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Download This Show is your weekly guide to the world of media, culture, and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues. Each week Rae Johnston and guests take a fun, deep dive into how technology is reshaping our lives.
132 Episodes
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This week, an Australian video game called Hollow Knight: Silksong is the biggest video game in the world. It’s made by a small team out of Adelaide and has already sold millions of copies worldwide. What could this mean for our quietly successful games industry here in Australia? And why do we still have so much trouble seeing video games as a form of art? Also, new research is out that says up to a third of all women playing video games feel guilt-ridden about their hobby. While nobody bats an eye about consuming television or film, video games are still stigmatised as something to be ashamed of. What is it about video games that make us feel so unproductive? Plus, what if playing a video game could actively improve your mental health? A team out of Oxford University has developed a game with the express purpose of doing just that. Does it work? And what other games are out there that could be achieving the same thing? GUESTS:Ruby Innes, co-host of Back Pocket Edmond Tran, managing editor of This Week in Video Games This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal Land.
2025 is the 'International Year of Quantum Science and Technology', but what actually is quantum science? IBM and AMD are teaming up to champion 'quantum-centric supercomputing' – but what's the difference between a supercomputer and a regular computer? Will we ever see a supercomputer show up in our own homes? And why is Australia making a billion-dollar bet on a quantum computing facility in Brisbane? Plus, how and why did scientists develop a ‘biological qubit’, and could quantum computing be the missing piece in dealing with the impacts of climate change? GUESTS: Justin Hendry, innovation and business reporter for InnovationAus Ben McAllister, Research Fellow - ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics at Swinburne University of Technology This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Naarm.
How much is human adjudication in sport worth, and how much more accurate is Wimbledon's new system? Plus, the CSIRO and the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) have joined forces to research how AI can be used ethically and efficiently in sports.
When 1 in 5 people have been the victim of cybercrime and AI voice scams are on the rise, how do we protect ourselves online? Plus Google may soon be the default browser on Android phones in Australia and say 'hello!' to your new best friend, with new AI-powered kids toys.
America’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a notice they intend to purchase an iris scanning technology that can identify "suspects and inmates who try to hide their identity". Unsurprisingly, it’s raised some red flags.
A sex doll brothel in Berlin is offering a combination of new VR and AI technologies in their plastic playmates. But the Cyberbrothel business falls outside traditional brothel regulations, raising questions how consent, sex work, and tech intersect.
1Snapchat’s AI chatbot, My AI, is raising concerns among teens and parents — with questions about how it's used, what it says, and whether the platform is doing enough to keep young users safe. While there are parental controls available through Snapchat’s Family Centre, many parents may not know they can restrict access to the bot altogether. So, is this feature really as risky as it sounds?Also, major automakers are cancelling their upcoming electric vehicle launches in the US - what does this mean for us here in Australia? And unlike Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface, Synchron’s doesn't require open-skull surgery, and it has an OpenAI chatbot baked in. Is this a win for disability tech? Or the first step towards a Terminator-like revolution? Plus, how do you stop an AI model turning Nazi? What does the Grok drama reveal about how we train our large language models? And is there a better way to be doing it? GUESTS:Tobias Venus, technology and travel journalist Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson, Future Economies reporter for the Australian Associated Press This episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in Meanjin.Technical production by Ann-Marie Debettencour and Allyse Symons.
Big Brother is getting new powers in China with a digital ID system eerily similar to that being proposed in the upcoming teen social media ban. What are the privacy risks involved in needing your government ID to use any old website on the internet? And could this tech be seen in Australia anytime soon?Teachers have been struggling to manage student use of generative AI for years, but maybe its time teachers were taught how to use AI themselves. Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic are investing millions to train teachers how to use AI. Could this be the solution to teacher burnout, or just another way to reduce costs for employers?Also, could tracking your run be a risk to national security? Bodyguards using Strava revealed locations of Swedish leaders and its raised big questions when it comes to how we engage with any app with geo-tracking software. Plus, a new research centre has been unveiled that will explore how AI can help humans ‘speak’ with pets.GUESTS:David Braue, technology journalist at Cybercrime MagazineMichael Cowling, 'Professor tech', Director, Hub for Apple Platform InnovationThis episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal, and Wurundjeri land, and in Naarm.Technical production by Tim Symonds and Allyse Symons.
Do you think you can tell the difference between what's real and what's made by AI? What about writing? Or even music?More AI-generated content is making its way into what we hear, read, and write and it's getting harder and harder to tell the difference. And when we can't tell who's making the things we consume, we can't tell their intentions behind it either. This is true when AI is causing more Australian job losses, and when the UN decides to use an AI avatar in place of real refugees.GUESTS:Erica Mealy, Senior Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of the Sunshine CoastSeamus Byrne, Head of Content at Byteside and a student member of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and SocietyThis episode of Download This Show was made on Gadigal land and in MeanjinTechnical production by Tim Symonds and Marcus Hobbs
In recent years, like many other big technology firms, Microsoft has refocused its business towards developing AI, and this week the firm has announced it's slashing 9,000 jobs. A large chunk of these jobs are coming from its Xbox video gaming unit, with successful and longstanding titles like Elder Scrolls and Forza Motorport in the firing line. Why is Microsoft choosing AI over people? And what difference will this make for players of these games?Also, Nintendo has told shareholders that they're investing in virtual reality. Is Nintendo able to revive this less-than-popular tech? Or is this just another shiny promise for investors?Plus, two million people play eSports in Australia, which is more than five times the amount of Javelin throwers we have, so why is one an Olympic sport and not the other? Could the Brisbane Olympics be the chance for Australia to get in on the ground floor of elite competitive video gaming?GUESTS: Alice Clarke, award-winning tech journo and author of Press Any Button SubstackEdmond Tran, managing editor at This Week in VideogamesThis episode of Download This Show was made in Gadigal land and in Naarm. Technical production by Roi Huberman and Matthew Sigley.
This week on Download This Show, we're getting up to speed with what on Earth is going on with the teen social media ban. From new standards being announced to experts quitting in protest -- it's proving to be a busy time for the people making decisions about what our teens get to see online.
The apps and online tools that are being used in international political action, Tesla drama and the future of autonomous vehicles, what's going on with AI search engine overviews, and the story behind 40,000 cameras being exposed to the internet. This week on Download This Show.
A lawsuit from the house of mouse, Apple being forced to let you download apps outside the app store, a huge hole in Gmail's data security, plus a world where generative AI is doing critical computer coding. This week on Download This Show.
Why do hackers have weird and wacky non-serious names? And why are British politicians blaming Apple and Google for the rise in phone thefts? Plus, there have been breakthroughs in the world of brain implants, and we break down how and when to use a VPN. This week on Download This Show.
In a special AI deep-dive episode of Download This Show, researchers Sandra Peter and Kai Remer break down how AI chatbots are changing the way humans behave, and why we now want to talk to chatbots more than we want to talk to people.
AI interviewing you for a job, hackable digital drivers licences, dating app safety, and CIA-run Star Wars websites. This week on Download This Show.
Haunted video games, a tech feud between Apple and Epic Games, how tracking apps can be used in coercive control, and Discord transitioning into cool kid territory, this week on Download This Show.
Airbnb's midlife crisis, digital ID age verification, and facial recognition software on social media, this week on Download This Show.
Crypto heists, OpenAIs mission for good continues, and the dangerous world of unregulated chatbots for minors and women. This week on Download This Show.
Content moderators suing for psychological distress, checking in on the teen social media ban, and what do we do now that ChatGPT is supposedly indistinguishable from humans? This week on Download This Show.
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gender pay gap, what a bunch of ignorant idiots.
been listening for years and still love it. 👍👍👍👍👍
if even half of musk's Twitter users paid $8 that would earn him 824 million dollars in one day yeah one day $824 million
Great show. Thanks for making it I always run listening to you.
You're garbage leftards
Thanks for a great podcast ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Terrific and very informative ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
why is no one watching Australian free-to-air TV?, it s*** that's why, it's absolute s***!
love this podcast Mark. Best podcast theme music around!
great episode, loved hearing about kids fb app.
Marc I have been a long time listener. Love the show and always learn something new. Well done!
The worst thing about Covidsafe is that when you turn it off it quickly turns itself on again. So if you do have battery issues you don't have the option of just turning it on when you need it, which is hardly ever when staying at home without visitors. The only way to turn it off is to uninstall it, which is what I did after two days of the inconvenience of needing to leave my phone charging all night (not good for the battery) & additionally recharging during the day. As a programmer myself, it seems extremely bad form to write software that won't stay off when the user chooses to turn it off. It will also be an inconvenience to reinstall each time I do need to go out, but at least that will only be an occasional inconvenience.
Biased show. Ray Johnson is a regular guest. She is paranoid about privacy. She is probably a technophobe in secret. Very unbalanced show. I wish they had more impartial journalists. Mark keeps inviting fear mongering journalists that are opinionated, biased and ill informed. Please invite better guests.
Always fun!
s. z. s. z
z. z. z. z
Great show.
Ladies...phablets are just big...I don't think it has to do with male dominance. Think about us asians..the new phones are always too big for us.
Marc is a great employee.