Closing Plenary – AI will cause more harm than good: A digital debate
| Wednesday, November 11, 2026 |
| 3:30 PM - 4:50 PM |
| Grand Chelsea Ballroom |
Overview
Debaters: Prof. Ross Andrews, Prof. Adam Dunn, Dr Laura Espinosa, and Dr Zaidon Al-Falahi
Details
DEBATING TEAMS
• Team 1: For – Prof. Ross Andrews and Prof. Adam Dunn (piloting AI)
• Team 2: Against – Dr Laura Espinosa and Dr Zaidon Al-Falahi (piloting AI)
CLOSING REMARKS Adj. Prof. Terry Slevin, CEO, PHAA
Speaker
Prof Ross Andrews
Executive Director
Queensland Health, Public Health Intelligence Branch
Debater #1. Team One: 'For'
Biography
Professor Ross Andrews is Executive Director of Public Health Intelligence Branch and an epidemiologist with over 25 years of public health experience. He is a former Chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and a former Director Master of Applied Epidemiology Program, Australian National University. Ross has obtained 19 NHMRC grants related to public health and has supervised 15 higher degree by research graduands.
The Public Health Intelligence Branch integrates ICT, data management and epidemiology functions for public health. The Branch has oversight of public health information management systems and ensures they are strategically aligned, interoperable and fit for purpose.
Prof Adam Dunn
Professor
The University of Sydney
Debater #2. Team One: 'For'
Biography
Adam Dunn is Professor of Biomedical Informatics in the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney. His main interest is in applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in health, especially in applications in public health, clinical evidence synthesis, clinical decision support, and health communications. Adam established the Discipline of Biomedical Informatics and Digital Health at the University of Sydney in 2020 and has led or co-led research projects funded by the NHMRC, AHRQ, NLM/NIH, and WHO. He is currently a Deputy Editor for npj Digital Medicine and Editor-in-Chief for npj Digital Public Health.
Dr Laura Espinosa
Expert Epidemic Intelligence
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
Debater #3. Team Two: 'Against'
Biography
Dr Espinosa is an Epidemic Intelligence Expert at ECDC and a graduated PhD from EPFL Digital Epidemiology Lab in Switzerland. She is a public health veterinarian with further specialisation in digital technologies.
She has focused her career on public health from an international perspective. She has been involved in ECDC activities in the past 10 years related to several public health events of international concern.
In the past years, she has broadened her expertise on artificial intelligence and the implementation of machine learning and deep learning in public health, and on the leverage of social media for public health functions. She is currently leading the digitalisation of early detection of threats through artificial intelligence and other technologies at ECDC.
Dr Zaidon Al-Falahi
Consultant Cardiologist
The University of Sydney, Campbelltown Hospital
Debater #4. Team Two: 'Against'
Biography
Consultant Cardiologist and founder of the Medical Intelligence, Innovation and Data Science (MINDS) Hub at Campbelltown Hospital. PhD student at the University of Sydney - The Heart Watch Study, researching the feasibility of using Smartwatch 12-lead ECG for population self screening with Advanced ECG analysis. Founding member of the international Medical Intelligence Society.