AI or Salami - Mathew Mytka is Filling Technology's Soul-Sized Hole

Today's guest is a courageous soul doing the hard but necessary work to positively alter the trajectory of our society and the ecosystems we rely upon - Mathew Mytka. Mat is someone I've gotten to know in recent months and it's been a pleasure. He helped as the special guest in a Finding Nature event titled Deceit, apathy and desperation - Addressing the uncertain harms of artificial intelligence, and I came away in awe of how Mat brought serious play to such a dense topic yet also a space I hadn't expected play could be a part of.

That's what Mat does though through his business Tethix - he brings the human into the process of technology creation and deployment. Taking it from a disembodied neck up tool to something much deeper, connecting human values and needs to what is being animated and created in that process and using the elements of fire, air, water and earth to ground the work in what is aligned to safe and healthy planetary boundaries.

Mat isn't who you would expect to run into working in technology. He's anything but the stereotype - a practitioner with over 20 years experience spanning roles technical roles in data trustworthiness and tech ethics, to strategy, product and policy design roles. In 2023 he was nominated as a finalist at Innovation Australia's Disruptor of the Year for his work in co-developing Australia's Data Trust by design framework, which is influencing the work of thousands of practitioners and helps to shape policy, regulations and standards.

If you're not sure about the emergence of powerful new technologies like artificial intelligence, I highly recommend this as Mat does a great job grounding what has and is happening in the world of technology in where we're at as a civilisation and how AI just reflects the existing cultural, political and social dynamics of our time, and how this can be traced to the enlightenment - a story of how we got to this moment. If technology is the world you inhabit on a daily basis Mat brings a new, refreshing perspective on how we need creativity, passion, curiosity and meaning to be embedded in the tools we're already and going to be using.

No matter where you are on the spectrum of technology use and perspectives on AI, Mat points to humanity's innate desire to build and to make and evolve through action. How do we contain a tool of such immense capacity when we don't have a track record of doing so in the past? How do we all lean in to better appreciate and understand the world of artificial intelligence so that we can all play a role in what is being shaped.

I really enjoyed this chat, Mat is an awakened human, and he woke something in me about the role of genuine curiosity and getting into action to understand and test instead of throwing rocks from my glasshouse with no glass left.

Find Mathew and his work at Tethix.co, along with his substack and podcast wherever you're listening now.

Don't forget about the event with Bob Carr in Sydney on May 29 at Customs House - Implications for Climate Action When 40% Of Humanity Goes to Vote in 2024 - A Night With Bob Carr
.
Today's show is delivered with Gilay Estate. Add Finding Nature to your booking reservation for a free dinner and breakfast for each night you stay.

Today's show is also delivered with Souling. Head to

Thanks for listening. Follow Finding Nature on Instagram