We closed out the 2025 Festival with an address from award-winning Australian writer Anna Funder.

As a writer who places being human at the centre of her work, Anna (Wifedom, Stasiland) has explored the best and worst that humans are capable of – surveillance, fascism and the tyranny of patriarchy – and the many forms of human courage and resistance. As artificial intelligence accelerates and patriarchy takes the gloves off, the world of bots and tech bros sees humans as raw material – free data they can profit from – in the same way that men have profited from women’s work for so long. How can we resist this exploitation of our humanity?

Hear how Anna sees the future of tech’s role in our lives in a formidable Closing Address.

This episode was recorded live in May at the 2025 Sydney Writers’ Festival.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel.

Sydney Writers’ Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms. 

After more? Follow Sydney Writers’ Festival on social media:  
Instagram: @sydwritersfest  
Facebook: @SydWritersFest  
TikTok: @sydwritersfest

We closed out the 2025 Festival with an address from award-winning Australian writer Anna Funder.
As a writer who places being human at the centre of her work, Anna (Wifedom, Stasiland) has explored the best and worst that humans are capable of &ndash; surveillance, fascism and the tyranny of patriarchy &ndash; and the many forms of human courage and resistance. As artificial intelligence accelerates and patriarchy takes the gloves off, the world of bots and tech bros sees humans as raw material &ndash; free data they can profit from &ndash; in the same way that men have profited from women&rsquo;s work for so long. How can we resist this exploitation of our humanity?
Hear how Anna sees the future of tech&rsquo;s role in our lives in a formidable Closing Address.
This episode was recorded live in May at the 2025 Sydney Writers&rsquo; Festival. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and follow our channel. Sydney Writers&rsquo; Festival podcasts are available on all major podcast platforms.&nbsp;
After more? Follow Sydney Writers&rsquo; Festival on social media:   Instagram: @sydwritersfest   Facebook: @SydWritersFest   TikTok: @sydwritersfest

Australia's largest celebration of literature, stories and ideas. Bringing together the world's best authors, leading public intellectuals, scientists, journalists and more.

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