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Toby Walsh

Professor of AI at UNSW, Research Group Leader, Data61
Toby Walsh is a Professor of Artificial Intelligence at UNSW, and Research Leader at Data61 (formerly NICTA) in the Optimisation Research Group where he leads the Algorithmic Decision Theory project. Data61 is Australia's Centre of Excellence for ICT Research.

He has been Editor-in-Chief of two of the main journals in AI: the Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research, and AI Communications. He is currently Associate Editor of one of the leading journals in computer science, the Journal of the ACM covering the area of Artificial Intelligence

Who is Sam Altman, OpenAI's wunderkind ex-CEO – and why does it matter that he got sacked?

Nov 21, 2023 04:00 am UTC| Technology

On Friday, OpenAIs high-flying chief executive Sam Altman was unexpectedly fired by the companys board. Co-founder and chief technology officer Greg Brockman was also removed as the board president, after which he promptly...

The US just issued the world’s strongest action yet on regulating AI. Here’s what to expect

Nov 01, 2023 07:12 am UTC| Technology

On Monday US President Joe Biden released a wide ranging and ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) catapulting the US to the front of conversations about regulating AI. In doing so, the US is leap...

Bard, Bing and Baidu: how big tech's AI race will transform search

Feb 10, 2023 06:07 am UTC| Technology

Today, if you want to find a good moving company, you might ask your favourite search engine Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo perhaps for some advice. After wading past half a page of adverts, you get a load of links to...

Can machines invent things without human help? These AI examples show the answer is ‘yes’

Dec 08, 2022 10:44 am UTC| Technology

The question of whether artificial intelligence (AI) can invent is nearly 200 years old, going back to the very beginning of computing. Victorian mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote whats generally considered the first...

An AI named Cicero can beat humans in Diplomacy, a complex alliance-building game. Here's why that's a big deal

Nov 25, 2022 14:43 pm UTC| Technology

In a rare piece of good news from Meta, artificial intelligence researchers at the company have just announced a scientific breakthrough. Their AI program named Cicero can now play the board game Diplomacy at a human...

How to preserve our privacy in an AI-enabled world of smart fridges and fitbits? Here are my simple fixes

Apr 23, 2022 08:25 am UTC| Technology

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the total entropy of a system the amount of disorder only ever increases. In other words, the amount of order only ever decreases. Privacy is similar to entropy. Privacy is...

Holding big tech companies to account: do their employees have the power?

Aug 25, 2018 07:52 am UTC| Insights & Views Technology

When it comes to the tech giant Google, secret plans to launch a new search service in China prompted a furious reaction from more than 1,400 of the companys employees. A staff letter, obtained by Buzzfeed and published...

Economy

Trump Administration Sued Over Suspension of Critical Hudson River Tunnel Funding

New York and New Jersey have filed an emergency lawsuit against the Trump administration, seeking to restore federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project, a critical piece of U.S. transportation...

Asian Markets Wobble as AI Fears Rattle Stocks, Oil and Gold Rebound

Asian stocks traded on shaky ground on Wednesday as global markets digested sharp losses in U.S. and European equities, driven by growing fears that rapid advances in artificial intelligence could disrupt traditional...

Trump Extends AGOA Trade Program for Africa Through 2026, Supporting Jobs and U.S.-Africa Trade

President Donald Trump has signed legislation extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), a key U.S.-Africa trade program, through December 31, 2026. The extension is retroactive from September 30, 2025,...

Australian Scandium Project Backed by Richard Friedland Poised to Support U.S. Critical Minerals Stockpile

An Australian scandium mining project backed by billionaire mining executive Richard Friedland is expected to play a role in the United States newly announced $12 billion critical minerals stockpile, according to comments...

Japan Services Sector Records Fastest Growth in Nearly a Year as Private Activity Accelerates

Japans services sector showed strong momentum at the start of the year, expanding at its fastest pace in nearly 12 months, while overall private sector activity recorded its quickest growth in almost three years. According...

Politics

Stephen Miran Resigns as White House Economic Adviser Amid Federal Reserve Tenure

Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran has formally resigned from his role as chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), fulfilling a commitment he made to the U.S. Senate as his tenure at the Federal...

U.S. Condemns South Africa’s Expulsion of Israeli Diplomat Amid Rising Diplomatic Tensions

The United States has sharply criticized South Africas recent decision to expel Israels top diplomat, calling the move politically motivated and harmful to diplomatic norms. The condemnation was delivered on Tuesday by...

Russia Prepares for Post–New START Era as U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Control Nears Collapse

Russia has declared it is prepared for a new global security reality in which there are no U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control limits, as the New START treaty is set to expire this week. The landmark agreement, signed in...

Trump Plans Call With Savannah Guthrie After Mother’s Disappearance, Federal Support Considered

U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to personally reach out to NBC News anchor Savannah Guthrie following the disappearance of her 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie, a case that authorities now believe...

UK and US Reaffirm Strategic Importance of Diego Garcia Base Amid Chagos Sovereignty Dispute

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump have reaffirmed the strategic importance of the U.S.-UK military air base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago, committing to close cooperation to...

Science

NASA and SpaceX Target Crew-11 Undocking From ISS Amid Medical Concern

NASA has confirmed that the agency, in coordination with SpaceX, is targeting no earlier than 5 p.m. Eastern Time (2200 GMT) on Wednesday, January 14, for the undocking of the SpaceX Crew-11 mission from the International...

Neuralink Plans High-Volume Brain Implant Production and Fully Automated Surgery by 2026

Elon Musks brain-computer interface company Neuralink is preparing for a major expansion, announcing plans to begin high-volume production of its brain implant devices and transition to a fully automated surgical procedure...

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Technology

Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies

Nvidia is reportedly nearing a major investment deal with OpenAI, signaling a significant development in the global artificial intelligence landscape. According to sources cited by Reuters, the chipmaking giant is in...

Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate

Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic is reportedly preparing a major secondary share sale that would allow some employees to sell shares at a valuation of at least $350 billion, according to a recent Bloomberg report....

AMD Shares Slide Despite Earnings Beat as Cautious Revenue Outlook Weighs on Stock

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) delivered a solid quarterly earnings beat, topping Wall Street expectations on both revenue and profit, yet its stock slipped in extended trading after the company projected a sequential...

Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns

Nintendo shares fell sharply on Wednesday after the Japanese gaming giant reported weaker-than-expected fiscal third-quarter results, intensifying investor concerns over profitability and margins tied to its highly...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Acquires xAI in Historic Deal Uniting Space and Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk announced on Monday that SpaceX has acquired his artificial intelligence startup xAI in a landmark deal that brings together his ambitions in space exploration and advanced AI technology. The acquisition combines...