The association Spanish Researchers in Australia-Pacific (SRAP) organises annually the “Australia-Spain Research Forum”, a multidisciplinary conference aimed at the wider community, to highlight Australia-Spain research and present broad research and cultural topics which are of special interest to the Australian and Spanish societies.
SRAP promotes and supports networking between Australia-Pacific and Spanish research institutes and universities and provides assistance and networking support for Spanish researchers in Australia-Pacific. The Australia-Spain Research Forum is our main networking event, putting together Australian and Spanish researchers in multiple disciplines, as well as between universities, research centres, industries, diplomats and artists who have an interest in scientific research.
The 11th SRAP Research Forum, entitled “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?”, aims to engage scientists, academics, diplomats, artists, and the general public to talk and think how Artificial Intelligence is impacting our lives and our jobs, sometimes for good, many times for bad. This conference brings together leading voices from across disciplines to tackle the urgent question: AI: friend or foe?
Poster of the 11th SRAP Research Forum, “Artificial Intelligence: Friend or Foe?”.
The sudden rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the public eye has been propelled by breakthrough systems such as ChatGPT, whose ability to generate fluid, human-like text has made the technology both accessible and impossible to ignore. What was once seen as a distant innovation is now a defining force, influencing how we communicate, learn, and imagine the future. AI is no longer confined to research labs or science fiction—it is embedded in the everyday, with impacts that ripple through science, culture, politics, and industry.
From accelerating scientific discovery and reshaping global economies to redefining artistic creation and influencing diplomacy, AI offers unprecedented opportunities. Yet these gains are inseparable from challenges: ethical concerns around bias and misuse, social disruption as jobs and skills evolve, and security risks that demand urgent global attention. The stakes are high, as the choices we make now will determine whether AI strengthens human agency or undermines it.
This is why asking whether AI is “friend or foe” is not a rhetorical question, but an urgent issue that crosses disciplinary and national boundaries. Scientists, academics, diplomats, artists, media, and industry leaders all have a role to play in shaping how humanity navigates this technological transformation. The Forum creates a unique platform for these diverse voices to come together, fostering dialogue that is both critical and constructive.
AI’s potential to benefit humanity is immense, but so too are the risks if its development is left unchecked. Ensuring that AI remains an ally requires a commitment to ethical innovation, transparent governance, and policies that safeguard against harm while promoting progress. It is a delicate balance: embracing creativity and growth while remaining vigilant against misuse and unintended consequences.
As the technology advances with extraordinary speed, we face pressing questions that cannot be deferred. Will AI help us solve the grand challenges of our time, or deepen existing inequalities? Can it be directed toward the common good, or will it evolve beyond our control? The 11th SRAP Forum invites participants to engage with these dilemmas head-on, examining not only what AI can do, but what it should do—and how we, collectively, can shape its future.
The 11th SRAP Forum will take place on Friday 24th October 2025 at the Australian Museum (Sydney, NSW), the oldest museum in Australia and fifth oldest natural history museum in the world. Housed in a heritage-listed building, for over 190 years, the museum has been at the forefront of Australian scientific research and education, providing a perfect scenario for our Research Forum where the audience is expected to jump into the conversation.
This edition of the SRAP Forum is sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Australia, the Australia-Spain Council Foundation, the Ramón Areces Foundation, Instituto Cervantes Sídney and Indra Australia – to whom we are extremely grateful for their continuous support.
We invite you to join us on Friday 24th of October 2025 at the Australian Museum (1 William St, Sydney) with the option of free attendance virtually or in-person. Registration is free to all participants, and can be completed here.
PROGRAM
| Time | Talk | Speaker |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | REGISTRATION + WELCOME COFFEE | |
|
10:30-12:05
|
SESSION 1: OPENING AND OVERVIEW | Chair: A/Prof Ángel R. López-Sánchez (SRAP & MQ) |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | FORMAL OPENING: Welcome speeches |
– HE Ms Esther Monterrubio Villar, Spanish Ambassador of Australia – HE Mr Luis Sánchez-Vellisco, Spanish Ambassador of New Zealand (pre-recorded) – Ms Inmaculada Riera, General Director of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain (pre-recorded)
|
| 10:45 – 11:00 | The role of Spanish Researchers
in the Australia-Pacific community |
A/Prof Ángel R. López-Sánchez (SRAP & MQ) |
| 11:00 – 11:05 | Joint La Cámara – Spanish-Australia Chamber of Commerce
& SRAP Announcement |
Mr Rod Noel, General Manager, Spanish-Australian Chamber of Commerce
A/Prof Ángel R. López-Sánchez (SRAP & MQ) |
| 11:05 – 11:15 | Promoting Spanish Culture in Australia:
The SRAP–Instituto Cervantes Sydney Collaboration |
Ms Coral Martínez (Director, Instituto Cervantes Sydney) |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | KEYNOTE LECTURE : The impact of AI | Prof Ian Oppermann (UTS) |
| 11:45 – 12:05 | AI systems as an anticorruption tool | Dr José Miguel Bello-Villarino (USyd & SRAP) |
| 12:05 – 1:15 | LUNCH & NETWORKING | |
|
1:15 – 2:30
|
SESSION 2: AI applied | Chair: José Miguel Bello-Villarino (USyd & SRAP) |
| 1:15 – 1:30 | Centre for Applied Artificial Intelligence at Macquarie University | Prof Jian Yang (MQ) |
| 1:30 – 1:45 | AI in gender equality legislation | A/Prof Ramona Vijeyarasa (USyd) |
| 1:45 – 2:00 | AI in teaching languages | Dr Macarena Gordillo de Paz (UTS, USyd & SRAP) |
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Clinical Text Meets AI: Privacy, Bias, and Beyond | Dr Óscar Pérez-Concha (UNSW &SRAP) |
| 2:15 – 2:30 | AI, media, social media & fake news | Dr John Postill (RMIT & SRAP) |
| 2:30 – 3:25 | COFFEE BREAK & NETWORKING | |
|
3:25 – 5:00
|
SESSION 3: & Panel Discussion
|
|
| 3:25 – 4:05 | SRAP-frA Early Career Researcher Presentations | Chair: Dr Marcos Roca-Cusachs (UNSW & SRAP)
and Chair of the 2025 SRAP-frA ECR Award Committee |
| 3:28 – 3:38 | SRAP-frA Early Career Researcher 2025 Nominee 1 | Ms Inmaculada Conde (USyd & SRAP) |
| 3:40 – 3:50 | SRAP-frA Early Career Researcher 2025 Nominee 2 | Dr Arola Moreras Martí (Auckland University of Technology & SRAP) |
| 3:52 – 4:02 | SRAP-frA Early Career Researcher 2025 Nominee 3 | Dr Miguel Ángel Berrocal-Rubio (Murdoch Children’s Research Institute & SRAP) |
| 4:05 – 4:45 | PANEL DISCUSSION:
AI: Friend or Foe? |
Panel:
– Dr José Miguel Bello-Villarino (Chair) – Pablo Roman (Healthdirect Australia) – Dr Macarena Gordillo de Paz (UTS, USyd & SRAP) – Juan Antonio López de Vergara (Ferrovial Australia) – Claudio Vazquez (SBS Spanish) |
| 4:45 – 4:55 | SRAP-frA Early Career Researcher 2025 Winner Announcement | Dr Marcos Roca-Cusachs (UNSW & SRAP) |
| 4:55 – 5:00 | Concluding remarks | Prof Sergio León-Saval (USyd & SRAP) |
| 5:00 – 6:00 | Conference Photos & Networking | |
|
7:00 – 9:00
|
Conference Dinner (BY INVITATION ONLY) | Gure Txoko Euskal Etxea – Basque Club | Darlinghurst NSW |