Google is threatening to pull New Zealand news snippets from its search and Google News platforms. But the Government should hold firm in a rare effort to address the power imbalance between Big Tech and nations grappling with the implications of their influence.

When platforms control access to the “product”, they also control the science around its impacts. Ultimately, these self-research funding models allow platforms to put profit before people – and divert attention away from the need for more transparency and independent oversight.

Sam Altman will now be able to become a major equity holder in OpenAI and reap the financial rewards. His long-suffering execs could have cashed in to an even greater degree too, but have decided to jump off that particular AI train, which is rather telling.

On the surface, the UN's blueprint for addressing concerns around AI seems to be a positive step forward, encouraging developments while also mitigating potential harms. However, the finer details of the report expose a number of concerns.

The reason GovGPT attracted a lot of attention this week is that many Kiwis have a frustrating time dealing with government agencies. It’s part of the reason why Judith Collins, who launched GovGPT at the AI Summit this week, created the digitising government ministerial portfolio. She wants to see a customer service revolution in government and sees AI as being central to that.