Technology
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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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 »
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The coming theatre of jiu-jitsu international conflict
Jiu-jitsu is a martial art in which one leverages one’s opponent’s strength in order to subdue them. It is increasingly likely to become the predominant mode of international conflict in the future. It will deploy the adversary’s greatest strength, its internal network of digital interconnections, as a wrecking ball. It is difficult to know if Continue reading »
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ASPI caught spreading misinformation about open-source software
It’s not often that you find someone writing about open source software and not bothering to make mention of the licences being used. But that’s precisely what Albert Zhang of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a lobby group for big tech and foreign agencies, has done. Continue reading »
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Is environmental disaster inevitable? A reflection on economics and society
Is capitalism capable of long term meaningful reform? This is perhaps the most import of issues to address, given that environmental disaster is becoming an inevitability under the present watch of capitalism. Continue reading »
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The ‘Future Made in Australia’ plan for solar panels relies on a crucial ingredient: Help from China
Twenty-three years ago, a Chinese-Australian solar scientist moved from Sydney to Wuxi to build China’s solar panel manufacturing industry from scratch, using technology developed in Australian universities. Continue reading »
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Rhetoric and reality in technology visions
The complex interplay of vision, power, and governance in innovation districts, precincts, and hubs. Continue reading »
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ASPI chief takes exception to being singled out by China
The director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a lobby group for big tech and foreign agencies, claims that China’s alleged targeting of the agency “should be of concern to all Australians”. Continue reading »
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Why conventional economic theory is wrong about technological change
Society as a whole has a critical interest in the direction of technological innovation. This cannot be left uniquely to a limited group of capitalist bosses. Consultation with all the key interest groups and government regulation have a critical role to play in ensuring future economic growth and a fair go for all. Continue reading »
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The impact of AI on the labour market and equality
In future AI is the new technology which is likely to have the greatest impact on our economy and our society. But how AI is used and developed is a choice, and so far AI has been predominantly focused on continuing the emphasis on automation. To realise the full potential of AI and minimise its Continue reading »
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Sharing the benefits of technological progress
This is the first of three articles discussing how the benefits of technological progress are shared, and thus determine the distribution of income and influence our economic and social structures. This first article focuses on how these benefits have been shared historically. Continue reading »
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Everything Chinese is a national security threat to the United States
After the battles over 5G, social media and advanced microchips, Chinese electric cars are the new front line of US economic warfare. Continue reading »
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China warns foreign hackers are infiltrating ‘hundreds’ of business and government networks
Top spy agency urges Chinese citizens to step up cybersecurity as attacks by overseas agencies have been ‘rampant’ in recent years. The message comes as Beijing broadens scope of anti-espionage law to cover online attacks and prepares to expand penalties for data violations. Continue reading »
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The sordid geopolitical saga of TikTok
The US considers TikTok a national security threat. It wants to ban TikTok or transfer its ownership to an American company. In doing so, it is displaying the very behaviour that that it ascribes to China and of which it does not approve. Continue reading »
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America is dumbing itself down. Banning TikTok won’t halt the slide
The US has created the conditions for the decline of its own society. Continue reading »
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Technology regulation for the public good
While global governments ponder on how to regulate ever evolving new technologies, it may be useful to draw a parallel view of two crucial developments of the last 130 years: radioactivity and digitalisation. Continue reading »
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Are we letting big tech outsource our humanity?
The biggest problem with Artificial Intelligence will be the way we use it, writes Dr Richard Hil. Continue reading »
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The latest nuclear power ‘renaissance’ is going in reverse
Nuclear power went backwards last year despite the hype about a new nuclear ‘renaissance’. Meanwhile, renewables enjoyed record growth for the 22nd consecutive year. Continue reading »
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Unlocking Pakistan’s 5G potential: A call to action
In March 1995, Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting took a bold step by granting a 15-year license to M/s Pay TV to establish a wireless TV network. The intention was clear: to harness the potential of wireless technology for the nation’s development. Years later, we find ourselves at a crossroads, with the promise of Continue reading »
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Optus outage: We can’t afford to have a single point of failure in our telecoms system
The recent Optus outage cannot be considered a ‘rare occasion.’ Over the last few years, we have witnessed several major outages across the telecoms networks, making it imperative for us to prepare ourselves for such events. We must address Telecom system vulnerabilities to prevent widespread outages. Continue reading »
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In the Chinese new era, what’s new is old
Industrial transformation has accelerated China’s rise as a global power. In the New Era, which was officially recognised in the Chinese national constitution in 2017, the narrative of national rejuvenation is writ large: it underpins the Community of Shared Future, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and China’s various soft power campaigns. Continue reading »
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Labour market roadmap needs greater skills accuracy
Any roadmap to Australia’s future labour market must be based on an accurate analysis of skills. Sadly, the employment white paper reflects the slant imposed by the ‘tech is tops’ narrative. Continue reading »
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Anti-China rhetoric threatens thriving technology partnerships with China
Australia’s existing relationships and collaborations with China give Australian Industry and consumers a head start in the cost-effective use of some of the most important technologies of the future, including those vital to achieving net zero emissions. Most countries would give anything to be at the forefront of such developments, but Australian University researchers are Continue reading »
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America can’t stop China’s rise
There’s little doubt that the American government has decided to slow China’s economic rise, most notably in the fields of technological development. To be sure, the Biden administration denies that these are its goals. Janet Yellen said on April 20, 2023, “China’s economic growth need not be incompatible with U.S. economic leadership. The United States remains the Continue reading »
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From Biotech to AI
Can regulation of Biotechnology provide clues for the regulatory measures now required to limit risks in the use of AI? Continue reading »