Before working at Tech Council, I’ve always been interested in technology and policy, albeit as two separate things. On the tech side, I think it was understanding the important role technology plays in making people’s lives easier, better and safer that made me want to pursue a career in tech. On the policy side, I think it was the potential for well-designed policy to bring about positive social change that attracted me to the field. And so, tech policy seemed like the perfect combination of those two interests.

I’m going to focus on access to education systems because I think improving access to high-quality education helps solve part of the inequality problem and helps us create a workforce which can tackle some of those pressing issues that you’ve listed.

One technology that has huge potential is generative AI tools. I see generative AI tools like ChatGPT as the total sum of all the collective wisdom and biases of society. They’re incredible tools for self-learning and teacher instruction. They can be used to create learning plans and timetables, produce examples of content, recommend learning materials and strategies, and help nudge students in the right direction. If these technologies are implemented responsibly with the right safeguards and governance measures, then we will see a significant increase in learning potential and productivity across the education system, and improved access to educational opportunities.

That doesn’t mean all educational inequality will be eliminated. Overpriced private schools will continue to charge exorbitant fees to justify spending on school resources and infrastructure. But if we take tools like ChatGPT to their full potential, schools across the world will have access to the best knowledge and expertise, which will be shared across the world. And students of all ages will be able to access these tools in their own time. Sure, in 2023, Sydney Grammar might be able to hire the best mathematics teacher in Australia. But who knows, in 2033, generative AI tools trained on Maths Olympiad problems and the world’s best mathematics textbooks might be able to offer a much more accessible and high-quality educational experience than what’s currently available. And that’s remarkable.

I think the great thing about young people is that we’re at the age where we naturally start to question things around us. We start to wonder why society is set up the way it is, why some groups get certain benefits and others not so much, why things are the way there are. We’re also very tolerant and forward-thinking, and that makes us come together easier and bring out the best ideas. And so you have this healthy dose of scepticism and desire to challenge the status quo which acts as an impetus for change, and you’ve got diversity and tolerance breeding the best ideas.

What we’re seeing is young people embracing technology as the intersection of those two things. Technology is a playground for ideas where we can push boundaries and test out different visions for society. Recently, there’s been talk about a society where machine intelligence augments human power. There’s also been talk about a virtual society (the metaverse) where people interact and live out their lives virtually, and a decentralised society using digital assets technologies where interactions are peer-to-peer and don’t have to go through some centralised institution.

Young people are going to continue shaping these technological developments in a way that benefits communities, society and the planet. They’re going to be starting and running companies that make our lives easier, safer and better. They’re going to be involved in regulating technologies and ensuring technology is used responsibly and for the betterment of society. And they’re going to be leaders ensuring that technology is accessible to all backgrounds and is used as a tool for human empowerment.

I think the biggest misconception people have about policy is that it’s an ineffective lever for change. Some people think of policy as slow, cumbersome and frustrating, and rightly so, given the negative perception people have of politicians and the political process.

But I think we need to understand that policy is really a debate about ideas about how society should be run. The winners of the debate are given a mandate for change. That’s a huge responsibility. With that mandate, you can coordinate civil society and the public and private sectors to collaborate on pressing challenges such as climate change and growing inequality. You can bring resources to tackle under-addressed issues and make changes that improve the lives of all Australians. And that’s why it’s important for us to be active in policy, so we can create a society that we believe to be the best and fairest and most just.

Because if we give up on having this debate, we’re really letting the loudest voices in the room dominate. And those voices might not have our best interests at heart. They might not care about the causes we care about, and they might have a polar opposite version of society that we’d find troubling and distressing.

So that’s why I think young Australians should put their best ideas forward and get involved. There’s a lot of power in people and communities coming together around shared beliefs and ideas, and there are a lot of different ways to get involved other than running for Parliament.

You could get a group of friends to write to politicians arguing for changes. You could create social media campaigns on causes you care about to raise public awareness. You could conduct your own research and advocate for your ideas among decision-makers. So get out there, and get involved!

Tech for Social Good is a nonprofit that builds products that make a difference in people’s lives. Our product philosophy is centred on empowering individuals and helping them better access services such as healthcare and education.

We’ve got a bunch of stuff planned for 2023! We’re creating a data-driven ClimateTech tool to help individuals understand the drivers and impacts of climate change, and how climate change impacts their lives directly. We’re looking to release that product in May, along with a bunch of research articles on the Responsible Tech ecosystem in Australia and profiles of different new and emerging technologies.

Beyond that, we’re looking to create a community-driven tech firm where an interdisciplinary team of volunteer developers, product managers, data scientists work together with lawyers, consultants, researchers and policymakers to build technologies that can improve people’s lives. To that end, we plan to run a community co-design project which will see Tech for Social Good partner with various community organisations to create accessible and impactful tech products.