Snapchat’s new AI chatbot is already raising alarms among teens and parents, with poor privacy features and no access to parental guardrails without paying for a premium subscription, is this feature really as dangerous as it sounds?  Also, major automakers are cancelling their upcoming electric vehicle launches in the US - what does this mean for us here in Australia? And unlike Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface, Synchron’s doesn't require open-skull surgery, and it has an OpenAI chatbot baked in. Is this a win for disability tech? Or the first step towards a Terminator-like revolution?   Plus, how do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What does the Grok drama reveal about how we train our large language models? And is there a better way to be doing it?   GUESTS: Tobias Venus, technology and travel journalist  Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, Future Economies reporter for the Australian Associated Press  This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Meanjin. Technical production by Ann-Marie Debettencour and Allyse Symons.

Big Brother is getting new powers in China with a digital ID system eerily similar to that being proposed in the upcoming teen social media ban. What are the privacy risks involved in needing your government ID to use any old website on the internet? And could this tech be seen in Australia anytime soon? Teachers have been struggling to manage student use of generative AI for years, but maybe its time teachers were taught how to use AI themselves. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are investing millions to train teachers how to use AI. Could this be the solution to teacher burnout, or just another way to reduce costs for employers? Also, could tracking your run be a risk to national security? Bodyguards using Strava revealed locations of Swedish leaders and its raised big questions when it comes to how we engage with any app with geo-tracking software.  Plus, a new research centre has been unveiled that will explore how AI can help humans ‘speak’ with pets. GUESTS: David Braue, technology journalist at Cybercrime Magazine Michael Cowling, 'Professor tech', Director, Hub for Apple Platform Innovation This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal, and Wurundjeri land, and in Naarm. Technical production by Tim Symonds and Allyse Symons. 

Do you think you can tell the difference between what's real and what's made by AI? What about writing? Or even music? More AI-generated content is making its way into what we hear, read, and write and it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference. And when we can't tell who's making the things we consume, we can't tell their intentions behind it either. This is true when AI is causing more Australian job losses, and when the UN decides to use an AI avatar in place of real refugees. GUESTS: Erica Mealy, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast Seamus Byrne, Head of Content at Byteside and a student member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Meanjin Technical production by Tim Symonds and Marcus Hobbs

In recent years, like many other big technology firms, Microsoft has refocused its business towards developing AI, and this week the firm has announced it's slashing 9,000 jobs. A large chunk of these jobs are coming from its Xbox video gaming unit, with successful and longstanding titles like Elder Scrolls and Forza Motorport in the firing line. Why is Microsoft choosing AI over people? And what difference will this make for players of these games? Also, Nintendo has told shareholders that they're investing in virtual reality. Is Nintendo able to revive this less-than-popular tech? Or is this just another shiny promise for investors? Plus, two million people play eSports in Australia, which is more than five times the amount of Javelin throwers we have, so why is one an Olympic sport and not the other? Could the Brisbane Olympics be the chance for Australia to get in on the ground floor of elite competitive video gaming? GUESTS:  Alice Clarke, award-winning tech journo and author of Press Any Button Substack Edmond Tran, managing editor at This Week in Videogames This episode of Download This Show was made in Gadigal land and in Naarm.  Technical production by Roi Huberman and Matthew Sigley.

This week on Download This Show, we're getting up to speed with what on Earth is going on with the teen social media ban. From new standards being announced to experts quitting in protest -- it's proving to be a busy time for the people making decisions about what our teens get to see online. 

The apps and online tools that are being used in international political action, Tesla drama and the future of autonomous vehicles, what's going on with AI search engine overviews, and the story behind 40,000 cameras being exposed to the internet. This week on Download This Show.

A lawsuit from the house of mouse, Apple being forced to let you download apps outside the app store, a huge hole in Gmail's data security, plus a world where generative AI is doing critical computer coding. This week on Download This Show.

Why do hackers have weird and wacky non-serious names? And why are British politicians blaming Apple and Google for the rise in phone thefts? Plus, there have been breakthroughs in the world of brain implants, and we break down how and when to use a VPN. This week on Download This Show.

In a special AI deep-dive episode of Download This Show, researchers Sandra Peter and Kai Remer break down how AI chatbots are changing the way humans behave, and why we now want to talk to chatbots more than we want to talk to people.

AI interviewing you for a job, hackable digital drivers licences, dating app safety, and CIA-run Star Wars websites. This week on Download This Show.

Haunted video games, a tech feud between Apple and Epic Games, how tracking apps can be used in coercive control, and Discord transitioning into cool kid territory, this week on Download This Show.

Airbnb's midlife crisis, digital ID age verification, and facial recognition software on social media, this week on Download This Show.

Crypto heists, OpenAIs mission for good continues, and the dangerous world of unregulated chatbots for minors and women. This week on Download This Show.

Content moderators suing for psychological distress, checking in on the teen social media ban, and what do we do now that ChatGPT is supposedly indistinguishable from humans? This week on Download This Show.

Water hungry datacentres being put in the middle of the desert, Google ads being called out for having a monopoly, politicians on Grindr and robots in the Beijing marathon. This week on Download This Show.

AI cyclone prediction, new accessible tech for people with disability, and a cure for brain rot, this week on Download This Show.

In the recent budget handed down by the Albanese government, there was little to no mention of social media, AI, or cybersecurity. What was behind this glaring omission? And what does that mean for Australia's tech future? Also, what's going on with the super fund hacks and are they actually that big of a deal? Plus, Meta has implemented new restrictions for teens, and what's going on with the TikTok ban now that Trump's tariffs are in effect? GUESTS: Angela Lavoipierre, ABC national technology reporter Kate Weber, section editor for Digital Nation at IT News This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm Technical production by Craig Tilmouth and Allyse Symons

Coming to you live from World Science Festival Brisbane, at the Queensland Museum, Download This Show is here to answer all your questions about the brain and technology, and the sometimes scary world where they interact.  Who owns the data from our brains? Can machines really interpret human thoughts? And what happens as AI and neuroscience collide? GUESTS: Dr. Erica Mealy, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast Dr. Kiley Seymour, Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Behaviour, University of Technology Sydney This episode of Download This Show was recorded on the traditional lands of the Tugurra and Yuggera peoples in Meanjin, and produced on Gadigal land.

What happens when the world's oldest continuous living culture gets recreated by AI image generators?  Also, an American content creator uploaded a video of a woman recorded using stealth smart glasses. Was the recording illegal? And how can we stop this from happening again? Plus, just how much dirt does your smart speaker have on you? And, which children's video game has been called "literally just child gambling"?   GUESTS: Lisa Sarago, founder and CEO of Land on Heart and the Land on Heart Foundation Fergus Halliday, tech and games journalist and editor at Reviews.org This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land.

Download This Show is coming to World Science Festival Brisbane! Bring yourself along to our live podcast recording at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. Rae will be chatting about the weird world of tech and how it relates to our brains, alongside expert in neurotechnology Dr. Erica Mealy and cognitive neuroscientist, Dr. Kiley Seymour.  Come along to get answers to your burning tech questions, and ours! Who owns the data from our brains? Can machines really interpret human thoughts? And what happens as AI and neuroscience collide? Get your tickets here.