Professor Johanna Weaver at the Tech Policy Design Centre’s symposium on risk and resilience in telecommunications. Photo: ANU.
The Australian National University has made its pilot Tech Policy Design Centre (TPDC) a permanent institution on campus, and announced it would develop the nation’s first dedicated tech policy curriculum.
Founding director Professor Johanna Weaver established the pilot program in late 2022 with the mission to shape technology for the long-term benefit of humanity.
“Artificial intelligence, cyber security and online privacy burst into mainstream public conversations in Australia last year,” Professor Weaver said.
“Experimenting with ChatGPT, or dealing with the personal fallouts of the Medibank or Optus incidents, awakened many Australians to the realisation that our adoption of technology has outpaced its integration into law and public policy.
“The urgency of getting tech regulation right cannot be overstated. To shape a positive future, technology and policy must develop in unison.”
Along with an expanded research agenda, the TPDC will be supported by a new Independent Advisory Board bearing expertise across industry, government, civil society and academia.
This month, the board met for the first time, bringing together minds such as CSIRO executive director Professor Elanor Huntington, Atlassian global head of policy David Masters, head of the ANU National Security College Professor Rory Medcalf, and the current eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant.
“My team and I are humbled to be supported by such an illustrious group,” Professor Weaver said.
“The board’s diverse perspectives will enrich TPDC’s work and the design of tech policy in Australia.”
The centre will reside within the ANU College of Law, but will undertake its interdisciplinary work in collaboration with Schools such as Cybernetics and Global Governance and Regulation.
So far, the TPDC has published research reports on Tending the Tech Ecosystem and Cultivating Coordination, launched the Parliamentary Friends of Tech Policy, and established a podcast, Tech Mirror.
But for Professor Weaver, its biggest contribution so far is the Tech Policy Atlas – the world’s most comprehensive open-source global tech policy repository.
“It’s crucial for us to understand what tech policy is and acknowledge that it’s not really about technology but society,” Professor Weaver said. “Previously, this kind of information was behind paywalls, but if we want tech policy to evolve, it needs to be accessible to everyone.
“People should realise they have agency in the technology that is building our future.
“It also provides the perfect foundations for our research program to be launched. We’ve made the tool, now we need the data.”
The centre’s current focus is on gaps in the national tech legal framework, where it can have the most impact. Professor Weaver said the centre was now in the design phase, identifying priorities in fields ranging from robotics and digital identity to online safety and consumer data protection.
Helping her since their terms began on 31 January are head of policy design Zoe Hawkins and head of education design Simon McAllister.
All the policy work will be fed back into the new curriculum being developed. This is set to provide a dedicated career pathway for those interested in shaping responsible design, manufacture, use and the decommissioning of technology in Australia and the surrounding region.
“A lot of this field is creating tech policy, frameworks, and implementation by government,” Professor Weaver said. “So you will never be out of a job if you’re looking in this field.
“This is an area that will only continue to grow in importance, so I really encourage anyone interested to enrol when it becomes available.”
