
Alibaba's 37% sales surge fails to calm investors worried about intensified crackdown
Feb 02, 2021 23:07 pm UTC| Business Technology
Alibabas 37 percent on-year jump in revenue for the quarter ended December failed to calm investors worried about a regulatory crackdown by China. The quarter included the companys big Singles Day sales blitz, which...

Artificial intelligence must not be allowed to replace the imperfection of human empathy
Feb 02, 2021 13:32 pm UTC| Technology
At the heart of the development of AI appears to be a search for perfection. And it could be just as dangerous to humanity as the one that came from philosophical and pseudoscientific ideas of the 19th and early 20th...

Touchscreens may make toddlers more distractible – new three-year study
Feb 02, 2021 13:30 pm UTC| Technology
Working from home as a parent, a touchscreen device can be a marvellous tool. Pass one to your child, and theyll be quietly occupied for your Zoom meeting, or for the crunch time as you approach an important deadline. Yet...

Feb 02, 2021 13:27 pm UTC| Technology Insights & Views
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea While people tend to contribute more to a virtual public good if they see others doing the same, this effect reverses if they become...

India farmers' protests: internet shutdown highlights Modi's record of stifling digital dissent
Feb 02, 2021 13:25 pm UTC| Politics Technology
The storming of the Red Fort in Delhi on January 26 marked an escalation of tensions between the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and farmers who have been protesting against agricultural reforms...

Digital localism: A pandemic-fuelled response to the tech giants?
Feb 02, 2021 13:21 pm UTC| Technology Economy
Retail giants like Amazon are blurring the boundaries of consumption. But thanks to platforms that link online consumption to local interests, the desire to buy local, a trend fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, is now...

We’re teaching robots to evolve autonomously – so they can adapt to life alone on distant planets
Feb 02, 2021 13:21 pm UTC| Technology
Its been suggested that an advance party of robots will be needed if humans are ever to settle on other planets. Sent ahead to create conditions favourable for humankind, these robots will need to be tough, adaptable and...
Australia’s Corporate Regulator Urges Pension Funds to Boost Technology Investment as Industry Grows