speak about the urgent necessity of governments and big tech to regulate this powerful and persuasive technology to create a responsible, transparent AI.
Creative technologist and applied AI researcher Mr Rodolfo Ocampo will present a video installation exploring human-AI co-creativity, drawing on research conducted during his PhD at UNSW and his practice spanning international design and arts projects.
Short talks will be hosted by Dr Sue Keay, Director of the UNSW AI Institute, who was pivotal in developing Australia's robotics roadmap and the first National Robotics Strategy.
Speakers and contributors include:
- UNSW Professor Joel Pearson, neuro-futurist and ARC Future Fellow, whose work explores intuition and consciousness, will explore how imagination can supercharge our relationship with AI.
- Dr Karaitiana Taiuru, a leading global voice at the forefront of Māori data sovereignty and AI ethics, will share why protecting Māori knowledge as a living treasure is one of the most exciting and urgent challenges of our tech future.
- UNSW Dr Charu Maithani, Lecturer in the School of the Arts & Media, will examine how AI training data reshapes our collective imagination.
- Professor Angie Abdilla, a palawa woman whose pioneering research on cultural governance for AI has influenced governments globally, will interrogate Indigenous deep time knowledges, automation and AI.
The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, located on Warrane, Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay, is the nation's premier public institution dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting, and collecting contemporary art from Australia and the world.
The UNSW's Centre for Ideas sits at the nexus of academia and research, culture and the arts, business and the community and society at large. It showcases some of the world's leading thinkers, provocateurs and UNSW-made entrepreneurs while also attracting big-name talent through its public talks and content program.
Event Details AI: Breakthrough or Breaking Point? Friday, 24 April 2026 6.30 pm – 9.30 pm Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney
