How to stop the decline in young readers, and will AI "actresses" take over the screen?

Children are reading less and less. And adults? Well, we're not much better. A new report shows that kids need the time, space and a little helping hand to fall in love with reading. So why don't we have more dedicated spaces for kids to explore books? Jane Cowell is President of the Australian Library and Information Association, Megan Daley is a teacher-librarian, and Anna Burkey is head of Australia Reads.What if the leading performer in the next movie you saw wasn't human, but an AI entity? Tilly Norwood is young, brunette, with brown eyes and what sounds like an English accent. She's an AI-generated creation made by an artificial intelligence talent studio. So, what do audiences think? And how do AI performers affect living, breathing, creatives? Katina Michael is a Professor of technology, strategy, and innovation and visiting research scientist at the University of Sydney, Robert Sparrow is a Professor of Philosophy at Monash University, and Karen Jacobsen is a singer, songwriter, and voice of Apple's virtual assistant, Siri.It can be easier to outsource errands on your phone. Especially if those chores involve a trip to the shops with your kids. But is avoiding the hassle of the shopping centre car park and in-store meltdowns worth what you miss when their face lights up as they find the shoes that fit just right? Or the incidental deep and meaningful chats in the car What falls by the wayside in our relentless pursuit for efficiency? Dr Paul Harrison is Chair of Consumer Behaviour at Deakin University's Business School.