Burning Platforms

Poisoning AI with Prof Toby Walsh

The Large Language Models are powered by stolen data but there are new and innovative ways to make the thieves pay. Professor Toby Walsh explains the tech-driven resistance to Big AI from data poisoning to responsible cloud computing.
With panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Editor of the Sizzle Cam Wilson, and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis we also discuss:
Qantas’ big data hack
Victoria’s foray into AI policing
and how Velvet Sunset’s fake music is bringing tears to Peter’s eyes
To discuss the issues raised in this episode join us in the Democracy Sandpit - https://civility.bettermode.io/welcome

Scammed! With Alex Brooks

"I thought old people got scammed. And actually young people are at greater risk because they have more confidence in dealing [with things] online."
This week on Burning Platforms, the team learns how the financial scam industry has become an enthusiastic early adapter of AI and how the banks are working around the clock to ensure they aren’t the ones liable for the ensuing harm. 
With our regular panelists Digital Rights Watch Chair, Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton, Per Capita’s Peter Lewis, who are joined by co-founder of Scams Victims Alliance, Alex Brooks. 
To discuss the issues raised in this episode join us in the Democracy Sandpit. (https://civility.bettermode.io/welcome)
For more about Scams Victims Alliance go to: https://scamvictimalliance.org.au/ 

Dr Alondra Nelson’s Intelligence

"What could things have become? You could imagine if the baton had been passed from the Obama administration to a Clinton administration... an American public much more ready... for the turns in AI that we are facing now."
 
On this week's Burning Platforms, our panel spends some quality time with the architect of the Biden Administration’s AI executive order, Dr Alondra Nelson.
 
With regular panelists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton, and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis.
 
Join the conversation. Get involved with the Burning Platforms community in the Democracy Sandpit - https://civility.bettermode.io/

Grok-ing Out with Julie Inman-Grant

 
Burning Platforms struggles to make sense of white genocide, design unicorns and the all-seeing Apple Eye.
E-Safety Commissioner Julie Inman-Grant joins regular panellists Digital Rights Watch founder Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis for our regular dive into the world of tech and politics.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

The Holy Trinity Edition

Good things come in threes and this week’s Burning Platforms looks at the inspiration behind the new Pope’s decision to name himself Leo, the critical changes to the Labor Government’s front bench and Mark Zuckerberg maximum number of friends.
 
Regular panellists Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis and joined by Professor Dan Angus from QUT’S Digital Research Centre.

2025 Federal Election Special (or Much Ado About Nothing)

With a federal election within days, Burning Platforms looks at the lack of discussion about tech and whether that is a good or bad thing.
 
With Digital Rights Watch Chair Lizzie O’Shea, Per Capita’s Peter Lewis and special guests, Editor of The Sizzle, Cam Wilson and Dr Rys Farthing from Reset Australia.
 
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/
 
Support our guests by checking out their content and work.
Subscribe to The Sizzle! - https://thesizzle.com.au/
Reset Australia's work on the Child Online Privacy Code - https://au.reset.tech/news/welcoming-a-children-s-privacy-code/

Distilling the Slop

As the world teeters on the brink of whatever comes after globalisation we dive deep into the way AI is transforming film-making with the director of the iconic Australian film Kenny, Clay Jacobson.
 
Our regular panel of Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health engine CEO Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis also discuss:
The theory that the Trump Tariffs were cooked up by a chatbot
The growing chance that the FTC anti-trust case against Meta is history; and 
The backlash against Chat GPT’s appropriation of Studio Ghibli’s acclaimed work.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

Taxing Times

On this week's episode of Burning Platforms, the gang looks at global efforts to force Big Tech to pay their share of tax with special guest Dr Mark Zirnsak from the Tax Justice Network.
 
With our regular panelists Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine Dan Stinton and Per Capita’s Peter Lewis.
 
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

The National Trust

 
This week on Burning Platforms, we dive deep into a new initiative to understand the role of Trust in the relationship between society and technology with special guest, Professor Terry Flew.
 
With regular panelists Per Capita’s Peter Lewis,  Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea and Health Engine Dan Stinton, we'll also look at: 
Data Centre Diplomacy
will Google’s AI search eat itself?
and Digg’s reboot
 
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/

World Gone Wild

Burning Platforms is back for 2025.
With the tech overlords in the ascendant, particularly following the US election, we take stock of the impending inferno with our regular panel Per Capita’s Peter Lewis, Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea, Health Engine Dan Stinton, and special guest, fresh from the Paris AI Summit, Professor Nick Davis from UTS’ Human Technology Institute.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Town Crier, the official newsletter of the Centre for the Public Square and Burning Platforms podcast: https://the-town-crier-2.ghost.io/