Future Tense

Technology companies aren’t just stealing your intellectual property – your creative content - they’re making vast profits out of selling it back to you. AI-powered apps like ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of stolen data. What’s worse, it’s all justified as a public good. They call it “efficient infringement”. So, why are they allowed to get away with it? And what can be done about it? Also, the Living Building Challenge – it’s about building better construction and healthier communities; and a call for greater focus on prevention in dealing with domestic violence.  

It's estimated that by 2050 more than 70 per cent of the world's population will live in cities. Urbanisation carries many benefits, but it also threatens to intensify the climate crisis. So, how do we better design our cities to minimise the "urban heat island" effect? The solutions are out there, but do we have the will to put them into practice?

The constant upgrading of technology is wearing people down — one in five Australians now saying they feel "overwhelmed" by technological change, according to a recent report. Those at greatest risk of falling further behind include the elderly, the indigenous and migrant and refugee communities. In both health and education there's a push underway to improve access to vital technologies and create a more inclusive digital environment

Unlike animals, trees don't have a biological clock, under ideal conditions they can live for thousands of years. Scientists say understanding how ancient trees have survived could help us protect forests from the ravages of climate change. But working out how to propagate them is the tricky part.

In this episode of Future Tense – why charities should have a limited future… getting academics and researchers to think about the end of their research, not just the beginning… and a thoughtful take on the outsourcing of our intelligence –what do we lose when we let machines think for us?

Austrian archaeologist, Immo Trinks, has a grand ambition – to map the entire landscape of Europe, below ground! The 3D scanning technology he's using won't just uncover hidden archaeological treasures, it can also be used to check below our cities and major transportation routes for geological faults. Also, why mucking about with subatomic particles could help scientists develop a form of underground GPS.

The hydrofoil looks set for a second coming – as a ferry. The boats, which are fitted with skis and electric batteries, literally plane across the top of the water. They're fast, less polluting than traditional passenger craft and could be the perfect marriage between climate-friendly technology and rapid transit needs. Authorities in Sweden and the UK are just about to begin trials. Also, turning trucks into trams – why are Swedish researchers looking to electrify their roads? And the floating, solar vegie-patch – could it boost food production for remote or disadvantaged communities.

Amazon now feels more like a racket than an open shopping platform; you can't find posts from your friends on Facebook because it's clogged with unsolicited advertising; and Uber no longer seems like a cool, efficient taxi service, it's morphed instead into a global machine for turning gig workers into the new underclass – it's all part of a process Cory Doctorow has dubbed "enshittification". In this feature interview, the Canadian sci-fi author, journalist and digital rights activist explains why the digital world seems so exploitative and tawdry. But he has optimism for how things might be improved in the future.

Advanced Artificial Intelligence and new digital technologies are revolutionising the architectural industry. Architects in Brisbane, for example, have mapped every millimetre of historic Lamb House using a 3D scanner – inside and out – and the speed and accuracy of their modelling saves money and prevents error. The opportunities for creativity are enormous, particularly where AI is concerned. But is the industry inadvertently making itself redundant?

Science and technology cannot solve our most challenging and complex environmental problems. At least not on their own, not without a greater emphasis on person-to-person engagement — people working together across knowledge systems. ABC Top 5 Science Media Resident, Dr Rohan Fisher, says sci-tech too often avoids the difficult, social-political and cultural dimensions. Human-generated problems require human-centric solutions, he argues. In this episode we explore how to utilise tech and science communication in ways that support local knowledge.