In the eyes of big AI companies such as OpenAI, the troves of data on the internet are highly valuable. They scrape photos, videos, books, blog posts, albums, painting, photographs and much more to train their products such as ChatGPT – usually without any compensation to or consent from the creators. In fact, OpenAI and… Read more »
Australia’s climate tech sector now employs more than 7,000 people across more than 730 startups and scaleups, which attracted $680 million in venture funding in 2025. The analysis of local sector and its momentum and growth feature in the 2025 Australian Climate Tech Industry Report, released today by Climate Salad founder Mick Liubinskas. “This report… Read more »
Two teenagers are taking the federal government to the High Court. They argue the ban on social media accounts for under-16s is unconstitutional because it interferes with free political communication. The ban is due to take effect on December 10. Will the High Court challenge make any difference? What does the law do? Due to… Read more »
A new government-funded body will assess the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI), fulfilling a promise made by Labor prior to the last election The Australian AI Safety Institute will evaluate emerging AI capabilities, share information and support timely actions to address potential risks. Industry, innovation and science minister Tim Ayres said in a joint release… Read more »
If you’re a young person in Australia, you probably know new social media rules are coming in December. If you and your friends are under 16, you might be locked out of the social media spaces you use every day. Some people call these rules a social media ban for under 16s. Others say it’s… Read more »
Disability worker Storm Menzies, founder of accessible makeup tools startup ByStorm Beauty has won the Kickstarter Challenge, taking home $30,000 in equity-free funding. Four runners-up also took home $7,500 for their startups following the grand final at Parliament House in Canberra today. The five-year-old Kickstarter Challenge, developed by Enterprising ME and run in conjunction with The… Read more »
Australia’s national science agency CSIRO says it will cut up to 350 more research jobs after already removing over 800 positions in the past 18 months amid rising costs and stagnant funding. The news comes just days after the heads of CSIRO’s digital and manufacturing research arms — which have both seen job losses — left… Read more »
Meta has begun warning users it suspects are under 16 that their accounts will begin to be deactivated under the teen social media ban, as it investigates why Instagram already won’t let some users create accounts. On Thursday, Meta was the first tech company to announce its plans for complying with the government’s social media minimum age… Read more »
Recently, I had a tough conversation with my 12-year-old son. Australia had just announced that from December 2025, no one under 16 will be allowed to create a YouTube account. The idea is simple: protect kids from harm. But here’s the problem – this ban won’t do what it promises. In fact, it risks making… Read more »
Chief artificial intelligence officers will be appointed to every federal agency in 2026 as generative AI causes a “fundamental shift” in government operations, according to an AI Plan for the Australian Public Service (APS) released by the federal government on Wednesday. The plan will see every government worker given access to generative AI tools, as… Read more »
Australia’s top national security bureaucrat used an AI chatbot to ghostwrite speeches and messages to his colleagues, internal documents show. As Finance Minister Katy Gallagher announces a significant government-wide AI plan to promote its use in the public service, Crikey has used freedom of information (FOI) laws to reveal how a government employee is already using the nascent… Read more »
The Albanese government has finally responded officially to the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review handed to them 19 months ago, although the review’s chair, still sees major gaps, despite a pledge to adopt all 11 recommendations. It also comes 8 months after the former minister Ed Husic said in March, ahead of the election,… Read more »
Australia is “not on track” to meet the federal government’s goal of 1.2 million technology‑related jobs by 2030, according to new economic data from its Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR). The target, which was set by industry lobby group Tech Council of Australia and adopted by the federal government in 2022, would no longer… Read more »
Government investments worth more than $31 million in Canberra quantum computing startup Quantum Brilliance have led to the world’s first commercial quantum diamond foundry opening in Melbourne today to produce computer circuits using lab-grown gems. Quantum Brilliance, founded in 2019, using research undertaken at ANU, is the world’s leading developer of miniaturised quantum computing products,… Read more »
The founder of 20-year-old Canberra cybersecurity firm QuintessenceLabs, Dr Vikram Sharma, is among eight of the nation’s top scientists, innovators and educators recognised in the 2025 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science. The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements in scientific research, innovation, and teaching Queensland University of Technology physicist and air quality expert professor Lidia Morawska won… Read more »
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