On a cold day in Sydney at Carriageworks, when Dr Michele and I stepped out of our Uber with umbrellas raised, all was quiet, except for the the hustle and bustle of people shopping for fresh produce at the local markets and the soft sound of rain on iron rooftops and concrete. Amidst this, it would be easy to miss it; the oversized blazers and baggy jeans, and the glamorous people who wore them. The perfectly smeared eyeliner and pleated leather ballet flats and satin mules, prancing around the puddles to a big, yet unassuming door across the old tram tracks.

The door thrummed with a sense of enthusiasm, inviting us to enter, and so towards it we went. Once we stepped inside and were greeted by the music, the noises of people happily interacting, and the large Vogue banners that stretched from floor to high ceiling, it was impossible to mistake it for anything else.

This was Vogue Codes 2024, Technotopia: Designing the World of Tomorrow. And, it was fabulous.

From world-class speakers to jaw-dropping interactive activations from brands such as Net-A-Porter and In The Round House, Vogue Codes 2024 had it all, and the opportunity to experience it was an absolute honour. More so than this, was the honour to hear from a group of industry-leading women as they spoke to us about the work they were doing.

After Michele was mic’d up, we were ushered to our seats where the day began with a beautiful introduction from Vogue Australia’s executive editor, Jessica Montague, before going into the day’s first panel – a discussion with leading agri-tech specialists Nicole Robinson and Sarah Nolet. They spoke about the new technologies that they are working with, including produce selection and packaging robots who help farmers increase their output with less need for human labour, as well as maggot-filled boxes that completely devour food waste, and contribute positively to the environment through less waste in landfills. Through this, they were able to explain that use of these new technologies didn’t reduce the need for humans in these industries but instead allowed farmers to streamline their workflow and free up their human workers to do other jobs and expand their capacity. This was a common theme throughout the day and, amongst the many things that we learned, was perhaps our most valuable learning.

The unzipping of our fears around AI generative technology, and reinforcement from AI experts that there is nothing to be afraid of was also a comforting learning. To hear that the dystopian version of the future where technology reigns supreme that is so commonly awfulized in film and media is not the reality, nor will it be, was more comforting still. Instead, we can look forward to a utilisation of AI driven systems and robots to expand our human workforce, and in a lot of cases, increase our productivity.

In the healthcare space specifically, AI allows for numerous opportunities to streamline processes, make patient experiences hyper-personalised, and also allows for new treatment methods to come to the forefront.

Grace Brown, CEO of tech startup Andromeda spoke about one of Andromeda’s most proficient, AI-driven products – a robot, named Abi. Having already been utilised in a healthcare setting, Abi can sit with patients suffering from dementia and memory-loss and have the same conversations with them on repeat, acting as a virtual companion. Brown spoke of scenarios where healthcare workers may not have the capacity to have the same conversation with dementia patients for hours on end to provide the level of comfort that these patients need, but Abi can. This synergy between robots and humans is a significant development on the healthcare front and introduces many new opportunities for patients suffering from dementia, and perhaps other conditions, to find comfort in the form of their own robotic AI companions.

Qr8’s own Dr Michele additionally spoke of AI on the healthcare front, and how it is important to use new technology to streamline and improve upon human experiences and interactions, and not to replace them all together.

“Women, as we age, want to be seen and heard, and using technology that allows us to do that, and to personalise a medical and skincare experience for women, is so important. We want to use technology to personalise the human experience, rather than replace it.” 

– Dr Michele Squire

In a world where AI technologies have so quickly blossomed, it was delightful to hear that this was a common sentiment held throughout the room. There was a resounding message that there are certainly no plans from our global governments, and key companies such as Microsoft and CommBank to replace humans with AI, but instead to use AI as a tool that can help humans with their everyday tasks. Augmentation – not supplantation.

On this front, it was especially interesting to hear from Prerita Mehta, lead of Microsoft’s AZURE project on how their use of Microsoft Copilot has enabled their team to streamline their workflow. In many instances, use of this technology can increase staff efficiency by 30-60 minutes per day. This was incredibly exciting to hear, and beyond this, reassured us that some of the things that are on our horizon at Qr8 (stay tuned!) act in synergy with many world-leading tech companies.

The rise of skin-tech, the panel that Dr Michele spoke on alongside Alana Kennedy, and Dr Lila Landowski, and expertly hosted by Vogue Australia Beauty Editor Remy Rippon, was absolutely a crowd pleaser and an opportunity for us to hear more about tech’s involvement in the skincare space moving forward. Dr Landowski spoke about the connection between the skin and the brain. Alana Kennedy, founder of Ochre Sun also spoke of the importance of learning from Indigenous elders about their knowledge when it comes to medicine and healthcare and making sure that we make the effort to bring that knowledge with us, and never let it be forgotten, as the world continues to advance at rapid pace.

“It’s such a big responsibility as a young person while we’ve got access to our elders that we all get to hear their voices. It’s empowering, but it’s critical. We have a responsibility to handcraft our new technology, but to never forget that that natural knowledge existed first, and to bring it alongside” 

– Alana Kennedy, Founder of Ochre Sun

Perhaps one of the most fun panels of the day was the Love & Robots panel, hosted by Nikki Chowdhury who spoke alongside science communicator Dr Sarah McKay, Professor Kath Albury, and media Icon FlexMami. They spoke about the magic of interhuman connection and the emerging barriers against it that exist in our digital era. We learned that when you feel ‘in sync’ with someone, your brain waves may legitimately be in sync and that this form of subversive brain-to-brain connection cannot happen yet, and may never be able to happen, between a human and a robot. Here, Dr McKay spoke on the importance of the senses when it comes to human connection, and that it is within this sense of primality that much of our interpersonal connections exist.

Another highlight of the day included hearing from Low Boom Flight Demonstration Manager at NASA, Catherine Bahm, about their new developments for fast, quiet supersonic aircraft that can halve the time of international flights. Additionally, hearing from Jenna Johnson, the president of Patagonia Inc., on the necessity to have sustainability instilled into all the work we do as humans was also a highlight.

The day wrapped up with margaritas and friendly conversation between guests, hosts, and speakers alike. There truly was something about being in that room, amongst some of the most inspirational people, that made each and every one of us feel inspired – a convergence of fashion, technology, and empowerment.

We left with a goodie bag, cheeks sore from smiling, and brains that were buzzing with new ideas.

On behalf of Qr8, I would love to thank the wonderful team at Vogue Australia for inviting Dr Michele to speak, and for, more generally, facilitating an environment for people to learn from and uplift others.

Stay tuned, because there are some very exciting new technologies about to launch at Qr8 that will take our patient’s experience with our service to the next level!

Can you guess what might be coming?