Professor Lyria Bennett Moses
Affiliation: UNSW Sydney
Discipline: Law & Legal Studies
Year elected: 2024
How would you describe your work at a dinner party?
I am an academic and Head of School, but – you may be surprised to hear – don’t get university holidays off. When not teaching or managing, I like to think about the ways in which law ought to respond to technological change. So, should Australia have an AI Act like Europe does, or should we instead engage in broader law reform, for example fixing discrimination law so that it applies to human, machine and hybrid decisions in ways that align with our values.
What question or issue, in your field, keeps you awake at night?
What harm might be caused to humanity by the things we are creating.
What continues to motivate your work?
The ability to speak in my own voice and argue for legal changes that my research suggests will help Australia navigate important legal and policy issues at the technological frontier. The delight of engaging in scholarly debates with smart people who think differently. Watching students learn to think through problems together, drawing on their diverse knowledge and understanding. Helping colleagues navigate their own careers and aspirations. Positive impact and positive feedback – in amongst the rest – that make you realise you made a difference, and help to think through what else might be possible.
Where is your ‘happy’ place?
Away from the city, with opportunities to explore the natural world, on a not-too-hot, low UV sunny day with my husband and a stack of good books.
What is your desert island book?
A book that contains advice about how to live well on a desert island, including in an appendix with beginner-level instructions on boatbuilding in case it all gets too much.