US presidential hopefuls are embracing podcasts like never before because they attract large audiences and people have more trust in podcast hosts than mainstream media. But NotebookLM could be about to turn podcasting on its head with automated discussions from real-sounding hosts.

New Zealand university researchers have come up with a novel use of Google’s free Street View service to analyse public roads and footpaths for their risk of causing falls.

In dusty factories, cramped internet cafes and makeshift home offices around the world, millions of people sit at computers tediously labelling data. These workers are the lifeblood of the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) industry.

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.

AI certainly has it’s useful place in share market investing. But as is the case with accountants and lawyers, AI isn’t going to put stock brokers out of work any time soon.

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.