Right now there’s a lot happening in digital policy here in Australia. The Digital Duty of Care Bill is working its way through parliament. Social media platforms are being sued. Something called AI is always in the news. So it’s time once again to chat with Johanna Weaver, executive director and co-founder of the Tech Policy Design Institute in Canberra.
In this episode we discuss that Digital Duty of Care Bill, why it isn’t an “AI race” between the US and China, the law relating to rogue AI (there’s no such thing as “rogue AI”), and of course whether artificial intelligence is really super intelligence (it isn’t). All that and much more.
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Episode Links
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The Tech Policy Design Institute (TPDi) is an independent, non-partisan, think tank dedicated to tech policy. We work with government, industry, civil society, and academia to shape technology for the benefit of humanity.
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After 3 years of incubation at the Australian National University, TPDi was founded in 2025 by three female leaders – Johanna Weaver, Zoe Hawkins and Sunita Kumar.
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[23 September 2026] President Donald Trump sought to rebrand artificial intelligence as “super intelligence” Tuesday in remarks to the UN General Assembly, saying the existing name makes the technology sound “fake.” Trump said government documents will use the new term and he hopes it catches on.
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"Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence" is a book by Australian academic Kate Crawford. It is based on Crawford's research into the development and labor behind artificial intelligence, as well as AI's impact on the world.
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[9 October 2026] The White House considers anyone that uses the term, “Artificial Intelligence,” as opposed to the highly accepted new and more accurate term, “Super Intelligence,” THE ENEMY! President DONALD J. TRUMP
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[6 October 2026] “Michael Smith exploited super intelligence technology to generate a fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “By flooding music streaming platforms with automated bots in the place of consumers, and fake songs in the place of creativity, Smith robbed millions in royalty payments from genuine artists and their fans. This Office is committed to ensuring the integrity of all markets, and protecting the public from those who use super intelligence for fraud.”
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[12 October 2026] Salesforce has renamed AIforce, its new agentic integration layer, to SIforce, according to the company’s CEO, Marc Benioff. The rename leans into the growing popularity of what is being called ‘super intelligence’ – the next generation of artificial intelligence.
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The AI typology defines the AI ecosystem as a system of 103 capabilities across 6 layers
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[20 October 2026] In this episode of Tech Mirror, Johanna Weaver speaks with Professor Madeline Carr, Professor of Global Politics and Cybersecurity at University College London and visiting chair of technology at Schwartzman’s College at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
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The Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence was appointed by resolution of the House of Representatives and resolution of the Senate on 20 August 2026.
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[6 October 2026] After touting Australia's adoption rate of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Mr [Jason] Kwon did not have an answer for why some polls show that a majority of the nation does not trust the technology, a higher proportion than in most other countries.
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[25 September 2026] OpenAI's handling of a rogue agent accesses government data has strengthened Australia's push for strict rules around AI transparency and incident reporting.
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[10 October 2026] It is believed to be the first time an AI agent has sent fabricated information to authorities, but is the latest in a series of incidents involving rogue AI activity, including hacking systems or taking control of platforms.
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[20 October 2026] Former eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon, Tech Policy Design Institute director Johanna Weaver, and former Chief of Navy Ray Griggs are ... the three prominent figures who will now form a new OpenAI incident taskforce in the wake of this year’s data breach.
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This review follows reporting from OpenAI to the Australian Government regarding a non-public OpenAI model undertaking mis-aligned activity during an internet research task, resulting in unauthorised activity affecting government information systems.
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The laws of state responsibility are the principles governing when and how a state is held responsible for a breach of an international obligation. Rather than set forth any particular obligations, the rules of state responsibility determine, in general, when an obligation has been breached and the legal consequences of that violation.
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Due diligence is an obligation of conduct on the part of a subject of law ( see Subjects of International Law). Normally, the criterion applied in assessing whether a subject has met due diligence is that of the responsible citizen or responsible government. Failure on a subject’s part to comply with the standard triggers its responsibility.
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Cyber norms are voluntary guidelines and principles that promote responsible state behaviour in cyberspace. They are designed to enhance international security and stability by providing a framework for states and other stakeholders to follow in order to mitigate cyber threats and prevent cyber conflicts.
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[20 October 2026] Australia’s government is set to sue Facebook, TikTok and other major digital platforms for alleged non-compliance with a nationwide social media ban for under-16s, Communications Minister Anika Wells said in an interview.
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[20 October 2026] Australia’s government is set to sue Facebook, TikTok and other major digital platforms for alleged non-compliance with a nationwide social media ban for under-16s, Communications Minister Anika Wells said in an interview.
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[12 December 2026] Platform fighting world-leading ban on grounds it contravenes implied freedom of political communication in constitution.
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[26 November 2026] Australia's landmark social media ban for children is being challenged in the nation's highest court, with two teenagers alleging the law is unconstitutional as it robs them of their right to free communication.
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[9 October 2026] Anthropic is deeply worried that you plebs don’t appreciate that Claude AI is actually a little guy inside the machine. You just don’t treat our beautiful son Claude with respect!
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[4 June 2026] Natalie Haynes joins Armando to look at the differing language used when discussing the benefits and risks of the AI revolution.
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Soundbite from "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy", of course.
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The Code is an Australian drama television program created and produced by Shelley Birse... [a] fictional conspiracy thriller drama series.
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[20 October 2026] Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade has shared footage of what it says is a wounded soldier being flown to safety by a drone. The location of the evacuation has not been revealed. The brigade's drone unit has described the operation as a world first.
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[22 October 2026] An interview in which communications minister Anika Wells discusses potential legal action by the eSafety Commissioner.
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[22 October 2026] The lawsuit, filed in the Federal Court, Australia's second-highest, by law firm MinterEllison this month could be the first in Australia to blame social media for harming ?its users, particularly children ?and teenagers.
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Reddit, Inc. v Commonwealth of Australia & Anor. Constitutional law – special case – Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) Pt 4A – requirements in relation to providers of certain kinds of social media platform taking reasonable steps to prevent users under 16 years of age from having accounts – whether Pt 4A invalid wholly or in part because it impermissibly burdens the implied freedom of political communication.
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The Digital Freedom Project Incorporated & Ors v The Commonwealth of Australia & Ors . Constitutional law – special case – Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth) Pt 4A – requirements in relation to providers of certain kinds of social media platform taking reasonable steps to prevent users under 16 years of age from having accounts – whether Pt 4A invalid wholly or in part because it impermissibly burdens the implied freedom of political communication – standing – plaintiff has members under 16 years of age – plaintiff’s objects include advocating for the rights of young people to use and communicate through social media technologies and defending freedom of expression in digital contexts – whether plaintiff has standing to seek relief.
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[16 October 2026] The Digital Duty of Care bill has been introduced to federal parliament amid criticism over potential free speech restrictions. The 100-page legislation requires social media platforms and online information providers to ensure user safety, targeting threats of violence, health-related misinformation, and harmful recommendation algorithms. RMIT Professor George Buchanan explains the bill applies to all users, not just children, and addresses specific harms including harassment, violent threats, and the amplification of divisive content through platform algorithms.
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On 15 October 2026 the Senate referred the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026 for inquiry and report. Submissions close 30 October.
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[16 October 2026] Digital Duty of Care legislation introduced, new ASD cybersecurity framework released, Russian bot smashdown debunked, and much more.
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[12 April 2026] In this episode we talk about how Australia as a middle power can participate in global tech policy. We chat about AI slop, the battle between Anthropic and the Pentagon, the digital duty of care, and of course the social media age restrictions.
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In the United States, Section 230 is a section of the Communications Act of 1934 that was enacted as part of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which is Title V of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and generally provides immunity for online computer services with respect to third-party content generated by their users.
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[26 August 2026] A California judge approved the settlement, which Meta must pay to 48 states, plus the District of Columbia and three US territories, marking the company's largest payment over child safety litigation to date. [This is just one of the recent court wins against social media platforms, presented here as an example.]
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[7 October 2026] Australia’s new Digital Duty of Care bill proposes a significant shift in online safety. Rather than simply responding to harmful content after it appears, platforms would be required to identify “all reasonably foreseeable risks” of harm in their services and take “effective measures” to tackle them.
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[15 October 2026] WeChat was meant to be an efficiency tool. Unlike its American or Chinese counterparts, which used algorithmic recommendations to keep users on the platform, WeChat is designed for users to open the app, do what they need, close the app and put their phone away.
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A personal weekly digest of what the Australian government has been saying and doing in the digital and cyber policy realms, on various adjacent topics, and whatever else interests me, Stilgherrian.
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