POM Perth 2025 - Politics of the Machines

POM Perth 2025

Overview

Politics of the Machines
Synthetic Sentience
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The 5th POM Conference
The University Of Western Australia
Perth, Australia
July 16-18, 2025

This edition of the POM-conference will explore the evolving politics of sentience across a wide array of fields, including, but not limited to, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cultural studies, creative arts, philosophy, bioart, music, psychology, food, and the intersection of art & science. We welcome diverse proposals for Tracks that investigate the expansive implications of sentience within these disciplines. Possible themes include synthetic life, the role of sound and voice in sentient systems, the interaction between artificial entities and their environments, the technological mythologies surrounding sentience, and the cultural narratives shaping our understanding and expectations of sentient entities. We are also interested in perspectives and propositions that we did not (yet) consider.

The central theme of the conference revolves around understanding and navigating the political, ethical, technological, artistic, and cultural transformations brought about by the rise of sentient and proto-sentient entities—from AI and autonomous machines to brain organoids and synthetic life forms.

The politics of sentience is evolving alongside changes in labor, technology, and biology, particularly through industrial revolutions. For example, earlier industrial revolutions focused on transferring labor from sentient beings—such as workers, animals, or even enslaved people—to non-sentient machines. In contrast, the so-called fourth and fifth industrial revolutions may introduce sentience into human-made systems like AI and autonomous machines. In parallel, advancements in biotechnology and synthetic biology propose to remove sentiency from biological organisms and create new kinds of sentient entities. For instance, scientists in the field of cellular agriculture claim to produce “animal products without animals,” emphasizing ethical concerns in eliminating animal suffering by growing the desired tissue, such as meat or leather, in controlled environments. Some proponents explicitly highlight the complete removal of sentience from such biological materials.

At the other end of the biotechnological spectrum, claims of emergent intelligence and “sentience in a dish” are beginning to surface in scientific literature, with neurons and brain organoids reportedly performing goal-directed tasks in response to external stimuli. At the same time, AI and autonomous machines are transforming how we interact with technology. Unlike traditional machines that follow set instructions, these systems can learn, adapt, and make decisions using real-time data and complex algorithms, creating a semblance of agency.

These dual developments – artificial sentience in machines and the creation or modification of sentience in biological forms – demand us also to redefine our ethical, social, and legal frameworks in a world where sentience may emerge in both silicon-based and organic entities. As these new sentient beings arise, they will necessitate the formation of new considerations, kinships, and social contracts, fundamentally reshaping our frameworks for interaction and coexistence. In this shifting landscape, what role might art play in exploring and navigating the emotional complexities of coexistence with these more-than-human entities?

Call for
Track Topics

Deadline 15 January 2025

Submit Tracks-Topics Proposal

The conference call will be conducted in two phases. The first phase is a Call for Track Proposals, inviting submissions to define the overarching topics or tracks for the event. In the second phase, a Call for Submissions will follow, inviting abstracts, workshops, interventions, and other contributions aligned with the tracks established in the first phase.

The POM Perth 2025 – Synthetic Sentience conference will run alongside other events in Perth, including; an exhibited artwork ‘Revivification’, a project by Guy Ben-Ary, Nathan Thompson and colleagues. In this work the cells of the late Alvin Lucier’s are grown into brain organoids that will perform at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Please note that we regard all track-proposals to be expressions of interest to act as track chairs, thereby also committing to contribute to the work of forming the track in releasing a call for papers for the proposal track, reviewing submissions for the track, as well as moderating the resulting sessions. Feel free to contact us if you are interested in contributing to the conference in other ways, such as chairing sessions, reviewing submissions, curating content, or volunteering your time to support the event. Please note that, unfortunately, we are unable to provide financial support for these roles.

Submit Your Track Proposal for the POM Conference (Maximum 500 Words!).

We invite teams of 2-3 individuals to propose innovative and engaging Track topics for the POM conference. Each submission should include one main contact person for communication purposes.

Your Track proposal should be crafted to inspire and attract a wide range of contributions in the second phase of the call. This includes submissions for abstracts, workshops, interventions, and other formats that align with the theme of your Track.

Be creative, forward-thinking, and clear in your description to ensure others feel encouraged to join and contribute to the conversation. We look forward to receiving your ideas!

Committee

POM Perth 2025

Laura Beloff, PhD. (Founding Chair)
Associate Professor of Contemporary Arts & Visual Culture / Vice-Dean for Artistic and Creative Practices – Aalto University

Morten Søndergaard, PhD. (Founding Chair)
Associate Professor / MediaAC Academic Director
School of Communication, Music, Art & Technology – Aalborg University.

Chair
SATS – Sound, Art and Technology Studies research group.

Hassan Choubassi, PhD.
Associate Professor/Director
Institute of Visual Communication
The International University of Beirut

Joe Elias
Associate Director
Institute of Visual Communication
The International University of Beirut

Oron Catts
Associate Prof. / Academic Lead,
Institute of Advanced Studies
The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.

Co-Founder and Head of
SymbioticA – Western Australia

Tracy Redhead, PhD.
Chair of Contemporary Popular Music
Lecturer in Electronic Music and Sound Design
Conservatorium of Music
University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia