AI/Machine Learning

When King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard quit Spotify, an AI rip-off turned up – and the streaming platform’s algorithm promoted it

- December 11, 2025 3 MIN READ

Imagine this: a band removes its entire music catalogue off Spotify in protest, only to discover an AI-generated impersonator has replaced it. The impersonator offers songs that sound much like the band’s originals. The imposter tops Spotify search results for the band’s music – attracting significant streams – and goes undetected for months. As incredible… Read more »

Global tech

Australia’s social media ban is here – and the world is watching to see what happens next

- December 10, 2025 4 MIN READ

After months of anticipation and debate, Australia’s social media ban is now in force. Young Australians under 16 must now come to grips with the new reality of being unable to have an account on some social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. Only time will tell whether this bold, world-first experiment will succeed.… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Around 3 in every four Australians see AI has a threat to people, business and national security, ANU survey reveals

- December 8, 2025 2 MIN READ

Threats relating to technology, disinformation, economic security and foreign interference are overshadowing traditional security concerns in Australians’ minds, according to data released by the Australian National University National Security College. More than 12,000 people were asked across two surveys, in November last year and July this year, to rate the seriousness of 15 potential threats… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Here’s who benefits from the Australian government’s National AI Plan

- December 3, 2025 4 MIN READ

On Tuesday, the Albanese Labor government released the long-awaited National AI Plan, “a whole-of-government framework that ensures technology works for people, not the other way around”. With this plan, the government promises an inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) economy that protects workers, fills service gaps, and supports local AI development. In a major reversal, it also… Read more »

Politics

Two 15-year-olds, backed by a NSW Libertarian MP, are challenging the Australian government’s u16s social media ban in the High Court

- November 27, 2025 4 MIN READ

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 »

AI/Machine Learning

The Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year is ‘AI Slop’ – and the Collins went with ‘vibe coding’

- November 25, 2025 4 MIN READ

AI slop is Macquarie Dictionary’s Word of the Year for 2025. It also won the people’s choice vote. The dictionary defines the word as “low-quality content created by generative AI [artificial intelligence], often containing errors, and not requested by the user”. I’ve spent the last year researching the solicitous, duplicitous and ubiquitous generative AI –… Read more »

Life hacks

Research reveals how much money you really need to be happy

- November 21, 2025 4 MIN READ

Over the next decade, Elon Musk could become the world’s first trillionaire. The Tesla board recently proposed a US$1 trillion (A$1.5 trillion) compensation plan, if Musk can meet a series of ambitious growth targets. Australia’s corporate pay packets aren’t quite on that scale. Yet even here, it was recently reported departing Virgin chief executive Jayne… Read more »

Business

What to look for if the AI bubble is about to burst

- November 19, 2025 3 MIN READ

The global investment frenzy around AI has seen companies valued at trillions of dollars and eye-watering projections of how it will boost economic productivity. But in recent weeks the mood has begun to shift. Investors and CEOs are now openly questioning whether the enormous costs of building and running AI systems can really be justified… Read more »

woman in man's suit
Leadership

Book review: Australian author Pip Finkemeyer’s satire, One Story, skewers the narcissism and mythmaking of tech leaders

- November 17, 2025 6 MIN READ

When I began reading Elaine Castillo’s Moderation, a new American novel about the psychological damage of online moderation, I had to pause. I’d read novels that confronted difficult material before, but this one blurred the line between bearing witness and re-enacting pain. The book follows Girlie, a content moderator for a social media giant whose… Read more »

Robot lawyer in a trial
AI/Machine Learning

AI is actually makes it harder to track work performance, so what should HR managers do?

- November 14, 2025 3 MIN READ

Let’s be honest, even just writing this sentence has meant engaging with some very basic artificial intelligence (AI) as the computer checks my spelling and grammar. Ultimately, the quality and integrity of the finished article are a human responsibility. But the questions this raises go well beyond everyday word processing. Powerful AI is now changing… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Two new books argue AI is an existential threat to human control

- November 12, 2025 9 MIN READ

For 16 hours last July, Elon Musk’s company lost control of its multi-million-dollar chatbot, Grok. “Maximally truth seeking” Grok was praising Hitler, denying the Holocaust and posting sexually explicit content. An xAI engineer had left Grok with an old set of instructions, never meant for public use. They were prompts telling Grok to “not shy… Read more »

AI/Machine Learning

Self-driving cars are here, but Australian law isn’t ready for them. Here are 3 ways to fix it

- November 10, 2025 4 MIN READ

In September, US electric car maker Tesla rolled out a semi-autonomous driving feature it describes as “the future of transport” in Australia. As its name suggests, the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system blurs the line between human and machine control. Our current licensing and road-safety frameworks were not designed to handle this situation. A federal government… Read more »