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ABC Australia

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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27 episodes
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Friday · 29 min
Could your AI agent end humanity?
AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much of this is a marketing tool, and what threat do AI agents actually pose? We'll return to the basics: what are AI agents, and how much should you be trusting them with? What happens if your AI agent, say... hacks into Medicare? Plus, deepfakes are distorting the Victorian election. What are deepfakes, how do you know
October 2 · 29 min
Can technology save us from climate change?
Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out? Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost? And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say? GUEST: Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters, which as
September 25 · 29 min
Can books survive the age of algorithms?
What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? And how is the Australian publishing industry changing as a result of BookTok, Bookstagram and Goodreads? GUESTS: Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads. Bec Kavanagh, senior tutor in creative writing and publishing at the University of Melbourne, and former bookseller. Bec & Anna's book recommendations: Anna says Jaclyn
September 18 · 29 min
How much do our devices know about us?
It's not just phones. How much do our TVs, streaming boxes, and browsers know? This week, we look at research that suggests some LG TVs may be gathering more information about our viewing habits than we realised. Plus, there's a streaming box promising free access to subscription services. Is it too good to be true? And how much does it know about me? And, a former white-hat hacker gives us an internet hygiene refresher. Is public wifi risky? Can I save my passwords in my browser? And does mul
September 11 · 29 min
Roblox under pressure from Australia's eSafety Commissioner over child safety
The eSafety Commissioner has accepted a court-enforceable plan from Roblox to address child safety concerns after questions were raised about whether the platform was meeting its obligations under Australia's Online Safety Act. We'll unpack what parents need to know. Also on the show, Microsoft is putting time limits on its Xbox Cloud Gaming subscribers. What is cloud gaming, and what does this tell us about the future of digital ownership? Plus, Melbourne International Games Week returns from
September 4 · 29 min
What Australia's Privacy Act reforms mean for the tech you use
Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms are some of the boldest changes to privacy law we've seen in years. How could it change the tech we use every day? And does this mean Australia is setting a new global privacy standard, or catching up to the rest of the world? Also on the program, one of Australia's spiciest privacy debates has been the use of wearable cameras. The e-Safety Commissioner has proposed that smart glasses should have an automatic blurring feature. How easy would that be to i
August 28 · 29 min
How Ukraine's military drones are changing warfare forever
Drones went from being flying cameras to autonomous weapons within a handful of years. Our guest, Cory Alpert, explains what he's seen on the front lines of Ukraine's drone war, and why drone warfare is changing international conflict forever. Also in this episode, we check in on how drones might be used elsewhere: exploring caves on the Moon, patrolling beneath the ocean and, of course, delivering dinner. How much of this future is Australia actually ready for? GUESTS: Cory Alpert, research
August 21 · 29 min
How WA police are using facial recognition technology
Facial recognition cameras are being rolled out in Western Australia by the police force. Whilst its a new policing tactic in Australia, major retailers including Bunnings, Woolworths and Coles have tested it. How does police use of the technology differ from the retail use? And if you're not a person of interest, what happens to your biometric data? Also on the show, an ABC News Verify investigation has found Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying several controversial online creators to m
August 14 · 28 min
The Renter Algorithm: Dark patterns and the illusion of choice
Dark patterns. They're the manipulative practices that are part of the foundations of our online life... and apparently our rental lives. Confirm shaming, biased framing, and bundled consent are all examples of dark patterns. What are they? What are they doing to our ability to make choices? And how do they relate to rental applications? And once we've had to fill in these rental application forms, giving over up to 50 points of data to be stored online, how secure is that data? And do we have
August 7 · 29 min
The Renter Algorithm: The invisible system judging tenants
The Privacy Commissioner has put the RentTech industry on notice over 'unfair and excessive personal information collection'. If you've rented a home recently, you've probably used one of the online platforms that promise to make applying easier. Submit all your personal details in one place, and they'll share it with the relevant real estate agents. But somewhere along the way, the intention changed. It became less about proof you have a job, can pay the rent, and won't trash the house, and m
July 31 · 29 min
Have AI models truly "gone rogue"?
Anthropic's Claude Cowork and an OpenAI model have reportedly "gone rogue", but is that really what happened? And what does it mean to escape a 'sandbox'? Plus, this week, Apple, Meta and a growing list of secretly filmed strangers all had something to say about smart-glasses and their ability to record people without consent. More than half of employers now say they regret cutting jobs for AI. What will this mean for staff morale, and the future of businesses? GUESTS: Charles Gretton, Direc
July 24 · 29 min
What is Q-Day and how scared should we all be?
Quantum computing sounds like science fiction, but all of a sudden the biggest names in tech are treating it like the next industrial arms race. Google, Microsoft, IBM are all chasing breakthroughs that could transform everything from medicine to finance. However! It does pose a serious security threat. Cybersecurity experts are warning those same machines could one day unravel the encryption protecting our bank accounts, private messages and government secrets. So, are we finally on the verg
July 17 · 29 min
(Nearly) everything that happened in AI this week
Anthropic has just released the Spotify Wrapped equivalent of Claude. Claude Reflect claims it can help you optimise your AI use. But will a tool built by an AI company ever genuinely encourage you to use it less? Also on the program, the humans hired to train AI are secretly getting AI to do it. How does this "AI inbreeding" degrade quality? Meta launched a tool that would allow someone to generate pictures based on individual Instagram accounts. They've since gone back on this decision, but
July 10 · 29 min
The UN calls for a ban on 'killer robots'
Microsoft and Xbox have laid off thousands of staff. Sony, Xbox and publishers like Rockstar all seem to be moving away from physical discs. And the UN Secretary General has called for a ban on AI powered ‘killer robots’. What does it all mean? GUESTS: Kai Riemer, professor at the University of Sydney Business School and Director of Sydney Executive Plus. Gianfranco Di Giovanni, games reporter at ABC Arts and 102.5 ABC Perth Content Director. The articles Gianni mentioned are here and here. -
July 3 · 28 min
Will fining social media companies make them uphold the ban?
The Australian government wants to double the penalty tech companies will face for not keeping kids off their social media platforms. The proposed bill would also compel companies to release documents that prove whether they have been keeping kids off their platforms. How effective will this actually be? Plus, there's been shifts in the energy sector that mean everyday Australians are missing out on potential savings. Changes have also been made to the energy requirements of data centres in Aus
June 26 · 29 min
How do you stop being addicted to your phone?
If your phone seems impossible to put down, that's because it's intentional. So how can we break our addictions? Also on the show, how safe is online voting? With our traditional political system in a bit of a chaotic state at the moment, it's safe to say we're lacking trust in our politicians. But Australians are still very trusting in our electoral processes. Will changing to online voting jeopardise that? And, more Australian artists have identified they have been caught up in AI model trai
June 19 · 29 min
Is it wrong to have robots take care of our parents?
Tech is being marketed as the solution to taking care of our aging parents and our young children: AI companions, improved surveillance tools, and wearables. How much are robots truly able to replace genuine human care, and ethically should we let them? Plus, how much do we actually know about the effect of screen time hours on children's brains? Turns out, some of the initial experiments were a bit off the mark. And, 'tech tourism' is China's latest booming industry. Whether it's a special in
June 12 · 28 min
Leaked document reveals Microsoft wants you "addicted" to their product
While Meta and Google are fighting lawsuits about their technology being intentionally addictive, Microsoft’s strategy deck for their new AI assistant Scout has been leaked. It lays out three phases of launch, and phase one is simply "make people addicted." Apple just held it’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where they announced an "entirely new version of Siri". How different can this Siri be? And the Mythos tool Anthropic claimed was too powerful to be released to the public... has been re
June 5 · 29 min
Would you pay to use Instagram?
Meta has officially launched premium subscription tiers across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. Does this mean we'll finally be able to rid ourselves of ads on social media? Plus, it's been a rough few weeks for the 'clankers'. During Vivid, nearly 90 drones fell from the sky into Sydney Harbour. And they're not alone. Humanoid robots are finding creative new ways to embarrass themselves in public. Why have we seen so many of them out and about, if they're not ready? And, a growing number of
May 29 · 29 min
Can the Pope influence the future of AI?
The Catholic Church has entered the AI debate, with Pope Leo XIV warning against "digital slaveries" while seated beside the co-founder of Anthropic. We ask whether the Vatican is positioning itself as a moral counterweight to Silicon Valley — and whether religion could shape the future of AI. Google says AI-generated answers are the future of search, replacing the familiar list of blue links with chatbot-style summaries. Critics argue it risks killing source literacy and turning the internet i

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