Login
New book explores essential human considerations in age of AI
Former human rights commissioner Ed Santow has co-authored a book, published by LexisNexis, examining the rise of AI and its promise for advancing human wellbeing while also considering the risks and dangers it presents and how to address them.
Jerome Doraisamy
Ed Santow, the former Australian human rights commissioner, and Melbourne-based writer Daniel Nellor have authored a new book: Machines in Our Image: The Need for Human Rights in the Age of AI.
The book, published by LexisNexis, explores some of the most urgent questions Australia faces pertaining to the advent and utilisation of AI, particularly its implications for the human experience.
As the former human rights commissioner, Santow led Australia’s first major inquiry into the human rights implications of new and emerging technologies – an experience that informed his co-authorship of this new publication.
In a statement, LexisNexis said: “Artificial intelligence draws on the data we humans have created and reflects our history back to us. For better or worse, we are making machines in our image. AI is changing how we think, how we make decisions and how we navigate the world. It presents a fever dream of utopian and dystopian visions. AI would seem to promise everything from an end to deadly disease to limitless wisdom at our fingertips. Yet this brave new world also threatens new kinds of digital repression.
“As the age of AI takes shape around us, we need to centre the best of our values. We need a way of thinking ethically about how the machines we have made will shape our future. This book discusses how human rights can help us respond to the rise of AI in ways that advance the ideas of dignity, equality, and respect.”
Speaking about the book, Santow said: “There is so much positive potential for AI. It is already transforming healthcare, and helping to democratise information and even insights.
“If we can ensure that the harms associated with AI are effectively addressed, including by our law, then we will be able to focus more on the great opportunity that AI opens up for our community.”
LexisNexis Asia and Pacific managing director Greg Dickason added that the rapid adoption of AI is “a moment unlike any we have seen in the legal industry”, given its ongoing impact upon the profession.
He also remarked on the importance of appropriate and considered adoption of AI, saying that LexisNexis is “proud to be publishing this new book exploring this important topic, providing a fresh look on how to ensure ethical adoption of AI in a world of rapid technological change”.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
You can email Jerome at:
