AI regulation, digital rights, and societal impact on older adults
Policy & Ethics
Tech legend Stewart Brand on Musk, Bezos and his extraordinary life: ‘We don’t need to passively accept our fate’
Stewart Brand, now 87, has spent his remarkable life bridging the 1960s counterculture and today's tech world, always thinking about how humanity can build a better future—both today and for the next 10,000 years ahead. He believes we shouldn't accept fate passively, and he's spent his career finding and promoting the people and ideas that can help us create lasting positive change on a global scale.
Her husband wanted to use ChatGPT to create sustainable housing. Then it took over his life.
A man became so obsessed with using an artificial intelligence chatbot called ChatGPT to design sustainable housing that he spent 12 hours a day on it, completely changing his personality and behavior. His wife, who had known him as an optimistic and hopeful person, tragically lost him when his mental health deteriorated, leaving her struggling to understand how the technology had such a powerful grip on his life.
Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more
If you're tired of letting big tech companies like Amazon and Google collect your personal information while you use their services, there are smaller, often European-based alternatives that respect your privacy and don't treat you as a product to be mined for data. Switching to these alternatives means you might pay a small fee instead of giving away your personal details, but you'll gain back control over your information and support companies with more ethical practices.
Will AI take Australian jobs, or is it just an excuse for corporate restructure?
Australian tech companies have recently cut over 1,000 jobs, blaming artificial intelligence for making some workers unnecessary, and voice actors like Teresa Lim worry they could be next. However, experts suggest that companies may be using AI as an excuse to downsize and cut costs, rather than AI actually replacing all these jobs on its own.
‘I wish I could push ChatGPT off a cliff’: professors scramble to save critical thinking in an age of AI
College professors are worried that students rely too heavily on AI tools like ChatGPT to do their thinking for them, which could weaken their ability to think critically and engage deeply with ideas. Some teachers are fighting back by having students memorize poetry, perform recitations, and experience art in person—activities that remind young people why learning with their own minds and bodies matters so much.
Grammarly pulls AI author-impersonation tool after backlash
Grammarly had to shut down a feature that created fake versions of famous writers using artificial intelligence, after authors complained that their names and writing styles were being used without asking permission first. The company listened to the concerns and decided to remove the tool rather than face continued pushback from the creative community.
Tech oligarchs reshape humanity while billionaires of old seem quaint
Today's wealthiest people are mostly tech entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg who control artificial intelligence and digital platforms, whereas billionaires of the past came from diverse industries like retail and manufacturing. This concentration of power in the hands of a few tech leaders is raising important questions about who gets to shape the future of humanity, since their decisions about technology now affect all of us far more than the old-fashioned billionaires ever did.
‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up
A jury is about to decide whether Meta (Instagram's owner) and YouTube deliberately made their platforms addictive to capture young people's attention and make money, despite knowing it could harm their mental health. The trial suggests that tech companies may face serious legal consequences if courts agree they prioritized profits over the wellbeing of children and teenagers.
Palantir’s NHS England contract ‘opens door to government abuse of power’, health bosses told
A major tech company called Palantir has been given a £330 million contract to manage NHS data, but health charities are worried this could allow the government to misuse personal health information for things like immigration enforcement. Critics are concerned that combining NHS records this way could create a "Big Brother" system where your private medical details might be used for purposes you never agreed to.
‘Invasive’ AI-led mass surveillance in Africa violating freedoms, warn experts
Several African countries have spent billions of dollars on Chinese surveillance technology that uses artificial intelligence to track people's faces and movements, but experts say this violates people's right to privacy and freedom. Security officials claim these systems keep the public safe, but the technology is being used with very little oversight or rules to protect people's personal information.