Technology
-
The US is upset China wants to be self-reliant in producing chips
Having denied Chinese firms access to advanced foreign semiconductors, Washington is launching probe into ‘subsidised’ domestic production. Continue reading »
-
The rule of the Oligarchs and Machines is here
Ordinary humanity faces an emerging threat from the combined might of the Human Elites (billionaires and the military-political class) working with perhaps the greatest power the planet has ever seen: artificial intelligence. Their combined might has the potential to totally screw us. Happy New Year everyone. Continue reading »
-
The AUKUS delusion just got worse
Much has been written in these pages about the AUKUS delusion: Of how it was haphazardly and secretly put together by Scott Morrison to wedge the then Labor Opposition, about the elasticity of its costings, the improbability of Australia ever acquiring any of the proposed submarines, the enormous cost of the project, the effectiveness of Continue reading »
-
Google faces verdicts from anti-trust trials as Trump term approaches
Search behemoth Google is under pressure in the US after three anti-trust trials concluded, with one of the remedies proposed being a call for it to be forced to sell off its web browser, Chrome, an app that dominates the browser space. Continue reading »
-
High impact submitters weigh up porn codes
At least one group of experts is asking why proposed online porn regulation lacks natural justice, damages sexual expression and promotes risky technology. Continue reading »
-
Will AI become our servant or our master?
AI is already showing dangerous signs of delivering more harm than good. The motivations behind its creation show why. Continue reading »
-
The Future of Australia’s telecommunications sector
While successfully rolling out 5G mobile wireless technology and achieving high rates of penetration and quality services for smartphones, telecom providers like Telstra have faced significant investments in infrastructure. At the same time, they have struggled to raise prices and maintain profitability, particularly in the face of the broadband network rollout (NBN), which has come Continue reading »
-
Intel’s security flaws and backdoors: why China’s call for a cybersecurity review is justified
Intel has found itself under scrutiny yet again, with Chinese officials and cybersecurity experts calling for a thorough review of the company’s products sold in China. Continue reading »
-
Scientific discovery, Nobel Prizes and AI
Marie Curie discovered radioactivity, Alexander Fleming found Penicillin: in the 20th century, their merit was clear when they received the Nobel prizes. In 2024, the Physics and Chemistry Nobels are unusual, and show that the nature of discovery is changing with the advent of AI. How? Continue reading »
-
The future of NBN – Privatisation in a changing market landscape
This week, the government announced its intention to introduce new legislation that would keep the National Broadband Network (NBN) in public hands, reinforcing its election promise. Continue reading »
-
How threatening is AI? Opinions differ in the United States and China
Three years ago, in 2021, Henry Kissinger and two other noted gurus, Eric Schmidt, owning a technical background and who later became CEO of Google, and Daniel Huttenlocher, who founded Cornell Tech and was dean of MIT Schwarzman College of Computing, penned the book The Age of AI and Our Human Future. The book was Continue reading »
-
Israel is joining the first global AI convention; here’s why that’s dangerous
Over the last year Israel has weaponised AI in its genocide in Gaza, deploying AI-driven surveillance and automated targeting systems which has killed tens of thousands. Israel’s participation in the first global AI treaty raises serious questions. Continue reading »
-
Murdoch to Musk: how global media power has shifted from the moguls to the big tech bros
Until recently, Elon Musk was just a wildly successful electric car tycoon and space pioneer. Sure, he was erratic and outspoken, but his global influence was contained and seemingly under control. Continue reading »
-
Drafting the first laws to govern AI
Yesterday the Minister for Industry, Science and Technology, Ed Husic, released a discussion paper proposing a set of ‘mandatory guardrails’ for the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Science Fiction fan, Richard Creswick thinks he beat the Minister to the punch. Continue reading »
-
The US made the Dutch an offer they couldn’t refuse
Hold on to your mobile phones, civilians, this is gonna get rough. If you thought the Sopranos and Corleones were intimidating, check this out. Continue reading »
-
Stewards should have an early look at this roughie racehorse
We can all be grateful that the acting auditor general Rona Mellor has decided to take at least a sideways glance into Commonwealth speculation, alongside a similar bet by the probably outgoing Queensland government, in an American horse in the great quantum computing race. I know nothing to say that there is anything intrinsically dodgy Continue reading »
-
Artificial cleverness is polluting the essence of our humanity
Fakes, deep fakes, disinformation, lies and rumours pollute the internet, the legacy media and conversations. Some of these are not new, but their power is growing. Now we have a new contender, so-called artificial intelligence, interfering in our human experience. Continue reading »
-
Digital technology: blessing or curse?
The challenge we face with digital technology is not just managing it; it’s about what it’s doing to us. Continue reading »
-
Data-driven, theory-averse research is fuelled by the rankings hamster wheel
Big data has contributed to a cultural shift towards evidence-based decision-making in academia, industry, and government, which prioritises empirical evidence over theory-based inquiry. It has also been associated with the boom in the publication of shorter journal articles and the decline in the publication of scholarly books, fuelled by the publish-or-perish academic rankings hamster wheel, Continue reading »
-
China’s open source revolution: innovation through collaboration
While Western nations often celebrate private ownership as a driver of innovation, China’s traditional focus has been on how intellectual property can best serve the collective needs of the nation, particularly in economic development and technological self-reliance. In recent decades, however, China’s approach has undergone a significant transformation. It has shifted from imitation and adaptation Continue reading »
-
The global collapse of parenting and the rise of the device
Over ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Guardian that argued it was time to slay a sacred cow: that the internet is a force for good. Many advised me against writing it, saying it would be read as the views of a laggard, but it became one of the most-read articles published Continue reading »
-
The geopolitics of cyber espionage
In March 2024, the United States government and its Five Eyes allies issued dire warnings about a Chinese state-sponsored hacking group known as “Volt Typhoon.” They alleged a shadowy entity had compromised thousands of devices worldwide to target critical infrastructure in Western nations. Continue reading »
-
The ill-starred consequences of America’s Chinese chip war
An interesting new article in the prominent American journal, “Foreign Affairs”, by three academics from Georgetown University, argues that “Washington should place less emphasis on slowing down China and more on improving its own innovative prowess.” Continue reading »
-
OpenAI closes its mind and opens yours
The last time I caught up with Edward Snowden online was at his Substack site, Continuing Ed. That was back on September 22, 2022, when he wrote his first piece there in almost a year. He came back briefly to remind us: America’s Open Wound: The CIA is not your friend. Essentially, the piece details the Continue reading »
-
China to debut Australia’s first flying car
Chinese smart electric vehicle (EV) company XPeng says it will debut what it says will be Australia’s first flying car at the Melbourne Electric SUV Expo in August, alongside four premium EVs it plans to bring to the country. Continue reading »
-
Productivity, innovation and industrial structure
The traditional market model of comparative advantage denies Australia the more promising strategic opportunity to identify and capitalise on areas of potential competitive advantage in the high productivity, high-skill jobs and industries of the future, including advanced manufacturing. Instead, with this model we will be locked into low-productivity, low-wage industries, with limited scope for uplift Continue reading »
-
The renewable opportunities behind the climate politics
The world has made up its mind on the move to renewables. All you have to do is listen to the markets, look at what global capital is doing and ask businesses here in Australia. Continue reading »
-
Chips and geopolitics part two: China’s semiconductor resilience
In my previous article, I discussed how the AI chip sector has become a critical battleground in the ongoing rivalry between the United States and China. Continue reading »
-
Chips and geopolitics: the unexpected rise of Huawei in AI technology
In 2023, Nvidia held a 90% share of China’s AI chip market, with sales of $7 billion. Now, less than a year later, Nvidia is cutting prices to compete with Huawei in China and move its “Made for China” H20 AI chipset off the shelves. What went so wrong, so fast? Continue reading »
-
Polly Waffle policy
Some readers will remember the Polly Waffle snack bar. This favourite was a hollow crunchy biscuit tube, coated with chocolate and filled with fluffy marshmallow. After a significant break in production, the Polly Waffle has been re-introduced to the Australian market. Many of us waited with bated tastebuds to sample the resurrected Polly Waffle. Continue reading »
