Published Sep 22 2023

What Happens Next?: Can Tech Unlock Humans' Full Potential?

Susan
Carland
Academic, author and social commentator
Leah heiss
Associate Professor, Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair in Design
Shaun gregory
Associate Professor and Deputy Head, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Tan le
Founder and CEO, EMOTIV
Alex naoumidis
Co-founder, Mindset Health

We’ve already begun merging technology with humanity. Are the rapid advancements in AI, medicine and neuroscience propelling us towards a transhumanist future? We’ll unpack the potential benefits, ethical concerns and societal implications of this controversial movement.

This week, Monash University's podcast, What Happens Next?, concludes its series on transhumanism with conversations from leading experts in medicine, business, and design.

 
 
 

Monash graduate Alex Naoumidis, co-founder and co-CEO of MindsetHealth, discusses with our host, Dr Susan Carland, the untapped possibilities of new technologies to enhance cognitive and psychological abilities. He sees transhumanism as the next logical step in human evolution.

Founder and CEO of bioinformatics company EMOTIV, Monash alumna Tan Le, delves into the potential fusion of human biological capabilities and artificial intelligence to usher in a new realm of humanistic intelligence. Tan underscores the importance of inclusivity and diversity in the development, design, and deployment of emerging technologies.

Listen: Are Humans About to Evolve?

Associate Professor Leah Heiss, from Monash University's Faculty of Art, Design, and Architecture, highlights the need for societal and regulatory frameworks in emerging technologies to ensure responsible implementation. Leah also discusses the potential of nano and micro-technologies to help restore capacity to people who have been through hardship.

Finally, cardiovascular engineer from the Victorian Heart Hospital Associate Professor Shaun Gregory guides us through the ventricular assist device that essentially functions as an artificial heart. He shares stories of his patients who have received these devices, highlighting how this technology has provided them with a second lease on life, without diminishing their sense of humanity in any manner.

“I think that as we think about transhuman future that we seem to be marching towards, it requires all of us to participate in the conversation.” – Tan Le

The artwork for this episode is a recreation of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam. The artwork is AI-generated using Stable Diffusion. The prompt used was: “Tight crop on the hands of The Creation of Adam. One hand is a robot hand. Digital art.”

What Happens Next? will return next week with an all-new topic. Don't miss a moment of Season 8 of the podcast – subscribe now on your favourite app.

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Listen to more What Happens Next? podcast episodes

About the Authors

  • Susan carland

    Director, Bachelor of Global Studies, and Lecturer, School of Language, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics

    Susan's research and teaching specialties focus on gender, sociology, contemporary Australia, terrorism, and Islam in the modern world. Susan hosted the “Assumptions” series on ABC’s Radio National, and was named one of the 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices in 2012 by The Age.

  • Leah heiss

    Associate Professor, Eva and Marc Besen International Research Chair in Design, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Monash University

    Leah is a Melbourne-based designer and Monash University academic working at the nexus of design, health and technology. Through collaborative projects Leah has brought human centred design to technologies for hearing loss, diabetes and pre-diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gut disease and loneliness. Her wearable technologies include jewellery to administer insulin, cardiac monitoring jewellery, swallowable devices to detect disease and emergency jewellery for times of medical crisis.

  • Shaun gregory

    Associate Professor and Deputy Head, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

    Shaun’s research focuses on cardiovascular engineering, with a particular interest in the development and evaluation of devices for mechanical circulatory and respiratory support. This is achieved through his multidisciplinary research group incorporating different types of engineering (mechanical, electrical, materials, and more), biomedical science, IT, design and medicine. He’s Deputy Head of the Department for Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Director of the CardioRespiratory Engineering and Technology Laboratory, Co-Director of the Artificial Heart Frontiers Program, and the founder and Academic Director of the Heart Hackathon international student team competition. He currently holds fellowships with the NHMRC and the Heart Foundation of Australia (Future Leader Fellow).

  • Tan le

    Founder and CEO, EMOTIV

  • Alex naoumidis

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