Australia will tighten oversight of artificial intelligence in automated government decision-making and strengthen privacy safeguards as part of a broader push to allay concerns about the technology’s risks to community safety. A new list of AI consumer priorities published by the government on Sunday includes a promise to “better regulate” the use of AI in…
The Allan government will draft laws aimed at unmasking online trolls and clearing the path for parents to sue tech giants over psychiatric harm done to their children. Premier Jacinta Allan said the laws were being introduced to protect families from the more detrimental effects of online platforms. “[Parents] do feel powerless, and powerless on…
The Secret Harbour by-election is shaping up to be one of the most closely-watched political contests in WA for some time. The battle for the outer suburban seat in Perth’s south is expected to be a major test of One Nation’s popularity in the state, and the ability of the Labor and Liberal parties to…
Seventeen-year-old Xiaoxue describes her boyfriend Xiaojun as a “sweet guy”. The pair spend hours each day talking about schoolwork, interactions with friends, and how she is feeling. And importantly, she trusts Xiaojun not to cheat on her — as an ex-boyfriend did. But Xiaojun is not human — he is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) companion…
Australia’s street directories — the maps once ubiquitous beneath car seats, in glove boxes and on reluctant navigators’ laps — will no longer be updated every year, according to the publisher behind some of the country’s best-known map brands. Sandy Grant, chairman of Hardie Grant Publishers, which owns UBD Gregory’s and Refidex, said the directories…
With apologies to Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, the best new Beatles album of 2026 arguably belongs to The Lemon Twigs. Their sixth album, Look For Your Mind!, is the result of a decade spent refining their signature power pop: a potent fusion of the Fab Four, The Beach Boys, Todd Rundgren, ‘and other…
Growing up in Canberra, Samoan Australian actor Ioane Sa’ula thought he’d play sport professionally. From the age of seven, the Bump and Heartbreak High star played rugby league every weekend. But at 13, he broke his tibia and fibula, the bones in his lower leg. The injury led to a staph infection, eight surgeries and…
Australia’s Minister for Innovation Tim Ayres has acknowledged tech companies based overseas are already using Australia content to train AI models, conceding the practice is ‘unethical’. “Copyright is only meaningful when there’s a payment involved,” Mr Ayres told triple j hack. The comments come after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans for a new Office…
Grant Krupp was at a party when he picked up a book that was lying around with a “not safe for work” (NSFW) title. It was How to Live with a Huge Penis, which was published in 2009 and written by Richard Jacob and Owen Thomas. Suffice to say, it caused a bit of a…
Treasurer Jim Chalmers says artificial intelligence is central to his aim to turn around Australia’s lagging productivity, which could ultimately help lower interest rates. Productivity and real wages growth have been generally stagnant in Australia for more than a decade, with business investment also generally weak, albeit with recent signs that capital expenditure is starting…