Navigating Cybernetic Futures - Continuing Education

Organisations around the world increasingly recognise an urgent need for the right expertise to face the challenges and complexities of the 21st century.

That expertise is more than just a technical understanding of emerging technologies — it is also a critical awareness of how these technologies interact with wider cultural, social, economic, political, and ecological systems. The School of Cybernetics is bringing the transdisciplinary practice of cybernetics to the world through innovative research-informed Learning Experiences for industry, government and communities.

The School of Cybernetics’ Learning Experience series, Navigating Cybernetic Futures, offers short non-award Learning Experiences preparing today’s leaders, creatives and change-makers for an increasingly fast-paced technological world including the following:

Decoding AI through Cybernetics
Introducing Cybernetic Leadership
Creating Futures with Cybernetics
Transforming Complex Systems with Cybernetics

From leading through the uncertainty generated by novel technologies to engaging with AI from fresh perspectives, our one-day programs enable participants to understand their role in building the better, fairer, and safer systems of the future. The Learning Experiences provide powerful practices founded on expansive cybernetic inquiry, as well as creative fuel for reimagining technology’s role in the world.

These experiences are delivered face to face. If you’d like to enrol in multiple Learning Experiences and have an invoiced raised for your organisation, please contact our team.

Learning Experiences

Decoding AI through Cybernetics

Decoding AI Through Cybernetics

Mode: in person
Fee: $2,310 multi-course and group booking discounts available
Location: Canberra, ACT

Enrol Now

3 September 2024

Register your interest

Description

Artificial Intelligence is suddenly everywhere. New AI solutions are being openly released to the public and integrated into everyday computing systems across all sectors and settings, both with and without our consent. Concern about the impact of these novel technologies continue to play out in the public discourse and through legal and social challenges to the legitimacy of these systems.

This one-day Learning Experience will empower participants with a stronger and clearer understanding of AI technologies and their implications and controversies. The program will develop new ways to discuss AI outside the constraints of existing – and often misleading – technological terms and narratives. Participants will explore expected and unexpected outcomes and interactions between the components of an AI system and wider societal systems. Using cybernetic tools, participants will further consider how to manage the technology across current and future deployment scenarios.

Audiences

This Learning Experience is suitable for all persons interested in or involved with AI in a professional capacity, with no prior technical training or background required.

“It was great learning from experts who are both knowledgeable and passionate. They presented technical concepts in an engaging and relatable manner.”
Multinational Professional Services Organisation

“Loved how the team managed the day, especially the well-supported interactive sessions that encouraged deep discussions.”
Higher Education Institution

Through this Learning Experience you will

Understand AI technologies and explore new terms for explaining and framing AI.
Learn how AI is integrated in broader social systems and apply cybernetic tools for AI management.
Assess and imagine current and future deployments of AI.

Program*

Time	Topic
09:00	Welcome and introductions
09:30	Demystifying AI (with Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell)
10:15	AI Hype: Neither Hallucinations Nor Sentience
11:00	Morning tea: Don’t PANIC
11:30	Generative AI
13:00	Lunch: Anatomy of an AI system
14:00	The AI Components (AI tech stack)
15:30	From AI Components to Cybernetic System
16:00	Finish and networking

* Subject to change

Introducing Cybernetic Leadership

Introducing Cybernetic Leadership

Mode: in person
Fee: $2,310 multi-course and group booking discounts available
Location: Canberra, ACT

Enrol Now

4 September 2024

Register your interest

Description

Being a leader in today’s tech-driven environment can be tough. Emerging technologies such as AI and automation challenge decision-makers across all sectors to respond rapidly to complex and ambiguous situations, while managing the often-unknown risks and opportunities of adoption and deployment. Concurrently, conventional organisational structures and relationships are also giving way as these technologies usher in new social norms and ways of working.

This one-day Learning Experience offers leaders a chance to learn ways to navigate these unfamiliar waters. Join us as we develop leaders’ capabilities in self-reflection and systemic thinking, preparing them to meet the challenges of the future. Drawing on interdisciplinary research, the Learning Experience guides learners through cybernetic leadership principles for the 21st century that are immediately and pragmatically applicable to their own contexts.

Audiences

This Learning Experience is suitable for people taking on leadership or management duties in organisational or community contexts, regardless of industry. It is particularly relevant for those leading change.

“The session prompted me to reflect on some of the ways I interact with various stakeholders, from technical IT personnel to broad systems thinkers. The course gave space to consider the unintended nature of activities and the four cybernetic principles will be a useful tool in my job.”
Research Organisation, Australian Government

“The course provided a fresh perspective to my previous learnings in leadership. The tools presented will be especially useful in my current role which is aiming to inspire, educate, inform and lead our organisational exploration of emerging and disruptive technology.”
Australian Public Service

Through this Learning Experience you will

Learn and practice cybernetic leadership principles to better navigate emerging technologies and the organisational complexities they introduce
Understand the history and practice of leadership from interdisciplinary perspectives
Learn to the create conditions for team resilience in ambiguous and uncertain situations

Program*

Time	Topic
09:00	Welcome and introductions: Situating Leadership in Emerging Technology
09:30	Leadership: A Cybernetic Perspective (with Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell)
10:15	Systems Thinking and Cybernetic Leadership Principles
11:00	Morning tea
11:30	Applying Cybernetic Leadership Principles
13:00	Lunch
14:00	Preparing for Complexity through Cybernetic Leadership
15:30	Synthesis and wrap up
16:00	Finish and networking

* Subject to change

Transforming Complex Systems with Cybernetics

Transforming Complex Systems with Cybernetics

mode: in person
Fee: $2,310 multi-course and group booking discounts available

Register your interest

Description

The ‘system’ is one of the most important concepts and realities underpinning our contemporary 21st century world. Increasing complexities and interdependencies across engineered systems create both greater fragility and resilience for networked lives, while we continue to grapple with the sociological and ecological implications of these technological deployments.

This one-day Learning Experience offers participants a chance to learn new perspectives and approaches for solving difficult and persistent systemic challenges. Participants will learn and apply cybernetic tools to illuminate a system, its dynamics and trajectories, and begin to unfold possibilities for effective intervention. This Learning Experience aims to demonstrate the practical application of cybernetic principles for participants to integrate the presented toolkit into their practice to begin transforming complex systems.

Audiences

This Learning Experience is suitable for all persons undertaking to solve complex systemic challenges at work, and particularly for those implementing and designing change.

Through this Learning Experience you will

Develop new perspectives on systems thinking to meet complex and persistent challenges.
Apply cybernetic tools to illuminate systems and their interdependencies.
Apply cybernetic tools to enable interventions across systems to resolve existing and emerging problems.

Creating Futures with Cybernetics

Creating Cybernetic Futures

Mode: In person
Fee: $2,310 multi-course and group booking discounts available
Location: Canberra, ACT

Canberra Dates

5 September 2024

Register your interest

Description

In a time of accelerating change, we are all increasingly responsible for creating a shared future in which emerging tech and systems involving people, ecology, and technology are safe, responsible, and sustainable. To do so requires an approach to the future that helps us understand how these systems have shaped our present informed by past decisions. From this awareness, we can imagine and create alternative futures that embrace diverse perspectives.

This one-day Learning Experience will actively engage participants to think critically about how “the future” is created and how we can act critically to create futures we want and need. We will start the day by considering the “Socio-technical Imaginary” and how this influences our past, present and future. We will introduce the Cybernetic Futures Framework which is a useful tool to consider how the future is told and sold to us. We will then apply this tool to create futures with cybernetics and end the day by discussing how these hopeful futures can be much more than just a story.

Audience

This Learning Experience is suitable for all people who care about responsible futures that comprise people, the environment and technology.

Through this Learning Experience you will

New ways to understand how “the future” is created and shared
Apply cybernetic approaches with confidence
Create hopeful futures and a plan for implementing those futures in the present

Program*

Time	Topic
09:00	Welcomes and Introduction
09:30	Disrupting the present (with Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell)
11:00	Morning tea
11:30	Introduction to the Cybernetic Futures Framework
13:00	Lunch
13:30	Applying the Cybernetic Futures Framework
15:30	A call to action – ways to implement hopeful futures in the present
16:30	Finish and networking

* Subject to change