Why governments declare war on “big tech”

The Australian government loves to hate on “big tech”, but domestic skirmishes over the amount of power these firms hold and their evasion of tax and moral responsibility have deeper roots and global dimensions.

Schools should help students navigate the rise of ‘smart’ technologies

A UNSW Sydney academic is calling for changes to the education system so that the workers of the future can thrive in a new age of artificial intelligence technology.

Understanding the social impact of new technology

Thought leaders can help make sense of the fears, hype and reality surrounding artificial intelligence and machine learning through social research.

Our phones leave us tired and less productive

‘Technoference’ is causing an increasing number of Australians to lose sleep, be less productive at work and even try to hide their phone use, with new QUT-led research showing 24 per cent of women and 15 per cent of men can now be classified as ‘problematic mobile phone users’.

Will national security concerns end the globalisation of technology?

Fears about data security are prompting calls to ban Chinese technology from sensitive sectors, as state sponsored Chinese cyber-espionage and surveillance continues to menace western democracies.

VR thrill rides need more than technology to sell them

If creators don’t get virtual reality right for thrill rides the concept of VR as entertainment could be set back years; mirroring its habit of riding waves of popularity before falling into obscurity over the past two decades.

Does China herald a grim future for technology in schools?

The increasing use of technology to monitor students in schools abroad should give Australian educators pause for thought when contemplating its introduction here.

The art of avoiding technological traps

The Federal Government should create an Office of Technology Assessment to provide timely and targeted advice to Ministers, officials and public agencies to ensure they understand the risks, rewards and implications of new technology.

Turning our technology against us

Public trust in digital devices has slumped due to a range of privacy scandals and the weaponisation of social media by hostile foreign governments and extremists. However last month, the Australian government proposed legislation that could make things worse.

A roadmap for reining in big tech

Social media platforms have finally been harassed into actually doing something about the harmful externalities their services are creating, but what more can be done to safeguard their users and the rest of society?

In praise of doing nothing

As we race through our day, we seldom take the time to seriously examine the rationale behind our frenetic lives – and mistakenly assume that other people who appear very busy must be doing something important.

The potential – and perils – of ‘technological optimism’

‘Technologically optimistic’ solutions to global warming include everything from wind and solar energy to mass scale kelp farming, but will any of these strategies work?