Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium

ACMI's annual Future of Arts, Culture and Technology Symposium returned in February 2025, partnering with Major Event Partner Creative Australia.

This year, the symposium focused on the future of culture, art, media and the infrastructures that support these areas. The 2023 and 2024 editions set in train some vital conversations in our sector and began each year with valuable provocations and new networking opportunities. Along the journey we talked about the creative practices of the future, AI and its continuing impact, new organisational models and a lot more.

This year’s program offered a range of engaging formats, including keynotes, panel discussions and workshops, enriched by ample opportunities for networking and a dedicated networking drinks event. The symposium culminated with an optional third day of hands-on workshops and exclusive site tours.

Download the FACT 2025 program.
Download the speaker information.
View the visual artefacts from Think in Colour.

Hosted at ACMI, the FACT symposium grew out of the multi-art form CEO Digital Mentoring program which ran throughout 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 was exported to New Zealand in conjunction with the National Digital Forum.

In 2024, we went deep on the implications of automation, artificial 'intelligence' and computational capacities in the creative sectors; and intertwined with this was the other big theme of climate and how cultural institutions and creators make sense of, and help our communities chart a course towards, a low carbon society and economy.

Download the FACT2024 Symposium program and speaker information.

Hosted at ACMI over two days on 14 & 15 Feb 2023, the Future of Arts, Culture & Technology Symposium was aimed at cultural leaders, policy makers, practitioners and those wanting to understand how we make the most of the possible future trajectories of technology in the arts. 

2025 Speakers

• Adrian Hon (UK)
• Professor Deb Chachra, Olin College of Engineering (USA)
• Aaron Cope, SFO Museum (USA)
• Avinash Kumar, Elsewhere in India (India)
• Scott Smith & Susan Cox-Smith, Changeist (USA/Spain)
• Todd Eckert, Tin Drum (USA)
• David Strauss, Bloomberg Connects (USA)
• Lucy Sollitt, Future Everything (UK)
• Professor Jennifer Deger, Charles Darwin University & Miyarrka Media
• Angela Stengel, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• Professor Dan Hill, University of Melbourne
• Gavin Somers, ACMI
• Stuart Buchanan, Sydney Opera House
• Dr Emily Siddons, National Communication Museum
• Bonnie Shaw, Municipal Association of Victoria
• Seb Chan, ACMI
• Ingrid Mason, National Film and Sound Archive
• Keri Elmsly, ACMI
• Dr Oliver Bown, University of NSW
• Elliott Bledsoe, Wikimedia Australia
• Georgina Russell, ACMI
• Tim Shiel, Green Music Australia
• Jayne Lovelock, Creative Australia
• Tony Holzner, Art Processors
• Dr Bianca Beetson, Queensland Museum
• Sarah Slade, ACMI
• Jini Maxwell, ACMI
• Dist. Professor Larissa Hjorth, RMIT University
• Natalie Turmine, Service and Creative Skills Australia
• Dr Christen Cornell, Creative Australia
• Emily Sexton, ACMI
• Dr Joel Stern, RMIT University
• Professor Deb Polson, RMIT University
• Dr Sam McGilp, independent artist
• Professor Chris Speed, RMIT University
• Dr Linda Matthews, University of Technology Sydney
• Dr Bree Trevena, ARUP
• Sejul Malde, Australian National University
• Dr Tobias Revell, ARUP London
• Maya Haviland, Australian National University
• Katie Russell, Australian Museums and Galleries Association
• Dr Indigo Holcombe-James, ACMI

• Jillian Clark, Melbourne Museum

2024 Speakers

• Eryk Salvaggio, Cybernetic Forests, USA
• Clare Reddington, Watershed, UK
• Dr Mia Ridge, British Library, UK
• Claire Pillsbury, California Academy of Sciences, USA
• Dr Johnson Witehira, Indigenous Design and Innovation Aotearoa
• Associate Professor Katrina Sluis, Australian National University
• Dr Joel Stern, RMIT University
• Associate Professor Fiona Cameron, Western Sydney University
• Carmel Reyes, Powerhouse Museum
• Professor Deb Polson, RMIT University
• Vidya Rajan, Writer, performer, artist
• Jarra Karalinar Steel, Multidisciplinary artist and curator
• Dr Keir Winesmith, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia
• Simon Loffler, ACMI
• Stuart Buchanan, Sydney Opera House
• Professor Melanie Swalwell, Swinburne University of Technology
• Professor Kimberlee Weatherall, University of Sydney
• Keri Elmsly, ACMI
• Matthew Lutton, Malthouse Theatre
• Trent Clews-de Castella, PHORIA
• Paula Bray, State Library of Victoria
• Lucie Paterson, ACMI
• Dr Anne Kershaw, Deakin University
• Jade Lillie, Facilitator and Cultural Leader
• Fiona Tuomy, The Other Film Festival, Arts Access Victoria
• Subhadra Mistry, City of Casey
• Malia Simonds, Bloomberg Philanthropies
• Dr Georgie McClean, Creative Australia
• John Wylie AM, Tanarra Capital
• Professor Ross Parry, University of Leicester
• Katie Russell, Australian Museums and Galleries Association
• Kate Fielding, A New Approach
• Dr Indigo Holcombe-James, ACMI
• Seb Chan, ACMI

2023 Speakers

• Jane Finnis (Director, Culture24, UK)
• Victoria Ivanova (R&D Strategic Lead, Serpentine Galleries, UK)
• Sam Lavigne (artist & educator, USA)
• Tega Brain (artist & environmental engineer, USA)
• Mimi Ọnụọha (artist, USA)
• Liam Young (designer, director, producer, USA)
• Cory Doctorow (science fiction author, activist and journalist, Canada)
• Professor Rebecca Giblin (ARC Future Fellow, Professor at Melbourne Law School, and the Director of the Intellectual Property Research Institute of Australia)
• Esther Anatolitis (Editor of Meanjin, arts advocate)
• Professor Larissa Hjorth (School of Media & Communication, RMIT)
• Professor Dan Hill (Director, Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne)
• Professor Jean Burgess, Professor of Digital Media, Digital Media Research Centre, QUT
• Dr Indigo Holcombe-James (ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society, RMIT)
• Anne Dunn (Executive Director, Sydney Theatre Company)
• Kath Mainland (Chief Executive, Adelaide Festival)
• Tim Stitz (Executive Producer & Co-CEO, Back to Back Theatre)
• Katrina Sedgwick (Director & CEO at Melbourne Arts Precinct Corporation)
• Joel Sherwood Spring (independent artist)
• Seb Chan (Director & CEO, ACMI)
• Keri Elmsly (Executive Director of Programming, ACMI)
• Lucie Paterson (Head of Experience Product & Digital, ACMI)
• Dr Sarah Barns (independent artist-researcher, ESEM Projects)
• Paul Callaghan (Head of Games & Interactive, VicScreen)
• Jamie Lewis (CEO/Executive Director, Next Wave Festival)
• Ana Tiquia (artist, future strategist & Director, All Tomorrow's Futures)
• Stuart Buchanan (Head of Digital Programming, Sydney Opera House)
• Paula Bray (Head of Digital Engagement & Insight, Australian National Maritime Museum)
• Morgan Strong (Digital Transformation Manager, QAGOMA)
• Teina Herzer (Executive Director, National Digital Forum, NZ)
• Claire Evans (Director, Junior Major)
• Dr Bobby Cerini (Deputy Director and General Manager of Science and Learning, Questacon)
• Dr Keir Winesmith (Chief Digital Officer, National Film and Sound Archive)
• Penny Whitehead (Deputy Director Development and Commercial Operations, Geelong Gallery)
• Sejul Malde (Strategic Research Development Manager, Australian National University)
• Fiona Tuomy (Artistic Director, The Other Film Festival & Manager, Digital Innovation, Arts Access Victoria)