Technology
Technology: Volt Typhoon - the infrastructure 'sleeper cell'
Tech commentator Tony Grasso looks at new warnings from security agencies here and in Australia about 'Volt Typhoon', a Chinese-sponsored hacking group that looks to disrupt critical infrastructure.
…Mark Zuckerberg grilled over whether Instagram is addictive
He did not respond to a question about what his message would be to parents who say their children were harmed by social media.
YouTube suffers widespread outage
Video sharing site YouTube has suffered a widespread outage, with hundreds of thousands of users reporting issues from around the world.
Would you leave your shopping to AI?
How we shop could be about to change dramatically, thanks to an AI innovation. Agentic AI can give recommendations and complete commercial transactions on your behalf - without you ever having to… Audio
Tech Tuesday: Battery Power in the spotlight
Tim Batt is with Jesse to discuss what's got people talking in the tech world, today he's looking into advancements in batteries and the new incoming low cost MacBook. Audio
'Machines will play an increasing role in targeting' - NZDF's vision for the future
Visions of a digital twin for each soldier, laser weapons and drones using satellites to engage with targets before a human pulls the trigger are all in the latest NZDF briefing.
Can AI legally be an inventor?
The New Zealand courts are set to be challenged on whether AI can legally be an inventor.
Judge catches arsonist using AI to pen apology letters
Judge Tom Gilbert was unimpressed when he made the discovery after reading Michae Ngaire Win's correspondence and putting it through ChatGPT software to test its authenticity.
US billionaires Musk, Bezos race China to moon
Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos pivot their space firms toward the moon as NASA urges speed in the race with China.
What's with the AI caricatures taking over social media feeds?
The caricatures are meant to be a culmination of everything ChatGPT knows about a person, but they have also brought up questions around privacy and personal information.
What's with the AI caricatures taking over social media feeds?
The caricatures are meant to be a culmination of everything ChatGPT knows about a person, but they have also brought up questions around privacy and personal information.
AI researchers sounding alarm on way out the door
Analysis: In just the past few days, a number of high-profile AI staffers have decided to call it quits.
Instagram boss denies social media can be 'clinically addictive'
The lawsuit is the first of more than 1500 similar cases to go to trial and could serve as a test of whether the social media giants can be held responsible for claims that they've harmed young users'…
Midday Report Essentials for Thursday 12 February 2026
New numbers out this morning paint a picture of a strengthening economy, but Labour isn't convinced and says the government is trying to distract from its poor economic performance by playing… Audio
New ‘Rent a Human’ website where AI agents buy human labour
Paul Spain, futurist and chief executive at Gorilla Technology spoke to Guyon Espiner about a new Rent a Human website where AI agents buy human labour. Audio
Tech: How to get rid of unwanted emails
We've all received unwanted emails, but does unsubscribing from them really work? Tech commentator Alex Sims looks at the law covering spam emails, penalties for breaches and what you can do to reduce… Audio
Evening business for 9 Februaruy 2026
News from the business sector, including a market report. Audio
Bet on it! We take a look at the rise of prediction markets
Celebrity weddings, the war in Ukraine, election outcomes; the future is now a marketplace with the rise of prediction apps like Polymarket and Kalshi. Users can put money on trades about what might… Audio
How fake NZ news pages are swamping Facebook with AI slop
Analysis - "Fake NZ news" pages are bombarding social media with misleading slop, including using AI to animate photos of a teenage landslide victim. Audio
Can you distinguish fake news from real news?
How do you know what you read online is accurate and real? We're asking because an investigation has discovered that fake "New Zealand news" pages are flooding Facebook and they are proving very hard… Audio
