Rae Johnston

Australia

Wiradyuri 🖤💛❤️ & Greek STEM Journalist 🎙️@weirdtechmedia 📺 Going Places (NITV) Back Roads (ABC) The Secret DNA of Us (SBS) @unicefaustralia Ambassador

Featured in: Favicon

smh.com.au Favicon

theage.com.au Favicon

businessinsider.com.au Favicon

gizmodo.com.au Favicon

sbs.com.au Favicon

canberratimes.com.au Favicon

brisbanetimes.com.au Favicon

lifehacker.com.au Favicon

junkee.com Favicon

kotaku.com.au + 3 more

Articles

Could a new copyright lawsuit from Disney change the way we use AI?

1 week ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

Disney and Universal are suing AI image generator Midjourney, in what could be a landmark case for copyright and generative AI. Could it change how creative industries deal with machine-made 'art'? Also, the Australian government is forcing Apple to loosen its App Store restrictions, allowing iPhone users to download apps from outside the walled garden. What might that mean for developers and everyday users?
'Imperial Kitten' vs 'Fancy Bear': how are kooky hacker nicknames causing serious concerns for cybersecurity?

2 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

If you were to look up the culprits responsible for any number of hacks across the globe, you might get some conflicting answers. Cybersecurity firms, governments, and the hackers themselves all use different words to describe the same groups, and it's causing serious issues for those trying to hunt them down.
The human-AI conversation crisis: why we're choosing chatbots over people

3 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

In a special AI deep-dive episode of Download This Show, researchers Sandra Peter and Kai Remer break down how AI chatbots are changing the way humans behave, and why we now want to talk to chatbots more than we want to talk to people. They also break down what on Earth 'anthropomorphic seduction' means, and how we can protect ourselves when using generative AI when government regulation can't keep up.
Could AI be the 'person' deciding whether or not you get your dream job?

4 weeks ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

Have you ever been in a job interview and thought, 'this meeting could have been an interaction with an AI agent'? No? Well, two-thirds of Australian employers are now using artificial intelligence agents to conduct job interviews on their behalf. What kind of bias does a computer have when deciding on the right candidate? And could it be less objective than a human? Also, people are hacking their digital driver's licences and Grindr is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
How did a haunted game console take the internet by storm?

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

For the generation that remembers creepypastas like Slenderman and Jeff the Killer, Ben Drowned might be a familiar internet ghost story. But where did it even come from? And would we be convinced by something like this in 2025? Also, Epic Games and Apple's never-ending beef continues, and Discord is planning on expanding its reach beyond gamers. Will this work? Plus, one in five young people think that tracking your partner is to be expected. How did we get here?
Which app is the latest to say it wants to be your everything?

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

Airbnb is in the midst of a potential mid-life crisis. It's set to relaunch itself as the 'everything app', but is this going to be enough to save an app that has to compete with room service and housekeeping? Also, Google has announced it's plans for digital ID age verification, and there might be big problems when it comes to implementing it in Australia. Plus, gaming social media platform, Discord, is planning to roll out facial recognition. Is this a good idea?
How did pink Lamborghinis, Minecraft, and bitcoin become the centre of a quarter-billion dollar heist?

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

Move over Danny Ocean, there's a new heist in town, to the tune of a quarter billion US dollars in cryptocurrency. The tale features a kidnapping, pink Lamborghinis, Minecraft money laundering, and a very swift arrest. Also, who funds the (extremely) expensive chatbots we all use? OpenAI has changed its mind after announcing an end to the non-profit arm to the business, they're now saying that the non-profit arm will retain control of firm. Why? How?
If people can't tell the difference between ChatGPT and a human, are we doomed?

1 month ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

The complex and highly distressing work of content moderation is causing PTSD for Ghanian workers, and now they're suing one of the biggest tech companies in the world for psychological harm. Could AI step in to relieve some of this load? Or is this work too human to ever pass on to a computer? Also, we're checking in on what's going on with the teen social media ban.
Have we created a way for vision impaired people to watch sports?

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

AI predicted Cyclone Alfred's path better than traditional equipment, could it be the future of forecasting? And there are new tech breakthroughs to assist people with disability; Haptic touch viewing devices, a breakthrough for vision impaired people who love sports and news that Apple Airpods can now be used for hearing impairment diagnosis and treatment. Plus, could using a 'dumbphone' be the cure for brain rot? GUESTS:Technical production by Craig Tilmouth and Ross Richardson.
Download this brain: we're live from World Science Festival Brisbane!

2 months ago | abc.net.au | Rae Johnston |Bec Cushway

Coming to you live from World Science Festival Brisbane, at the Queensland Museum, Download This Show is here to answer all your questions about the brain and technology, and the sometimes scary world where they interact. Who owns the data from our brains? Can machines really interpret human thoughts? And what happens as AI and neuroscience collide?