Author: The Conversation

The public is currently getting bombarded with warnings about AI, including about the possibility of machine intelligence causing human extinction. After nearly 40 years of building AI systems, I find myself asking the same question: where is the evidence? That is not because I think there are no serious threats. There are, and we should address them. My concern is with the jump from identifying potential risks to suggesting that the annihilation of human civilisation is a likely consequence of increasingly capable AI agents (systems that carry out tasks in response to instructions from a user). The most dramatic warnings…

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are more widespread than ever, and one of the functions they offer is fast, real-time translation. Some people are even questioning the need to ever learn another language if near-instant translation is so widely available to all of us, often for free. However, those translations are far from perfect. While AI translations are very fluent, fluency doesn’t equal accuracy. Even proficient bilinguals can overlook errors hidden under the surface. Some of the mistakes in AI translation come from a lack of learning data, insufficient prompts, or even hallucations – confident presentation of false information, a hallmark…

Erin is in her early 40s. She works part-time in a demanding job and has two kids in primary school. She feels constantly exhausted; she’s often angry and feels like she can’t think like she used to. Her friend tells her it’s perimenopause. She books an appointment to talk to her GP. She doesn’t know anything about perimenopause, so asks ChatGPT what it is and what treatments are available. Erin is certainly not alone. Between 30% and 55% of adults report they have used ChatGPT, or other large language models or chatbots for their health. And this use is increasing.…

Imagine a father pretending to be mad because he wants to stay with his son and his family and not go to war. When his son’s life is in danger, he is forced to disclose the truth and is obliged to leave his son to go to war. This is a heart-breaking story, but when artificial intelligence created it, critics found it unmoving, motiveless and meaningless. The seven-minute film introducing the story of the Odyssey was made by Elon Musk’s Grok Imagine system, and is the first episode in what is planned to be a full-length feature. Watch Episode 1…

OpenAI’s president, Greg Brockman, recently suggested that its advanced model, known as GPT-6 Astra, could mark the arrival of something called artificial general intelligence, or AGI. If AI itself is often defined as the ability to simulate human intelligence, OpenAI defines AGI as an AI system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work – to be better at the majority of digital and cognitive tasks a human can perform. This includes tasks such as writing computer code, organisational activities or managing projects. For now, at least, it excludes work that involves physical labour, such as agriculture or construction. Though…

For many, the internet feels less secure these days, thanks to generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools making it easier than ever to exploit hidden security flaws. Last week’s PHP incident is a great example. PHP is one of the main technologies that run in the background, supporting more than 70% of the websites we use every day. A critical vulnerability prompted many organisations to take their websites offline to secure them. The national cyber security agency, Australian Signals Directorate, is also warning of rapidly evolving cyber threats. It issued more than 4,400 notifications about potentially malicious cyber activity in 2025–26,…

One of the earliest uses of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Claude was producing source code – computer language instructions that make up software such as word processors, your internet browser, and everything else. Code is structured, which makes it easier for AI tools to generate. So could they help to make fancy software we usually have to pay for? Enter reverse engineering: using AI tools to break a piece of software down to component parts, and then build code to replicate those parts. Unlike vibe coding, where you tell AI what you want a piece of…

The International Civil Aviation Organisation, a specialised UN agency responsible for developing standards, oversight and monitoring, is leading the advancement of the global air traffic management system through the Global Air Navigation Plan. The introduction of automated air traffic control systems aims to improve the operational safety and efficiency of air traffic controllers. But these automated systems could introduce new risks. Around the world, air navigation service providers offer a range of services, including air traffic control. The majority of these service providers are modernising their communication, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management systems in line with the global plan.…

A patrol boat off the coast of Gabon intercepted three trawlers in July 2026, inside the Grand Sud Reserve. This is one of west and central Africa’s largest marine reserves, where industrial trawling is banned. None of the trawlers held a valid licence. The patrol found them because analysts at the non-profit Global Fishing Watch had studied satellite data and worked out where to look. Most illegal fishing is not caught at all. In 2024, researchers at Global Fishing Watch found that between 72% and 76% of the world’s industrial fishing vessels never appear in public tracking. Most of that…

If you’ve delved into the worlds of Star Trek, The Terminator or William Gibson’s cyberpunk novel Neuromancer, you’ll know that enhanced, electronic vision is a staple of science fiction. Now, what was once futuristic fiction is becoming a reality. Researchers have developed bionic eyes that can restore some lost vision. These devices’ capabilities are currently basic, but they have been steadily improving in recent years. One day, they might even offer features that transcend the limits of natural human eyesight – for instance, by manipulating images in a way the human eye cannot or by seeing beyond the spectrum of…