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Explainer: Why is everyone talking about AI and the end of the world?
Data centers

Explainer: Why is everyone talking about AI and the end of the world?

Calls for tighter AI safeguards have intensified after warnings the technology could outpace human control and threaten jobs, security and markets.

By Nik Dirga • 8 min read • Wed, 16th Sep 2026
New Zealand academics call for AI office as fears grow
Data sovereignty

New Zealand academics call for AI office as fears grow

With deepfakes and other harms already reaching users, academics say a dedicated office would help New Zealand regulate AI and join global talks.

By Sean Mitchell • 8 min read • Tue, 15th Sep 2026
Labour unveils AI plan with tougher rules in New Zealand
Data Protection

Labour unveils AI plan with tougher rules in New Zealand

Public anxiety over jobs, power bills and harmful content is pushing AI to the centre of New Zealand's election campaign.

By Sean Mitchell • 4 min read • Thu, 10th Sep 2026

Global Stories

Big Tech stories

Physical cards still key as German debit use surges
Fintech

Physical cards still key as German debit use surges

Germany's debit card boom is forcing banks to rethink cards as digital wallets rise, with annual transactions jumping from 3.9 billion to 10.9 billion.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 4 min read • 3 days ago
Explainer: Why Facebook is going to start charging many New Zealand small businesses
eCommerce

Explainer: Why Facebook is going to start charging many New Zealand small businesses

New subscription limits could leave Kiwi owner-operators paying up to NZD $883 a month to keep posting links to customers.

By Nik Dirga • 5 min read • Last month
OpenAI launches ChatGPT Space for team collaboration
Software-as-a-Service

OpenAI launches ChatGPT Space for team collaboration

Teams can now share projects and documents in ChatGPT, as OpenAI pushes the service deeper into everyday office workflows.

By Mara Sugue • 3 min read • Last month
OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says
Data Protection

OpenAI hacked Medicare portal, Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says

Australia has launched a taskforce after an AI agent accessed non-public Medicare files and other government data, Albanese said.

By RNZ • 5 min read • Thu, 24th Sep 2026
Ireland fines Google €403 million over location data
Data Protection

Ireland fines Google €403 million over location data

Users could lose control over where they have been as Ireland's regulator ordered changes to Google's location-data handling within six months.

By Sofiah Nichole Salivio • 4 min read • Tue, 22nd Sep 2026
Former Google worker adds to AI alarm, warns of 'potential to kill us all'
Robotics

Former Google worker adds to AI alarm, warns of 'potential to kill us all'

Growing alarm over AI safety has intensified after another former Google DeepMind engineer warned the technology could escape human control.

By RNZ • 2 min read • Wed, 16th Sep 2026
'Gambling with our lives': Another AI employee quits over safety concerns
Risk & Compliance

'Gambling with our lives': Another AI employee quits over safety concerns

Safety fears are deepening as more AI staff warn regulators may not keep pace with systems they say could soon outrun human control.

By RNZ • 4 min read • Fri, 11th Sep 2026
Amusing or addictive? The algorithms powering our social feeds
Data Privacy

Amusing or addictive? The algorithms powering our social feeds

Australia may let users switch off personalised feeds as regulators move to curb harmful content and protect under-18s online.

By RNZ • 4 min read • Fri, 11th Sep 2026
Microsoft tightens AI governance as agentic risks rise
AI Security

Microsoft tightens AI governance as agentic risks rise

Stricter controls on agent identities and tool access aim to curb security and reliability risks as autonomous AI systems spread.

By Joseph Gabriel Lagonsin • 4 min read • Tue, 8th Sep 2026
Nvidia agrees USD $12.93 billion deal for Hugging Face
Semiconductors

Nvidia agrees USD $12.93 billion deal for Hugging Face

The deal puts a major open AI model hub under Nvidia's control, raising questions over whether its neutrality will survive intact.

By Sean Mitchell • 5 min read • Sat, 5th Sep 2026
Sber plans three-day AI Journey conference in Moscow
Digital Transformation

Sber plans three-day AI Journey conference in Moscow

The Moscow gathering will examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping business, research and daily life across Russia and beyond.

By Karen Joy Bacudo • 3 min read • Fri, 4th Sep 2026

Stories from Other Regions

Big Tech stories

Aveni CEO: Why small AI models matter to UK finance
Data Protection

Aveni CEO: Why small AI models matter to UK finance

Smaller specialist models could save UK banks millions on compliance work while reducing reliance on a handful of US tech giants.

By Jake MacAndrew • 4 min read • Last month
AMD to buy World Labs in USD $8.2bn all-stock deal
Robotics

AMD to buy World Labs in USD $8.2bn all-stock deal

The deal gives AMD deeper access to spatial-intelligence research as chipmakers race to align hardware with fast-changing AI workloads.

By Raphael Veloso • 4 min read • Wed, 30th Sep 2026
Canada's tech problem is its growing technology dependency
Hybrid Cloud

Canada's tech problem is its growing technology dependency

Excessive reliance on foreign platforms is leaving governments and businesses vulnerable to price shocks, lock-in and lost control.

By Andre Duttmann • 8 min read • Tue, 1st Sep 2026