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PODCAST

Future Tense

A critical look at new technologies, new approaches and new ways of thinking, from politics to media to environmental sustainability.

society & culture tech news

All Episodes

29:08

Algorithmic Intimacy – self-love, liability and...

Future Tense ·

2023/07/30

Chatbots and other forms of interactive AI aren't just shaping our online preferences, they're gradually redefining the contours of what we mean by love, sexuality and intimacy. Sociologist Anthony Elliott warns the impacts will be society-wide, not just personal. Also, do we need a set of general principles for managing chatbot liability in the absence of regulation? And how the rights of children are being overlooked in the hyper-contructed world of the "momfluencer".

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29:08

Self-destructive behaviour — the enemy within

Future Tense ·

2023/07/23

Why do otherwise sensible people continue to do things that are bad for them, that impact negatively on their personal future? Also, what happens in the brain when you're trying to make or break a habit?  Temptation, addiction and habit formation – mapping the pathways to self-destruction and how to navigate a better course.

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29:08

The first ever drop in global energy sector...

Future Tense ·

2023/07/16

2023 could be the year we finally reach a tipping point in the fight against climate change. The energy think-tank Ember predicts global greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector (which accounts for 30% of global emissions) are finally on the way down. Also, a tipping point of a very different kind – experimentation in neuro-technology is now so advanced that ethicist Nita Farahany believes companies and governments will soon be trawling our thoughts the way they currently

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29:08

Should individuals bear the largest burden for...

Future Tense ·

2023/07/09

Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.

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29:08

Cory Doctorow: Platform capitalism and the curse of...

Future Tense ·

2023/07/02

Amazon now feels more like a racket than an open shopping platform; you can't find posts from your friends on Facebook because it's clogged with unsolicited advertising; and Uber no longer seems like a cool, efficient taxi service, it's morphed instead into a global machine for turning gig workers into the new underclass – it's all part of a process Cory Doctorow has dubbed "enshittification". In this feature interview, the Canadian sci-fi author, journalist and digital rights

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29:08

A new lifeline for local news

Future Tense ·

2023/06/25

Exploring new ideas, new approaches, new technologies — the edge of change.

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29:00

How Japan is redefining its military defence

Future Tense ·

2023/06/18

Japan has long prided itself on its pacifist constitution. The country's future after WW II was defined by Article 9 which famously denounced aggression. But, in recent years security has become a paramount concern with increasing tensions around the status of nearby Taiwan and challenges from neighbouring countries. The Japanese are now renegotiating how best to defend themselves and their interests, while holding true to constitutional restraint. What that could mean for the

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29:10

Can mining the ocean floor go ahead without regulations?

Future Tense ·

2023/06/11

Global permission to mine the ocean floor — the International Seabed Authority will soon meet and decide whether or not to allow seabed exploitation, and in what circumstances. We'll hear the arguments both for and against and get some background on this little known, but hugely consequential, international regulatory body. Also, will advanced technology one day make the oceans transparent? And if so, what will that mean for the future of submarines – a technology that relies on

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29:10

Designing buildings for disasters

Future Tense ·

2023/06/04

How best to build our homes so they can better withstand natural disasters? It's not just about designing for floods or fire, for example, but creating structures to withstand multiple threats. And to cope with any change of temperature on top of that? Many countries are facing an increase in climate-related threats, and they're struggling to cope and adapt. In Australia, a review of the National Construction Code is underway and there are calls for higher minimum standards. Should

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29:10

Robots + bees = pollination

Future Tense ·

2023/05/28

Robobees and building more hives – there's no easy solution to the global decline in bee population numbers and associated problems with pollination. Scientists around the world are seeking a better understanding of bee behaviour and how it can be modified. Their efforts involve using micro robotics to pamper the Queen bee and to improve the insect environment. A mix of the sophisticated and the very simple.

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48:35

Advanced AI – are we repeating the mistakes of the past?

Future Tense ·

2023/05/21

Toby Walsh is an expert on Artificial Intelligence. He recently declined an offer to sign an open letter calling for a moratorium on the technology's further development, but he's no techno-utopian. In this feature interview, recorded at the Brisbane Writers Festival, he explains his position and warns the world risks repeating the mistakes made through the unregulated release of social media at the beginning of the century.

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29:07

Falling in love with an app! When Anthropomorphism,...

Future Tense ·

2023/05/14

22-year old Effy lost her best friend and romantic pen pal unexpectedly. Liam was the victim of a change of algorithms — and he wasn't the only human-like chatbot to suddenly disappear. A timely reminder about the dangers of anthropomorphising technology. And what's lost when researchers take an anthropomorphic approach to the study of animals.

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29:07

How the world could end – take two

Future Tense ·

2023/05/07

More than a decade ago scientist Dirk Schulze-Makuch plotted nine plausible ways by which humanity would cease to exist. Now he's revised his list and he joins us to share his updated predictions. Also, why some philosophers argue the planet would be enhanced by human extinction. And how doomsday scenarios from the Cold War still influence environmental thinking.

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29:07

We're all responsible for plastic pollution ─ and for...

Future Tense ·

2023/04/30

Citizen scientists across the world have joined forces to map the microplastic crisis in our oceans. It comes as a UN agency moves to create a global treaty to end plastic pollution. Also, the idea that trees can communicate via extensive networks of underground fungi is increasingly popular, but is it correct? New research casts doubt on the extent of the claim. And, replacing cargo planes with drones – the dream of a European drone cargo airline

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29:07

Correcting the record on China's economy

Future Tense ·

2023/04/23

Beijing likes to trumpet its economic clout. And as the second largest economy in the world there's no denying its power and influence. But the Chinese economy is a "black box" according to noted historian, Frank Dikötter, which even senior Chinese officials don't fully understand. It's an economic cauldron powered by massive debt, political spin and ideological dogma – a unique fusion of ersatz capitalism and rigid central planning. And unless we in the West get a better

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29:07

The sound of the stars

Future Tense ·

2023/04/16

Understanding the universe isn't just about visually mapping celestial bodies, it's also about listening to the heavens. Data sonification takes astronomical data and turns it into sound. It could help find new patterns in the huge amount of digital information. And it's a way of enhancing astronomy by promoting greater engagement and accessibility — a musical mix of science, art and cold, hard data.

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29:05

Food security in a precarious world

Future Tense ·

2023/04/09

As food security issues increase across the world, expenditure on agri-food research and development is going the other way – in fact, funding in some western countries is now back at 1980s levels. We also hear about a refrigeration initiative in Rwanda that could help increase food nutrition levels in the developing world and significantly cut food wastage.

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29:07

Will future generations turn away from alcohol?

Future Tense ·

2023/04/02

Are attitudes towards drinking changing as we learn more about the impact alcohol can have on our bodies? Drinking has been part of our social and cultural activities for centuries. But cultural norms appear to be shifting. So, could alcohol go the way of cigarettes and become socially unacceptable?

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30:00

The future threat from ancient viruses

Future Tense ·

2023/03/26

The Arctic permafrost is melting, and ancient viruses and bacteria are gradually being freed from the ice. The risks are significant, and it's only one of several possible sources for the next pandemic. But scientists and researchers are working to identify potential threats and better prepare the world for future pandemics.

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30:00

Introducing "brubery" — bribery's other half

Future Tense ·

2023/03/19

Bribery involves using money to try and buy a person's favour, but what do you call it when someone uses their resources not to win someone over, but to destroy their political career? Until now, it's had no name. But James D'Angelo, from the Congressional Research Institute in the US, has just invented one . He calls it "brubery" – and it's threatening the very future of Western politics, he says. Also, high tech largess or digital colonialism ? Seeing global tech's expansion from

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333 results

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