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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Kerem Doruk

Friend or Foe?: Tech entrepreneur's AI exhibition questions the future

Entrepreneur and gaming genius Luke Millanta knew he'd be fine when he dropped out of high school to begin creating digital companies.

He soon became the youngest CIO of an ASX-listed company, and uses his spare time to dip into the world of digital art.

The 33-year-old began his software career at the Australian Signals Directorate, but had had enough after just a few years.

He went on to create his first business, a digital education company, followed closely by a software development business, which he sold for $4.2 million in 2020.

When he's not travelling between San Francisco and Canberra for his new anti-money laundering company, Millanta is creating digital art work, some of which is now on show at Questacon, Melbourne's Federation Square, and Sydney's Martin Place.

Tech entrepreneur Luke Millanta's AI exhibition Friend or Foe at Questacon features more than 100 AI-generated artworks. Picture by Keegan Carroll

His latest art installation, Friend or Foe - the Rise of Artificial Intelligence, features more than 100 AI-generated artworks displayed on Questacon's largest screen.

Under a giant suspended Moon sculpture, the installation is displayed across a series of large screen panels - the main exhibit is spread out across a 14-metre-wide screen.

Playing on a digital loop are examples of AI-generated art works responding to prompts such as spaceships in the style of Van Gogh and artworks in the style of a Roman mosaic.

The exhibition is part of Australia's inaugural Artificial Intelligence Month, and aims to get people talking about the role of AI in our lives.

"Friend and Foe is essentially an exhibit that explores a number of different topics that are at the forefront of the AI discussion," Millanta said.

"Copyright, bias and whether AI can be truly trusted that is what my exhibition seeks to explore."

Children today are growing up in an age where they have never completed tasks without the assistance of some form of AI, and Millanta wants visitors to question whether AI can be truly "creative", or whether it reinforces harmful stereotypes.

"Instead of waiting to see how the dust settles on AI technology and reflecting on it, we can have conversations about ownership, copyright and ethics, as they are happening, in real-time," Millanta said.

According to a recent study by Deloitte, more than a quarter of the Australian economy will be "rapidly and significantly disrupted by generative artificial intelligence which means nearly $600 billion of economic activity faces AI disruption".

Questacon deputy director Bobby Cerini said leaders needed to accept AI technology and "harness responsible application" of generative AI.

"It's really important that the Australian people have a chance to think about these issues and engage with what artificial intelligence might mean for them," Dr Cerini said.

She wants young Australians to be "in the driving seat" of this technology in the future.

"We need to make sure young people are using it for the benefit of the community and they know how to make good choices with it," she said.

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