ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society

Facial Recognition in Everyday Life - new book coming out in January 2027 with Stanford University Press! Very happy to have been involved in this project, although Mark Andrejevic must take the credit for most of the heavy lifting in getting this book written and out into the world - the cover looks great! https://lnkd.in/dSqcsQNG

Last week, the Australian Government released The Integrity Gap: Restoring Trust in the Climate and Energy Debate, addressing the growing impacts of misinformation and disinformation in public discussions on climate and energy. The report draws extensively on research from the ADM+S and QUT Digital Media Research Centre, covering platform transparency, data access, media literacy, and regulatory reform. ADM+S researchers from QUT (Queensland University of Technology), The University of Queensland, and the University of Melbourne contributed through submissions, expert testimony, and ongoing engagement, directly shaping recommendations on platform accountability, transparency, and research infrastructure. Key insights include: ✅ Misinformation, astroturfing, and misleading claims are central to election advertising, often exploiting everyday pressures on Australians. ✅ Independent monitoring infrastructure, like the Australian Internet Observatory, is essential to track hidden digital influence and strengthen transparency. ✅ Investment in humanities and social sciences research is crucial to understanding and countering misinformation. “Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and understanding how information about it is shaped, distorted, and targeted is crucial. This report makes clear that investment in humanities and social sciences is foundational to any credible response,” says Daniel Angus, Chief Investigator at ADM+S and Director of DMRC. https://lnkd.in/gABVSDWU

Over the past year, the QUT Digital Media Research Centre and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society made major contributions to the Australian Government’s Senate Select Committee on Information Integrity on Climate Change and Energy. This included formal submissions, and in-person and remote testimony. The final report, The Integrity Gap: Restoring Trust in the Climate and Energy Debate, is now out. It shows clear uptake of this work, with several core recommendations aligning directly with work led by DMRC and ADM+S: • Increased funding for social science research on information integrity • Funding for independent monitoring infrastructure, like the Australian Internet Observatory • Strengthening media literacy in the national curriculum • Embedding information integrity in the National Media Literacy Strategy The inclusion of the Australian Internet Observatory is a big step. This is national infrastructure that has emerged from ADM+S and which is now supported by several Australian Universities and the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). The emphasis on media and digital literacy also reflects sustained work from the DMRC, particularly through the Creating Better Digital Futures program led by Michael Dezuanni. It is worth noting, that this was driven in large part by early career researchers and HDR students, who led much of the research and its translation. Our DMRC policy officer, and PhD candidate Carly Lubicz has been particularly instrumental in this outcome. QUT Creative Industries, Education and Social Justice QUT (Queensland University of Technology) https://lnkd.in/gDw5neab

🚫🤖 Many news outlets are now blocking web scrapers. Creators are choosing not to use certain platforms or are posting less. Barriers are being put in place across the open web with implications for individuals and collectives. How might a proposed framework affect the internet? ADM+S colleagues, Daniel Angus, Kylie Pappalardo, Jake Goldenfein, and I reflect on this in our latest article for The Conversation Australia + NZ. Thanks for the lovely as always editing on this, Signe Dean. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gjQkPmSi ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society | Centre for Human-AI Information Environments (CHAI) | Digital Ethnography Research Centre | 3C (Communication and Change Co-Lab)

A major new study released today by the ADM+S reveals how opaque and unregulated online political advertising has become in Australia. Drawing on 22,000+ real ads collected directly from voters’ smartphones, the 2025 Australian Election Advertising on Social Media report provides rare insight into what Australians actually saw on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Key findings: • Political ads are often invisible to public scrutiny • Widespread use of misleading and decontextualised claims • Growth of astroturfing, with lobby groups posing as grassroots organisations • Evidence of scam ads, impersonation, and emerging AI-generated content As lead researcher Daniel Angus explains: “Online political advertising is largely invisible… voters are being targeted with messages that are difficult to track, poorly disclosed, and often misleading.” The research was enabled by the Mobile Online Advertising Toolkit (MOAT), developed with the Australian Internet Observatory, enabling researchers to capture real-world ad exposure beyond platform ad libraries. The report calls for urgent reform, including: ✔️ Truth in political advertising laws ✔️ Real-time disclosure of funding and donors ✔️ Stronger platform accountability ✔️ Investment in independent monitoring infrastructure Australia’s electoral laws were designed for an analogue era. This research shows why they must evolve to keep pace with digital campaigning—and to protect democratic integrity. 👉 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gAG6bSxf This research was conducted by ADM+S nodes at QUT (Queensland University of Technology), QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Monash University, The University of Queensland and University of Melbourne as part of the Australian Ad Observatory project. We also acknowledge and thank the McKinnon Foundation for their support in participant recruitment, which made this research possible. Authors: Daniel Angus, Mark Andrejevic, Isabella Rose Mahoney, Matilda Knowles, Yee-Fui Ng, Christine Parker Australian Research Council (ARC) #DigitalDemocracy #ElectionIntegrity #PoliticalAdvertising #Misinformation #SocialMediaResearch

A major new study released today by the ADM+S reveals how opaque and unregulated online political advertising has become in Australia. Drawing on 22,000+ real ads collected directly from voters’ smartphones, the 2025 Australian Election Advertising on Social Media report provides rare insight into what Australians actually saw on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Key findings: • Political ads are often invisible to public scrutiny • Widespread use of misleading and decontextualised claims • Growth of astroturfing, with lobby groups posing as grassroots organisations • Evidence of scam ads, impersonation, and emerging AI-generated content As lead researcher Daniel Angus explains: “Online political advertising is largely invisible… voters are being targeted with messages that are difficult to track, poorly disclosed, and often misleading.” The research was enabled by the Mobile Online Advertising Toolkit (MOAT), developed with the Australian Internet Observatory, enabling researchers to capture real-world ad exposure beyond platform ad libraries. The report calls for urgent reform, including: ✔️ Truth in political advertising laws ✔️ Real-time disclosure of funding and donors ✔️ Stronger platform accountability ✔️ Investment in independent monitoring infrastructure Australia’s electoral laws were designed for an analogue era. This research shows why they must evolve to keep pace with digital campaigning—and to protect democratic integrity. 👉 Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gAG6bSxf This research was conducted by ADM+S nodes at QUT (Queensland University of Technology), QUT Digital Media Research Centre, Monash University, The University of Queensland and University of Melbourne as part of the Australian Ad Observatory project. We also acknowledge and thank the McKinnon Foundation for their support in participant recruitment, which made this research possible. Authors: Daniel Angus, Mark Andrejevic, Isabella Rose Mahoney, Matilda Knowles, Yee-Fui Ng, Christine Parker Australian Research Council (ARC) #DigitalDemocracy #ElectionIntegrity #PoliticalAdvertising #Misinformation #SocialMediaResearch

What do you think about Voice AI entering podcasts, radio, audiobooks or other audio media? Take our short online survey and help researchers find out how everyday Australian adults think and feel about Voice AI. 👉 Find out more and take the survey https://lnkd.in/g6WasYFb This research is being conducted by ADM+S researchers Phoebe Matich and Jean Burgess from QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and Michael Richardson from UNSW as part of the ADM+S Generative Authenticity project. #CitizenScience #GenerativeAuthenticity #VoiceAI

Do you listen to podcasts, radio, audiobooks or other audio media? Do you think you have ever heard an AI-Generated voice? 🗣️ Take part in our online survey and help researchers find out how everyday Australian adults think and feel about Voice AI. 👉 Find out more and take the survey https://lnkd.in/g6WasYFb “We’re really excited to hear about people’s understandings and experiences with Voice AI, as well as their main areas of concern and the media industries they would like us to focus on," said Phoebe Matich. This research is being conducted by ADM+S researchers Phoebe Matich and Jean Burgess from QUT (Queensland University of Technology) and Michael Richardson from UNSW as part of the ADM+S Generative Authenticity project. Australian Research Council (ARC) #CitizenScience #GenerativeAuthenticity #VoiceAI