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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Could your AI agent end humanity?

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Could your AI agent end humanity?