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Jon Whittle

Director, Data61
Jon Whittle is Director of CSIRO's Data61, the digital and data science arm of Australia's national science agency. With around 1000 staff and affiliates, Data61 is one of the largest collections of R&D expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in the world. Data61 partners with over 200 industry and government organisations, over 30 Universities, and works across vertical sectors in manufacturing, health, agriculture, and the environment. Prior to joining Data61, Jon was Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology at Monash University, the largest university in Australia. He was named CEO Magazine's 2019 Education Executive of the Year. Jon is also a former Technical Area Lead at NASA, where he worked on software for NASA space missions. Jon is passionate about the role digital technologies can play in society. He has a world-leading reputation on how to adapt software development methods to fully take into account human values and ethics, so that we build software for a society we want rather than one we get by accident.

AI can’t do your Christmas shopping just yet – but next year might be different

Dec 23, 2024 01:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

Im a computer scientist and a bad Christmas shopper. Over the weekend, I wondered whether AI systems might be able to help me out. Could I just prompt ChatGPT to pick a personalised gift for my cousin Johnny and have it...

AI can now learn to manipulate human behaviour

Feb 12, 2021 08:45 am UTC| Technology

Artificial intelligence (AI) is learning more about how to work with (and on) humans. A recent study has shown how AI can learn to identify vulnerabilities in human habits and behaviours and use them to influence human...

Economy

Trump's Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy

Trumps Bold Moves: A New Era in U.S. Foreign Policy Overview of Trumps Speech and Iran Policy On February 4, 2025, President Donald Trump delivered an important speech after signing some executive orders in the Oval...

China’s Markets Reopen Amid U.S. Trade Tensions and AI Boom

SHANGHAI/HONG KONG (Reuters) Chinas stock markets reopen after the Lunar New Year break, facing renewed trade tensions with the U.S. and major developments in artificial intelligence. Investors are closely monitoring...

Stocks Rally as Earnings Offset US-China Trade War Fears

The SP 500 closed higher Tuesday as investors balanced strong earnings with rising US-China trade tensions. The Dow gained 142 points (0.3%), the SP 500 climbed 0.72%, and the Nasdaq surged 262 points (1.4%). President...

China Hits Back with New Tariffs on U.S. Goods After Trump’s 10% Levy

Chinas finance ministry announced fresh tariffs on U.S. products on Tuesday, responding swiftly to a 10% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump on Chinese imports. The U.S. tariff, which took effect at 0501 GMT, marks...

Trade Truce: Trump Pauses Tariffs as North America Strengthens Borders

+9 Tariff Suspension and Trade Agreements President Donald Trump announced a 30-day tariff halt on imports from Mexico and Canada after successful negotiations. The Mexican president, Claudia Sheinbaum, agreed to...

Politics

Pam Bondi Confirmed as U.S. Attorney General in GOP-Led Senate Vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Pam Bondi as attorney general in a 54-46 vote, solidifying President Donald Trumps influence over the Justice Department. Bondi, a former Florida attorney general and longtime Trump ally, secured...

JD Vance to Attend AI Summit in Paris Amid U.S.-China Tech Competition

U.S. Vice President JD Vance is set to attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action (WA:ACT) Summit in Paris next week, according to a French diplomatic source. The visit comes as global competition in AI intensifies,...

Elon Musk’s Team Gains Access to U.S. Treasury Payment System, Sparking Protests

The U.S. Treasury confirmed that Elon Musks government-efficiency team has been granted read-only access to its payment system codes but denied any disruption to government payments, including Social Security and Medicare....

Hamas Open to Talks with Trump Administration Amid Gaza Tensions

The Palestinian Hamas movement has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with the administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a senior Hamas official cited by Russias RIA news agency. Mousa Abu...

Trump Proposes U.S. Takeover of Gaza, Sparking Global Backlash

President Donald Trump announced a controversial plan to take over the war-torn Gaza Strip, promising economic development after Palestinians are permanently resettled elsewhere. Speaking at a joint press conference with...

Science

South African telescope discovers a giant galaxy that’s 32 times bigger than Earth’s

Inkathazos glowing plasma jets are shown in red and yellow. The starlight from other surrounding galaxies can be seen in the background. K.K.L Charlton (UCT), MeerKAT, HSC, CARTA, IDIA, CC BY You may not know it, but right...

It’s science, not fiction: high-tech drones may soon be fighting bushfires in Australia

Picture this. Its a summer evening in Australia. A dry lightning storm is about to sweep across remote, tinder-dry bushland. The next day is forecast to be hot and windy. A lightning strike tonight could spark a fire that...

Earth is bombarded with rocks from space – but who gets to keep these ultimate antiques?

Every day, about 48.5 tonnes of space rock hurtle towards Earth. Meteorites that fall into the ocean are never recovered. But the ones that crash on land can spark debates about legal ownership. Globally, meteorite hunting...

Most of us trust scientists, shows a survey of nearly 72,000 people worldwide

Public trust in scientists is vital. It can help us with personal decisions on matters like health and provide evidence-based policymaking to assist governments with crises such as the COVID pandemic or climate change. In...

Astronauts on NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon will need better boots − here’s why

The U.S.s return to the Moon with NASAs Artemis program will not be a mere stroll in the park. Instead it will be a perilous journey to a lunar location representing one of the most extreme environments in the solar...

Technology

Honda-Nissan Merger Talks May Be Canceled, Boosting Stock Prices

Honda Motor Co. (TYO:7267) and Nissan Motor Co. (TYO:7201) shares surged on Wednesday after reports suggested they may abandon merger plans. Hondas stock rose 2.9%, while Nissan gained 4.3%. Toyota Motor Corp. (TYO:7203)...

Hong Kong Tech Stocks Rally on AI Optimism Despite U.S. Tariffs

Hong Kong-listed Chinese technology stocks surged as optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) advancements from companies like DeepSeek and Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) overshadowed concerns about new U.S. tariffs. DeepSeeks...

Trump Highlights Strong Interest in TikTok Amid Uncertain Future

Trump Highlights Strong Interest in TikTok Amid Uncertain Future Former U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Monday that there is significant interest in TikTok as his administration works to facilitate the sale of the...

Apple Criticizes EU Porn App, Citing Consumer Trust Concerns

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has voiced strong opposition to a pornography app available on iPhones in the European Union, blaming the blocs Digital Markets Act (DMA) for eroding consumer confidence. The app, Hot Tub, is...

Xiaomi Stock Rises as Morgan Stanley Raises Price Target on EV and AIoT Growth

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) has boosted its price target for Xiaomi (OTC:XIACF) Corp (HK:1810) to HK$45 from HK$35, maintaining an Overweight rating, citing strong growth in electric vehicles (EVs) and AIoT. Analysts...