This Month
Is Labor’s big tech crackdown now a backdown?
Making big tech companies pay for news stories posted on social media is a bit like bringing a knife to a gun fight as the AI revolution gathers speed.
October
Tech Council chief Damian Kassabgi abruptly quits influential lobby
The former Afterpay executive had taken the top job 16 months ago but now says he wants more time with his family and less time on planes to Canberra.
The next hack target isn’t your phone, it’s your mind
Neurotechnology poses a question that sounds like science fiction: how do we protect human rights when technology can decode our thoughts?
The social media ban could cure Gen Z’s brain rot
It’s a serious acknowledgement that society can no longer allow young people to use these platforms unchecked.
September
China unveils missiles, drones and lasers. But will they work?
New torpedo-shaped drones and an array of hypersonic weapons that can be fired from land, sea and air would be a serious threat for the US and its partners.
August
Big Four banks’ AI use under microscope, warn union and APRA
Banks are raring to go on artificial intelligence but the Finance Sector Union and the prudential regulator warn they will be watching closely.
July
Trump to unveil $107b in AI and energy investments
The president will detail plans for new data centres, power generation expansion and grid infrastructure upgrades, along with artificial intelligence training programs.
June
From ‘lucky country’ to ‘left-behind country’: Matt Comyn’s AI warning
Executives say Australia is in danger of falling behind as the rise of artificial intelligence creates a profound change in the way people and businesses work.
May
The ‘lucky country’ must not copy the EU’s bonkers AI regulation
The pressure is on newly promoted Industry and Science Minister Tim Ayres to set out the government’s strategic approach.
March
The Republican lobbyist who became Zuckerberg’s most trusted adviser
Meta’s newly promoted head of global affairs has masterminded the social media giant’s pivot towards Donald Trump.
February
‘We have to cut red tape and we will’: Europe talks big on AI
At a summit in Paris, Donald Trump’s vice president lays bare growing global divisions over promoting and policing AI while Europe looks to back winners.
DeepSeek is a sign of China’s structural shift, not decline
Contrary to the narrative that China’s private sector has been squeezed into irrelevance, major developments in new industries are being led by young entrepreneurs.
Audio deepfakes ‘the most effective we’ve seen so far’, says Microsoft
The technology company and a group of crossbench MPs say Australia needs better protections against AI and interference in election campaigns.
January
Down cudgels: Baird and Weatherill push for more civility in politics
The 2025 election campaign has begun with insults on both sides of politics. These two former premiers want a better political discourse.
Can Chinese chips beat Taiwan in the global tech race?
SMIC’s stock rally shows – at least to mainland investors – that China can build a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem. But the reality could be different.
December 2024
Break up big tech to save competition, democracy and the climate
To save the European Green Deal and restore economic competitiveness, the EU’s new antitrust push must rein in these companies’ enormous power.
October 2024
Everything you need to know about Labor’s misinformation crackdown
More than 75 per cent of people believe addressing the deliberate spread of misinformation online is extremely important or quite important. On how you achieve that goal, the country is far more divided.
September 2024
China and Russia want to rule the Web. The West is trying to stop them
In backrooms at the UN in New York, a battle is quietly being fought between liberal democracies and authoritarian governments over who rules the internet.
Tech moguls face the revenge of the regulators
Democratic governments are losing patience with cyber-libertarian tech moguls who thumb their noses at authorities perhaps one too many times.
August 2024
Telegram boss charged, blocked from leaving France
Pavel Durov faces preliminary charges over the alleged failure to address criminality on the messaging app, including the distribution of sexual abuse content.