Sci Fight Comedy Debate: AI will save us (?!)

Sci fight is a quarterly Science Comedy Debate where scientists and comedians come together to debate serious issues in a ridiculous manner. For a cheeky special occasion we're heading to Woollahra library at Double Bay!

This round's topic: AI will save us

The challenges facing humanity seem to only be getting more wicked; climate change, biodiversity loss, the re-emergence of jeggings. Have we reached a point where the problems are just too complex for humans to solve? Is AI our saviour? Able to systematically create solutions without being disrupted by such tawdry human flaws as getting hangry or needing a nap?

Or is AI its own existential threat? Not only do we have a glut of images with the wrong numbers of fingers, artists out of work, record numbers of vaguely coherent Trump supporting bots. But we can’t see its workings when it cooks up an answer.

Will AI save us? What happens when the singularity figures out the main obstacle to progress is…us?

Come to Woollahra library at Double Bay and watch 6 very human scientists and comedians assess whether we’re on the brink of the AI-pocalypse or a UptopAI.

Drinks & canapes incl in ticket price

Our debators:

Jennifer Wong: Wordplay-loving food enthusiast Jennifer Wong is a writer, comedian, and presenter of Chopsticks or Fork? (ABC TV), a series about Chinese restaurants in regional Australia.

Kovi Rose: Kovi is an astrophysics PhD candidate at the University of Sydney who uses radio telescopes to study distant stars that go snap, crackle, and pop. His research focus is the identification and analysis of radio emission from high-energy astronomical transients like supernovae, flaring stars, and more! Outside of academia, he spends most of his time communicating science through his writing, podcasting, and memes. He's written for the Conversation and many other publications.

Rachel Rayner: Is a physicist, poet and performer who has been touring my quantum comedies for three years. Works at Questacon, The Discovery Centre in Bendigo, and now CSIRO when not touring science comedies. Wrote the international definition of science poetry. Has appeared alongside Dr. Karl on the ABC to explain the mysteries of the tubeworm.

Eleanor Kearns: Chemistry Researcher at University of Sydney: Since graduating from her PhD she has been working in the direct air capture space specialising in the design, synthesis and scale-up of novel materials for carbon capture.

Harry Jun is a Sydney based comedian, host and cartoonist. He is a presenter and producer at ABC Gamer and is one of the hosts of Good Game: Spawn Point. Harry is the recipient of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival Moosehead Award Grant for 2024.

Kurt Sterling: Kurt Sterling is a Sydney-based stand-up comedian and 2024 Raw Comedy NSW state finalist. Just returning from his Edinburgh Fringe is making his Ed Fringe debut with 'Corporate Chronicles,' about swapping corporate boardrooms for the comedy circuit.