Earlier this year I received comments on an academic manuscript of mine as part of the usual peer review process, and noticed something strange. My research focuses on ensuring trustworthy evidence is used to inform policy, practice and decision making. I often collaborate with groups like the World Health Organization to conduct systematic reviews to […] … learn more→

I’ve just finished reviewing a number of research grant applications. One of the things I noticed, and not in a good way, was that writers very often repeated themselves. That is, I not only read the same sentences, but also entire paragraphs and in some instances several paragraphs, in the answers to different questions. Now, […] … learn more→

The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has secured unprecedented access to at least seven sensitive federal databases, including those of the Internal Revenue Service and Social Security Administration. This access has sparked fears about cybersecurity vulnerabilities and privacy violations. Another concern has received far less attention: the potential use of the data to train a private company’s artificial […] … learn more→

The recent context of the elections in the United States and the controversies surrounding the image of Elon Musk making a Nazi salute have shown the need for education on these photos and videos that circulate massively online. The regulation of uses and technologies is an issue even if Europe measures the limits of the means at its […] … learn more→

Melbourne-based publisher Black Inc Books is seeking to partner with an unnamed AI company or companies and wants its authors to allow their work to be used to train artificial intelligence. Writers were reportedly asked to permit Black Inc the ability to exercise key rights within their copyright to help develop machine learning and AI systems. This includes using […] … learn more→

Most PhD candidates imagine their thesis being read by expert examiners in their field. What they don’t realise is that sometimes their work ends up on the desk of a university committee made up of senior academics from completely different disciplines. As a member of one such higher degrees committee, I’ve reviewed dozens of examination […] … learn more→

Most English-language learning classrooms use conventional teaching methods that focus on grammar drills, vocabulary memorization, reading comprehension and structured writing tasks — all with the emphasis on language accuracy. Unfortunately, these teaching methods don’t address newcomers’ needs or build on their strengths. This manner of teaching also fails to acknowledge students’ diverse experiences, skills and […] … learn more→

How much is your voice worth? It could be as little as roughly A$100. That was how much ABC News Verify recently spent to clone federal senator Jacqui Lambie’s voice – with her permission – using an easily accessible online platform. This example highlights how artificial intelligence (AI) apps which create a synthetic replica of a person’s […] … learn more→

Social networks have revolutionised the way we communicate, both in the personal and institutional and political spheres. In the case of young people, they are the environment in which they obtain information and form their beliefs. This has a negative side, since being their main channels of information, they can promote the radicalisation of political […] … learn more→

The typical adult in the UK spends nearly two hours on social media per day. And for younger users, this can easily be up to five hours. The likes of Instagram or TikTok seem to draw us into their ever-changing feeds and it’s difficult to tear ourselves away from these platforms. Now our latest study shows that even our […] … learn more→