The Silence Paradox: What AI Is Teaching Us About Being Human

About

Talks on Tuesdays is a live event series bringing big ideas, real experts, and curious minds together - at your favourite local venues. Think thought-provoking lectures, audience questions, and post-talk mingling over drinks and dinner.

This isn’t a uni lecture. It’s a social, intelligent night out.Come alone or with friends, leave with something to talk about.

Event Schedule:

6.30pm Arrival & Doors Open

7pm Lecuture Starts

7.45pm Q&A

8pm Talk Concludes

8.30pm Event Closes.

*Please arrive close to 6.30pm

A La Carte menu and full bar available throughout the night - pay as you go.

Your Topic:

As AI has increasingly become the first-place millions of people turn to think, reflect, and seek support, it's revealing something unexpected, not just about technology, but about ourselves. Drawing on cutting-edge research and insights from

The Silence Paradox, Chris explores why silence, reflection, and meaningful conversation are becoming increasingly rare, and how AI is challenging long-held assumptions about connection, loneliness, and what it means to be human.

This talk offers a hopeful perspective on designing technology that strengthens, rather than replaces, our humanity.

Your Speaker:

Chris Rhyss is a PhD researcher at the Queensland University of Technology exploring how conversational AI is reshaping human connection, wellbeing, and the way we relate to ourselves and each other. A former Army Combat Engineer and Peacekeeper, his work sits at the intersection of technology, psychology, and…