Automated Societies

"Against the backdrop of the ongoing housing crisis, renters are increasingly interacting with digital technologies at every stage of their housing experience."

PhD researcher Samantha Floreani from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society at Monash University is conducting a study on the growing influence of digital technologies in the residential real estate sector.

These technologies—sometimes referred to as ‘RentTech’—include online rental application platforms (such as 2Apply, Sorted, Ignite, and Snug), property management apps (Kolmeo, Cubbi, ConsoleTenant), and rent payment platforms (Rental Rewards, Ailo, SimpleRent), among others. The research aims to explore how these technologies affect renters’ experiences and housing justice in Australia.

On the 16 May 2025, ADM+S hosted a presentation by Associate Professor Trebor Scholz titled From Vibe to Viability: A methodology for Building Transformative Alternatives in the Digital Economy.

In his talk, Assoc Prof Scholz analyses real-world models of doing things differently—from a driver-owned ride-hailing platform in New York City, to a community telecoms co-op in South Africa, a care worker co-op in Sydney, an artist-owned stock photography platform based in Canada, and a food delivery system shared by 80 cooperatives across Europe. These are practical alternatives that challenge business-as-usual approaches in mobility, connectivity, creative production, care, and food systems.

A/Prof Trebor Scholz is a leading voice in the global movement for democratic digital infrastructure, exploring how communities in over 60 countries are creating alternatives to extractive technologies through cooperative experiments.

What if death wasn’t the end, but just... a transition to the cloud? In this episode, we explore the rise of digital personality emulations — AI-powered avatars that let you talk to the dead.

Philosopher Rob Sparrow joins us to unpack the ethics, cultural impacts, and spiritual questions surrounding these technologies. From ancestor worship with digital shrines to grieving via chatbots, we ask: are we preserving memories, or messing with mourning? And what does it mean when your late grandma is still texting?

Tune in for a fascinating conversation about death, data, and the future of mourning.

Read the full journal article published in New Media & Society

(Re)animating the ancestors: Digital personality emulations, ancestor veneration and ethics

Sparrow, R., & Zhang, E. Y. (2025). (Re)animating the ancestors: Digital personality emulations, ancestor veneration and ethics. New Media & Society, 0(0).

https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251317461

In a recent announcement from Meta’s founder Mark Zuckerberg, the tech giant has decided to do away with it’s third party fact-checking model, opting for a ‘community notes’ system similar to X. 

How will this decision impact public trust in platforms? What are the implications for the broader misinformation ecosystem? What is the balance between ‘free expression’ and the responsibility to combat misinformation online?

All this and more with journalist and fact-checking researcher Dr Silvia Montana-Nino from the University of Melbourne.

📄 This conversation is based on Silvia’s latest article for The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/meta-is-abandoning-fact-checking-this-doesnt-bode-well-for-the-fight-against-misinformation-246878

🔗 More on Silvia’s work: https://www.admscentre.org.au/silvia-montana-nino/

Dang’s interest in internet cures grew out of the misinformation boom in 2016, but instead of following the popular research agenda she wanted to understand the cultural and historical contexts behind these practices.

Unravelling the intricate connections between social, technological, biomedical, and non-biomedical spheres, Dang’s new book  ‘Internet Cures’ explores the intersection of miracle cures and technology, combining computational social media data with ethnographic insights from Vietnam and the US, and captures the interconnected lives of such cures in the digital realm.

Access ‘Internet Cures’ via: https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/internet-cures

More on Dang’s work: https://www.admscentre.org.au/dang-nguyen/

On 4 December 2024 ADM+S invited guest speakers from industry partner organisation the ABC, to be part of a panel titled ‘What is a Public Service Algorithm and Why Might We Need One?’ 

Providing an alternative to commercial forms of content curation is one of the challenges faced by public service media in the digital era. The conversation explores how automated recommendation systems might support the mission of public service media in Australia.

This conversation moderated by ADM+S Chief Investigator Prof Mark Andrejevic, features Angela Ross, Research Lead at ABC News Strategy and Innovation, Laura Gartry, Innovation Lead at ABC Digital and National News, Stuart Watt, Head of News Strategy and Innovation at ABC, and ADM+S Associate Investigator Assoc Prof James Meese. 

On the 4 of December 2024 ADM+S brought together guest speakers from industry partner organisation, ABC and Google, for a panel titled, ‘What is a Public Service Algorithm and Why Might We Need One?’ 

Providing an alternative to commercial forms of content curation is one of the challenges faced by public service media in the digital era. The conversation explores how automated recommendation systems might support the mission of public service media in Australia.

This conversation features Angela Ross, Research Lead at ABC News Strategy and Innovation, Laura Gartry, Innovation Lead at ABC Digital and National News, Stuart Watt, Head of News Strategy and Innovation at ABC, Saarim Saghir, Strategy Manager at Google USA, and ADM+S Associate Investigator James Meese. 

Research funded by VicHealth and the Foundation for Alcohol Research & Education, supported by ADM+S, has found that alcohol and gambling companies use Facebook data to profile and target  people most at risk with their product advertising.

In this episode, hear from Dr Giselle Newton, ADM+S Research Fellow at the University of Queensland, and Dr Aimee Brownbill, Industry partner from the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) as we discuss key findings, concerns, and next steps in this critical discussion around data privacy and the need for regulatory reform. 

Read the Report: https://fare.org.au/wp-content/uploads/FARE_AlcoholandGambling_Report.pdf

More about Giselle: https://www.admscentre.org.au/giselle-newton/ 

More About Aimee: https://www.admscentre.org.au/dr-aimee-brownbill/

FARE: https://fare.org.au/ 

Did you know that globally, Australian’s lose the most money per capita to gambling?

In response to a parliamentary inquiry into online gambling, reports suggest that the Federal Government is considering a ban on gambling advertising online.

Findings from the Australian Ad Observatory highlight the complexities of enforcing such a ban, with the prevalence of giveaway ads, raffles and rewards clubs - which do not legally classify as gambling but have gambling components - proliferating across the platform landscape.

View Cesar’s book, Digital Gambling: Theorizing Gamble-Play Media (Routledge, 2018): https://www.routledge.com/Digital-Gambling-Theorizing-Gamble-Play-Media/Albarran-Torres/p/book/9780367591724?srsltid=AfmBOoojWxovEEMyVPcBreyQa2mZde55Clk2eLiEeAylKPafpJyhZfwh 

More on Cesar’s work: https://www.admscentre.org.au/cesar-albarran-torres/

In this episode we discuss the risks and benefits of sharing household energy use data, highlighting the opportunity for increased user awareness and sustainability, while also considering concerns around surveillance and data privacy.

This conversation is based on ‘Household Wattch: Exploring opportunities for surveillance and consent through families’ household energy use data’, a recent article by Dr Stephen Snow (UQ & CSIRO), Dr Awais Hameed Khan (ADM+S Research Fellow at UQ) , Kaleb Day (UQ) and Assoc Prof Ben Matthews (UQ).

Read 📄 https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3673228

ADM+S In Conversation is a new podcast series, bringing our researchers to the spotlight to discuss how AI and ADM technologies are impacting our day-to-day, based on recent research by members at the Centre.