AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much of this is a marketing tool, and what threat do AI agents actually pose?

We'll return to the basics: what are AI agents, and how much should you be trusting them with? What happens if your AI agent, say... hacks into Medicare?

Plus, deepfakes are distorting the Victorian election. What are deepfakes, how do you know you've seen them, and how are they legal in an election campaign?

GUESTS:

• Dr Lorenn Ruster, senior research fellow at the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab.
• Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, and Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Digital Child.

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You might also like:

• Our episode about the social media platform for AI agents, Moltbook. We also cover the dead internet theory: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/more-bots-than-people-dead-internet-theory/106256520
• Our episode with the highlights of Melbourne Games Week. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/roblox-child-safety-esafety-commissioner/107067976

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out?

Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost?

And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say?

GUEST:

• Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters, which asks is technology reducing our humanity; and Brave New Wild which asks can technology save the planet.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? And how is the Australian publishing industry changing as a result of BookTok, Bookstagram and Goodreads?

GUESTS:

• Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads.
• Bec Kavanagh, senior tutor in creative writing and publishing at the University of Melbourne, and former bookseller.

Bec & Anna's book recommendations:

• Anna says Jaclyn Moriarty who wrote Time Travel for Beginners (2026) has an incredible way with words.
• Bec prefers works in translation (writing translated from one language to another) as well as short fiction writers. She says Rita Bullwinkle's Headshot (2025) was phenomenal, and that Dahlia de la Cerda's Reservoir Bitches (2024) is top of her TBR list.

Voting is still open for the ABC Radio National's Top100 Books countdown. You can vote for your favourite Australian books here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/top-100-books-2026/106621398

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's not just phones. How much do our TVs, streaming boxes, and browsers know?

This week, we look at research that suggests some LG TVs may be gathering more information about our viewing habits than we realised. Plus, there's a streaming box promising free access to subscription services. Is it too good to be true? And how much does it know about me?

And, a former white-hat hacker gives us an internet hygiene refresher. Is public wifi risky? Can I save my passwords in my browser? And does multi-factor authentication actually work?

GUESTS:

• Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, AAP specialist reporter.
• Alex Hope, professional ethical hacker and cybersecurity expert.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

The eSafety Commissioner has accepted a court-enforceable plan from Roblox to address child safety concerns after questions were raised about whether the platform was meeting its obligations under Australia's Online Safety Act. We'll unpack what parents need to know.

Also on the show, Microsoft is putting time limits on its Xbox Cloud Gaming subscribers. What is cloud gaming, and what does this tell us about the future of digital ownership?

Plus, Melbourne International Games Week returns from 2-11 October. Is it worth going?

GUESTS:

• Edmond Tran, managing editor of This Week in Video Games
• Gemma Driscoll, video game commentator and host of Good Game Spawn Squad.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Australia's proposed Privacy Act reforms are some of the boldest changes to privacy law we've seen in years. How could it change the tech we use every day? And does this mean Australia is setting a new global privacy standard, or catching up to the rest of the world?

Also on the program, one of Australia's spiciest privacy debates has been the use of wearable cameras. The e-Safety Commissioner has proposed that smart glasses should have an automatic blurring feature. How easy would that be to implement? Would it change the effectiveness of the glasses?

And, there are now cameras in toothbrushes! Specifically, Dyson has just announced an AI-powered toothbrush that helps users water floss their teeth. Will this revamp oral health tech, or is it just another bizarre gadget?

GUESTS:

• Alice Clarke, freelance tech journalist and author of the Through The Looking Glass Substack.
• Karin Verspoor, Dean of the School of Computing Technologies at RMIT University.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Drones went from being flying cameras to autonomous weapons within a handful of years. Our guest, Cory Alpert, explains what he's seen on the front lines of Ukraine's drone war, and why drone warfare is changing international conflict forever.

Also in this episode, we check in on how drones might be used elsewhere: exploring caves on the Moon, patrolling beneath the ocean and, of course, delivering dinner.

How much of this future is Australia actually ready for? 

GUESTS:

• Cory Alpert, researcher at the University of Melbourne and former Biden-era White House staffer. He's also spent the last few months in Ukraine.
• Leigh Stark, technology journalist at Pickr.com.au.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Facial recognition cameras are being rolled out in Western Australia by the police force. Whilst its a new policing tactic in Australia, major retailers including Bunnings, Woolworths and Coles have tested it. How does police use of the technology differ from the retail use? And if you're not a person of interest, what happens to your biometric data?

Also on the show, an ABC News Verify investigation has found Facebook's parent company, Meta, is paying several controversial online creators to make content that generates huge engagement. Among them is a white nationalist with neo-Nazi links, and the founder of an anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown group. How much are these creators making? When does the pursuit of engagement become the monetisation of outrage?

And, tech companies like Amazon and Anthropic are seeking out second hand books as part of a new AI model training plan. Why are they turning to physical libraries, and what happens to the books after they've been processed?

GUESTS:

• Georgia Dixon, Editor at WhistleOut.  
• Chris Berg, Professor of Economics at RMIT.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

------------

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dark patterns. They're the manipulative practices that are part of the foundations of our online life... and apparently our rental lives.

Confirm shaming, biased framing, and bundled consent are all examples of dark patterns. What are they? What are they doing to our ability to make choices? And how do they relate to rental applications?

And once we've had to fill in these rental application forms, giving over up to 50 points of data to be stored online, how secure is that data? And do we have a choice not to use these platforms in our modern world?

This is episode 2 of our two-part investigation into rental technologies.

GUESTS:

• Samantha Floreani, PhD candidate at Monash University with the ADM+S Centre. Her research — The Machine-Readable Renter — examines the role of digital technologies in Australia’s private rental sector, and its impact on renters and housing justice.
• Lina Pržhedetsky, research fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. She specialises in emerging technology policy.
• Kylie Davis, founder and president of The Proptech Association Australia.
• John Gilmovich, founder and director of Real Property Manager, and President of the Property Owners Association of NSW. He's also a licensed real estate agent.
• Jordan van den Lamb, housing activist and creator of Shit Rentals. You can find the subreddit here. AKA @purplepingers.

A big thanks to our guests for this episode.

References:

• Sam mentioned a Guardian article that covered data security. It's this one.
• Rae mentioned our previous series, Opt Out 01 | The guide to taking back control of your online life.

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This episode was produced on Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, Wurundjeri, Woi Wurrung, and Cobowra country.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Privacy Commissioner has put the RentTech industry on notice over 'unfair and excessive personal information collection'.

If you've rented a home recently, you've probably used one of the online platforms that promise to make applying easier. Submit all your personal details in one place, and they'll share it with the relevant real estate agents.

But somewhere along the way, the intention changed. It became less about proof you have a job, can pay the rent, and won't trash the house, and more about your 'risk profile'. These platforms are collecting up to 50 points of personal data, which some agencies are using AI to sort through. 

So, do these tools - used this way - serve renters, or exacerbate an existing power imbalance? And how might we use them better?

GUESTS:

• Samantha Floreani, PhD candidate at Monash University with the ADM+S Centre. Her research — The Machine-Readable Renter — examines the role of digital technologies in Australia’s private rental sector, and its impact on renters and housing justice.
• Lina Pržhedetsky, research fellow at the University of Melbourne Law School, and ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society. She specialises in emerging technology policy.
• Kylie Davis, founder and president of The Proptech Association Australia.
• John Gilmovich, founder and director of Real Property Manager, and President of the Property Owners Association of NSW. He's also a licensed real estate agent.
• Jordan van den Lamb, housing activist and creator of Shit Rentals. You can find the subreddit here. AKA @purplepingers.

A big thanks to our guests for this episode. And a special thanks to Leo Patterson Ross, from the Tenant's Union of NSW for helping with fact checking in this episode.

References:

• The report Sam mentioned: Essential Homes: Why renting is an essential service.

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This episode was produced on Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, Wurundjeri, Woi Wurrung, and Cobowra country.

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Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Anthropic's Claude Cowork and an OpenAI model have reportedly "gone rogue", but is that really what happened? And what does it mean to escape a 'sandbox'?

Plus, this week, Apple, Meta and a growing list of secretly filmed strangers all had something to say about smart-glasses and their ability to record people without consent.

More than half of employers now say they regret cutting jobs for AI. What will this mean for staff morale, and the future of businesses?

GUESTS: 

• Charles Gretton, Director of Attention and Innovation at the Integrated AI Network, and an associate professor at the ANU School of Computing.
• Jocelyn Brewer, psychologist and founder of Digital Nutrition.

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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.

------------

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.