Is the AI boom going to spell the end of democracy in Australia?
With AI in our newsrooms, our universities, and our courtrooms, the way we understand the truth has been forever changed. But could it be for the better? Or have we embarked on an unstoppable march towards a new understanding of democracy. How do we democratise AI development when a handful of tech companies run the digital world? And could we implement government reforms in Australia to make this happen?GUESTS:Cory Alpert, former Biden–Harris administration staffer and current PhD researcher at the University of Melbourne, and host of the University of Melbourne's System ErrorProf. Daniel Angus, Professor of Digital Communication and Director of QUT's Digital Media Research Centre.This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal and Muwinina land.
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Do androids dream of electric housework? The liabilities of a $20k humanoid robot butler
If you were to picture the ideal robot form to vacuum your floor all by itself, what do you see? Is it a small UFO-shaped disc that whizzes under couches, or is it a humanoid robot with eyes and ears tracking your every move? The new 1X Neo robot has been launched and has been marketed as a 'robot butler', but what issues arise when we start making the tech that serves us look more and more human? Also, a new AI chatbot designed for human companionship has been met with outright vitriol in New York. Friend is a wearable chatbot designed to literally replace human relationships, and people are not entirely on board. Plus, strict safety rules are set to be enforced for power banks on domestic flights, and Meta has just launched an AI briefing tool for Facebook users. GUESTS:Chris Berg, professor of economics at RMIT Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, future economies reporter at the Australian Associated Press This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land, in Meanjin and in Naarm.
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Why is the government using AI to help create NDIS plans?
Roblox has been one of the worst culprits for child safety in the games world, and they’ve come up with something to supposedly keep our kids safe. ‘Age-gating’ is designed to keep people of different ages in different parts of the online game, but how accurate is this age verification? And is it going to cause more problems than solutions? Also, the government has been found using generative AI to develop plans for NDIS participants. Will rising costs and dwindling resources in disability support push workers into using standardised AI to support participants long-term, or are there better tools out there for this? Plus, the Hugging Face CEO has said that the famously near-bursting AI bubble is actually, in fact, an LLM bubble. But what’s the difference, in a world where cities are being razed to build water-guzzling AI datacentres? GUESTS: Alice Clarke, freelance tech journalist and editor of Press Any Button substack Gianfranco di Giovanni, journalist for ABC Arts and Content Director for ABC Perth This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal, and Whadjuk Noongar land, and in Naarm.Technical production by Harvey Sutherland and Carey Dell.
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Is it possible for an AI to 'hasten the coming of Christ's return'?
What happens when theology and technology collide? There's a new tech startup dedicated to building a Christian AI. It's called Gloo, launched by ex-Intel CEO Patrick Gelsinger, and they say it's going to 'hasten the coming of Christ's return'. Also, AI chat services are helping us speak to God. From innocent Bible chatbots to an AI priest that told people to baptise their babies in Gatorade, how seriously are people taking these technological embodiments of God? Plus, we go way back into the lore behind the Way of the Future church, a church devoted to worshipping AI. GUESTS:Rohan Salmond, producer of Soul Search and editor of the Modern Relics newsletterDr Declan Humphries, lecturer in cyber security and ethics at the University of the Sunshine Coast, and ABC Top 5 Humanities resident for 2025This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and on the land of the Kubi Kubi people.
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Self-driving taxis could be coming to Australia, but are we ready?
How well do you think the streets of Sydney would handle self-driving taxis? What about those same self-driving taxis navigating the Melbourne tram lines? Could you imagine it? Waymo is set to launch self-driving taxis and Ubers in Australia soon after talks with Transport NSW, and not everyone is happy with it. Also, Elon Musk has launched his very own version of the people's encyclopedia, Wikipedia, and Facebook Dating has been quietly dominating the online dating scene, and on both counts, we’re trying to figure out why. GUESTS:Dr Erica Mealy, senior lecturer in computer science at the University of the Sunshine Coast Professor Michael Cowling, lecturer and Director of the Apple Platform Hub for Innovation at RMIT This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land, in Meanjin and in Naarm.
Download This Show is your weekly guide to the world of media, culture, and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues. Each week Rae Johnston and guests take a fun, deep dive into how technology is reshaping our lives.
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