With their origins in arts and culture, robots have been in assemblage with their human collaborators for hundreds of years. Following the emergence of generative AI, discussions of ‘humanness’ and the importance of ‘sentience’ become significant: can they be more than their programming? As engineering and human-computer interaction tells us, sentient robots are not here and still not overly close. Given this disjuncture, the symposium brings together industry creatives with scholars in performance, creative arts, robotics, and human-centred AI to explore the possibilities of social robotics and AI. We will examine the connections between robots and humans and consider the implications for performance and creative arts practitioners, asking what theatre and the creative arts can offer our engineering colleagues, how we might reconcile current possibilities with our aspirations, and whether this disjuncture ultimately matters.
In a hybrid event with two discussion-based panels, a diverse range of experts will engage with these questions and participate in a facilitated conversation and Q&A with the larger group of delegates. We plan for a central one hub in Brisbane and other hubs across the region.
Friday 22 May 2026
9am – 1pm AEST
Online and Avalon Theatre, 172 Sir Fred Schonell Dr, St Lucia QLD 4067, Australia
https://events.humanitix.com/representing-robots-and-ai-in-the-creative-arts
Presenters include:
- Aleks Michalewicz [University of Melbourne]
- Elena Vella [Swinburne University]
- Goran Duric [University of Melbourne]
- Janet Wiles [University of Queensland]
- Kathryn Brimblecombe-Fox [University of Queensland]
- Leah Henrickson [University of Queensland]
- Lewis Treston [UQ/Counterpilot]
- Max Athans
- Nathan Sibthorpe [Counterpilot]
- Pauline Pounds [University of Queensland]
- Robert Walton [University of Melbourne]
- Yaron Shyldkrot [Leeds University]
Supported by The School of Communication and Arts (University of Queensland), Centre for Digital Cultures & Societies (UQ), and Research Centre in Creative Arts and Human Flourishing (UQ), this is a meeting of the Technologies in Performance Working Group of the Australasian Association of Theatre, Drama and Performance Studies.
