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AI agents are popping up everywhere: Facebook, OpenAI, Google. Meanwhile, tech leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are warning these agents could end humanity. So, how much of this is a marketing tool, and what threat do AI agents actually pose?
We'll return to the basics: what are AI agents, and how much should you be trusting them with? What happens if your AI agent, say... hacks into Medicare?
Plus, deepfakes are distorting the Victorian election. What are deepfakes, how do you know you've seen them, and how are they legal in an election campaign?
GUESTS:
Dr Lorenn Ruster, senior research fellow at the ANU Leadership & Complexity Lab.
Tama Leaver, Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, and Chief Investigator at the ARC Centre for Excellence for the Digital Child.
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You might also like:
Our episode about the social media platform for AI agents, Moltbook. We also cover the dead internet theory: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/more-bots-than-people-dead-internet-theory/106256520
Our episode with the highlights of Melbourne Games Week. https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/downloadthisshow/roblox-child-safety-esafety-commissioner/107067976
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Technology helped get us into the climate crisis. Could it also get us out?
Bringing extinct species back to life, seeding clouds to control the weather, and cleaning up nuclear energy are just some of the "techno fixes" hawked as solutions to our biggest environmental problems. But at what cost?
And if we are entering an era where technology can reshape the planet, who gets to decide how it’s used, and how do the rest of us get a say?
GUEST:
Richard King, author of Here Be Monsters, which asks is technology reducing our humanity; and Brave New Wild which asks can technology save the planet.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

Are rental applications asking for less personal information now? How safe is your data on 2Apply? And how has 2Apply responded to OAIC's concerns about data privacy?
In April, the Privacy Commissioner called out rental technology platforms, especially 2Apply, for collecting "excessive personal information". So, in our The Renter Algorithm special episodes, we investigated how renters' personal information is being used to create 'risk profiles'*, the power imbalance created by this data collection, and how we got to this point in the first place.
2Apply itself didn't replied when we reached out for comment. But they have now. So, what do they have to say?
Download's special episodes on rental technology platforms can be found here:
Episode 1: The invisible system judging tenants
Episode 2: Dark patterns and the illusion of choice
Samantha Floreani's article on one of the key changes made since our episodes went to air is here. Our recent episode on the proposed Privacy Act updates is here.
*Since reaching out, 2Apply has clarified they do not use the auto-generated risk profiles we talk about in the special episodes.
GUEST:
Matt McGown, Chief Product Officer at real estate software company Reapit (2Apply's parent company).
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
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Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

What impact is reading on your Kobo or Kindle having on your brain? As AI turns up in writing, reviewing and literary prizes, how do we decide what's genuinely human creativity? And how is the Australian publishing industry changing as a result of BookTok, Bookstagram and Goodreads?
GUESTS:
Anna Burkey, CEO of Australia Reads.
Bec Kavanagh, senior tutor in creative writing and publishing at the University of Melbourne, and former bookseller.
Bec & Anna's book recommendations:
Anna says Jaclyn Moriarty who wrote Time Travel for Beginners (2026) has an incredible way with words.
Bec prefers works in translation (writing translated from one language to another) as well as short fiction writers. She says Rita Bullwinkle's Headshot (2025) was phenomenal, and that Dahlia de la Cerda's Reservoir Bitches (2024) is top of her TBR list.
Voting is still open for the ABC Radio National's Top100 Books countdown. You can vote for your favourite Australian books here: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/radionational/top-100-books-2026/106621398
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.

It's not just phones. How much do our TVs, streaming boxes, and browsers know?
This week, we look at research that suggests some LG TVs may be gathering more information about our viewing habits than we realised. Plus, there's a streaming box promising free access to subscription services. Is it too good to be true? And how much does it know about me?
And, a former white-hat hacker gives us an internet hygiene refresher. Is public wifi risky? Can I save my passwords in my browser? And does multi-factor authentication actually work?
GUESTS:
Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, AAP specialist reporter.
Alex Hope, professional ethical hacker and cybersecurity expert.
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This episode was produced on the lands of the Gadigal, Burramattagal, Darug, Gundungurra, and Wurundjeri peoples.
------------
Get in touch:
We'd love to hear from you! Email us at downloadthisshow@abc.net.au
Find all the episodes of Download This Show on the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.