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New life for radio astronomy station
New Zealand's tiny community of radioastronomers was dealt a major blow last year when costing cutting at AUT saw its research operations at the Warkworth Satellite Earth Station shut down.
Griffin on Tech: Microsoft’s leg-up from the Govt and the tech bro cage fight
RNZ's Phil Pennington continues to do valuable investigative work using the Official Information Act to shine a light on the inner workings of government, including its use of technology.
With campus numbers plummeting due to online learning, do we need two categories of university degree?
As recent headlines have made clear, New Zealand universities are in an existential crisis for a variety of reasons, including a sharp drop in international student numbers and chronic underfunding.
Hi-Tech Awards: Against the gloom, an upbeat industry looks to the future…
In the modern splendour of Christchurch's Te Pae Convention Centre, the tech sector came together to honour its most successful, impactful and inspiring companies and individuals on Friday.
Griffin on Tech: Gabrielle’s telecoms lessons and the limits of DIY innovation
New reports show the barriers the telecoms industry faced in responding to Cyclone Gabrielle. We need to do better - and quickly.
Griffin on Tech: AI Act progress, Kim's extradition, and women-led start-ups
It's full steam ahead on AI regulation in Europe with members of the EU Parliament passing the draft text of the Artificial Intelligence Act with strong consensus - 499 to 28 votes in favour.
New digital skills initiatives target Māori, Pasifika and the primary sector
Public cloud provider AWS has joined a handful of tech companies in offering digital access to STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) topics for low-decile intermediate schools.
AI the game changer, but who is allowed to play?
AI: What we don’t want is to have is two games, one benefitting those who have access and one where the game rules punish those who don’t.
Griffin on Tech: ChatGPT bans and the the rise of ‘FedGPT’
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment this week became the first government department to explicitly ban staff from using ChatGPT.
AI no antidote to healthcare sector woes
With hospitals overwhelmed and patients facing big delays, it's tempting to think that the health sector is a prime candidate to receive a much-needed productivity boost from artificial intelligence.
Don’t mention the metaverse - Apple finally debuts its mixed reality headset
Apple has debuted its long-anticipated mixed reality headset, the Apple Vision Pro, with the aim of creating a "fully three-dimensional user interface" but with an eye-watering price tag.
Griffin on Tech: The tide is (slowly) turning on R&D spending
Our businesses spent an additional $1 billion on R&D in the last nine months. That's great for the economy, but there's a long way to go to match spending in other OECD countries.
Digital twin industry effort kicks off
An industry partnership aimed at advancing digital twin technology has launched mirroring efforts across the Tasman to explore how digital twins can be used.
Fighting foot & mouth disease: An algorithm could make all the difference
A team of University of Canterbury scientists have set out to develop algorithms to inform biosecurity efforts to tackle biological threats that could have devastating impacts on the environment - and…
Griffin on Tech: Amid generative AI frenzy, Privacy Commissioner sounds a warning
Do we have the regulatory tools to deal with generative AI? Our Privacy Commissioner says 'yes', but urges companies and government departments to proceed with caution.
What is a black box? A computer scientist explains what it means when the inner workings of AIs are hidden
The field of explainable AI is working to develop algorithms that, while not necessarily glass box, can be better understood by humans.
Griffin on Tech: Let’s take Sam Altman at his work and regulate AI
The AI Act has the potential to offer a template for countries including New Zealand to begin legislating. The sooner we get moving on that the better.
Budget 2023: No frills but money in the pot for science & tech
Grant Robertson's budget sought to relieve pressure resulting for the escalating costs of living but lived up to the pre-budget hints at forward-looking investments in science, tech and skills.
When US$200,000+ is the median - insights into what listed US tech companies pay
A review of median salaries offered at publicly listed tech companies shows the extent to which they continue to pay high salaries, particularly for software engineering expertise that allows them to …
Griffin on Tech: Budget 2023 - Science, tech and skills in focus
Chris Hipkins has flagged a budget with a focus on science, tech, skills and infrastructure. Will it deliver for the digital economy?
