The Conversation: In-depth analysis, research, news and ideas from leading academics and researchers.

A map of Australia on a digital background

A map of Australia on a digital background

Could an ‘Australian AI’ protect us from being hacked? Cybersecurity isn’t that simple

Stripped titles? Compensating rivals? How the Manchester City cheating scandal could play out

Erling Haaland celebrates a goal for Manchester City in the English Premier League in 2025.

Erling Haaland celebrates a goal for Manchester City in the English Premier League in 2025.

What does the OpenAI Medicare hack reveal about Australia’s cyber security?

A steel vault door in high contrast lighting.

A steel vault door in high contrast lighting.

An OpenAI agent hacked Medicare. Will anyone be held responsible?

OpenAI logos and a computer with the Services Australia medicare website

OpenAI logos and a computer with the Services Australia medicare website

Trump wants a diesel export ban. Australia would be uniquely exposed

A garbage truck drives past gas prices above $6 a gallon and diesel prices above $8 a gallon as they are displayed outside of a Shell gas station in Carson, California on September 22, 2026.

A garbage truck drives past gas prices above $6 a gallon and diesel prices above $8 a gallon as they are displayed outside of a Shell gas station in Carson, California on September 22, 2026.

Donald Trump looking downcast

Donald Trump looking downcast

Trump’s US ratings drop to new record low as Democrats become clear favourites in both chambers of Congress

Grattan on Friday: when rogue AI agent ‘scaled a fence’, it reinforced Albanese’s case for tough guardrails

September’s ozone hole was the biggest in 20 years. The warning signs appeared months ago

Card surcharges are banned from October 1. What’s changing at the checkout?

Woman tapping a contactless credit card

Woman tapping a contactless credit card

Government hacks, rogue agents and no transparency: can we ever fully trust AI?

Person with a laptop and illustration of AI with cogs projected in front.

Person with a laptop and illustration of AI with cogs projected in front.

Are AFL grand finals really the hardest game of the year? We checked the data

A composite of Harris Andrews of the Lions and Patrick Voss of the Dockers.

A composite of Harris Andrews of the Lions and Patrick Voss of the Dockers.

Data centres

What does a good data centre future look like? And how do we get there?

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Stacked 3D blocks with rockets in the background

Unsustainable – or manageable? We don’t yet know how data centres will impact Australia’s environment

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Stacked 3D blocks with water and smoke coming out the edges

Data centres have existed for decades. So why are they so controversial now?

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

3D blocks and building cranes on a textured background

Data centres in Australia: your questions answered

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

3D blocks and speech bubbles on a textured background.

Read the whole series

Editor's picks

Three T’s will dominate Trump-Xi summit – but expect little movement on trade, less on Taiwan and who knows on tech

Two men in suits stans side byu side

Two men in suits stans side byu side

How would AI actually kill all humans? Here are the top 5 scenarios

Artwork with apocalyptic themes with smoke in the background and a person looking on at the devastation.

Artwork with apocalyptic themes with smoke in the background and a person looking on at the devastation.

Western Australia is experiencing a child safety crisis. Here’s what would help

A small Indigenous boy walking alone in the outback

A small Indigenous boy walking alone in the outback

No, you’re not imagining it. Flu season is late and cases are up

A woman with the flu lays on the couch, looking at her phone

A woman with the flu lays on the couch, looking at her phone

More news and analysis

A pile of books: Swan Song by Charles Spencer, Diana's brother

A pile of books: Swan Song by Charles Spencer, Diana's brother

Swan Song: Diana’s brother flips the royal family the bird in his scathing new book

Are Australians really overeducated? It depends what education is for

The silhouettes of four young people in graduation robes, looking at a sun set

The silhouettes of four young people in graduation robes, looking at a sun set

Heroin used more often, cocaine use up. What new data says about drug use today

Man holding small plastic bag of brown powder.

Man holding small plastic bag of brown powder.

NZ’s supply chains are highly exposed. Could new AI agents make them more resilient?

Unemployment rises to 4.6%, but a September interest rate hike still looks likely

People are seen crossing the road in Sydney, June 2026

People are seen crossing the road in Sydney, June 2026

Australian poetry classics: Les Murray’s The Broad Bean Sermon is inexhaustible food for contemplation

Photograph of poet Les Murray looking sideways while reaching for the glasses on his head

Photograph of poet Les Murray looking sideways while reaching for the glasses on his head

Why David Brat, the new US ambassador to Australia, has a big in-tray

Dave Brat and now US President Donald Trump seen together in a 2015 photo.

Dave Brat and now US President Donald Trump seen together in a 2015 photo.

The Intergenerational Report says we need more vocational skills – but federal funding for them is set to drop

Silhouette of builder standing on timber house frame, low angle view.

Silhouette of builder standing on timber house frame, low angle view.

The English paid off the Vikings for almost a century. But was the Danegeld such a bad idea?

A painting depicts a Viking ship sailing down an estuary.

A painting depicts a Viking ship sailing down an estuary.

A person playing violin to plants in a lab.

A person playing violin to plants in a lab.

Curious Kids: does music affect how plants grow?

An AI model has found a new ‘CRISPR-like’ biological system. Here’s what it means for science

Man sitting in front of computer monitors showing text and biological imagery

Man sitting in front of computer monitors showing text and biological imagery

View from The Hill: behind the cheesy smiles, Albanese and Trump couldn’t be further apart on AI and social media controls

Looking for #womenshealth information on Instagram? 4 out of 10 posts are ads

Female influencer sitting on couch holding supplements looking at smartphone on stand

Female influencer sitting on couch holding supplements looking at smartphone on stand

Sharks often swim across national borders. Our conservation efforts must travel with them

A school of fish follow a large whale shark that's swimming in the ocean.

A school of fish follow a large whale shark that's swimming in the ocean.

A man at a desk covered with papers and illustrations and art supplies, his feet up, dreaming out the window.

A man at a desk covered with papers and illustrations and art supplies, his feet up, dreaming out the window.

Gentle larrikin Terry Denton, famous for his anarchy with Andy Griffiths, made reading fun

Trump has banned more media and started his own TV channel. In the process, he risks further eroding American democracy

As Australia’s rock ‘n’ roll outlaw, Angry Anderson embodied the appeal and limitations of Oz Rock

Angry Anderson performs on stage in 2025.

Angry Anderson performs on stage in 2025.

The UN is facing a crisis of trust and possible bankruptcy. Its new leader will have an enormous challenge

The Alley of Flags leads to the United Nations Office in Geneva, the European headquarters of the UN.

The Alley of Flags leads to the United Nations Office in Geneva, the European headquarters of the UN.

Many Australians are overqualified for their jobs – which comes at a price, new data shows

Australia map multicultural group of people

Australia map multicultural group of people

Housing stress is on the rise: 7 essential charts from this year’s HILDA survey

A view of units and houses at Drummoyne in Sydney

A view of units and houses at Drummoyne in Sydney

woman hiking on larapinta trail, rocky and arid with mountains behind.

woman hiking on larapinta trail, rocky and arid with mountains behind.

Personal locator beacons save lives. But they can’t make hiking safe

Earth’s tides are shaped by more than the Moon. And they’re changing as the planet warms

An aerial view of fast-flowing water between a narrow channel.

An aerial view of fast-flowing water between a narrow channel.

Unis and schools are moving away from AI-detection software. They should stop using it altogether

An illustration of a robot caught in a flashlight.

An illustration of a robot caught in a flashlight.

CMV infection can pass from mother to baby during pregnancy. Here’s how to prevent it

A pregnant woman enters a clinic room

A pregnant woman enters a clinic room

Russia-Ukraine war is accelerating the dangerous race toward fully autonomous drones

A soldier's hands are on a remote driving control.

A soldier's hands are on a remote driving control.

Are older Australians really safer from crime? The evidence says the harms are just harder to see

An old woman's hands on her lap in a dark room

An old woman's hands on her lap in a dark room

Worried about your car being hacked? You should be – no matter where it was made

Two people in a car looking at the dashboard screen

Two people in a car looking at the dashboard screen

What we learnt on the first day of Victoria’s Big Build royal commission

Chief justice Chris Kourakis during the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria.

Chief justice Chris Kourakis during the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria.

How has evolution shaped men’s and women’s minds? A new book tells an outdated story

A baby in blue laying beside a baby in pink on a bed, both looking at each other.

A baby in blue laying beside a baby in pink on a bed, both looking at each other.

More news + analysis

New research

Australia’s vast Nullarbor Plain hides deep caves that can teach us about alien worlds

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

An orange landscape with a series of holes receding into the distance.

We found the hidden force that created two chains of underwater volcanoes running side by side

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

An aerial view of a small island in the middle of the ocean.

More than 2 million Indigenous people lived in Australia in 1788: new research

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Painting of an Indigenous gathering

Five years into AUKUS, what do we have to show for it? We’ve measured progress on three key metrics

More new research

Life

Apple’s new watches are always listening

Apple Watches

Apple Watches

Fit, thin, curvy and toned: the contradictory body ideals young women face online

Women’s work – and office fashion – has changed radically over the last 60 years. Cue couldn’t keep up

Women in office wear wait at traffic lights.

Women in office wear wait at traffic lights.

In a culture obsessed with staying young, we ignore the many benefits of ageing

A group of women in floppy sun hats having a good time at a water park.

A group of women in floppy sun hats having a good time at a water park.

Arts and reviews

Coyote vs. Acme follows a 100-year-old tradition of placing animated characters in our ‘real’ world

Human actors Lana Condor and Will Forte sit in a car with the animated character Wile E. Coyote in a still from the film Coyote vs. Acme

Human actors Lana Condor and Will Forte sit in a car with the animated character Wile E. Coyote in a still from the film Coyote vs. Acme

Feuds, power and entitlement: 5 revealing royal books

Waleed Aly believes liberalism is in trouble, but his argument leaves us in a bind

Netflix is remaking the Stanford Prison Experiment as a reality series. Let’s hope it’s more ethical than the original

Photo of the experiment: Prisoner with paper bag over his head, with a guard.

Photo of the experiment: Prisoner with paper bag over his head, with a guard.

World

Elections in Brazil: a lacklustre campaign heightens uncertainty about the results

As war in the Middle East widens, Saudi Arabia’s new defence pact could face a major test

A digital billboard in Sana'a, Yemen, shows a missile launching.

A digital billboard in Sana'a, Yemen, shows a missile launching.

Where should NZ stand on global AI risk? 3 principles to guide a stronger strategy

Rows of data servers showing blue lights

Rows of data servers showing blue lights

As renewed chaos grips the oil market, one country is keeping global prices down – by reducing demand

urban scene in China, electric scooters and cars with skyscrapers behind

urban scene in China, electric scooters and cars with skyscrapers behind

Federal politics

Australia is responding to domestic violence after the event, not preventing it from happening

Police cars and officers are seen at the scene of an alleged domestic violence incident in NSW>

Police cars and officers are seen at the scene of an alleged domestic violence incident in NSW>

Governments across Australia know how to stop violence against Indigenous women, they just don’t do it

An Indigenous woman sits on red dirt with a dog

An Indigenous woman sits on red dirt with a dog

The Coalition plans to halve the fuel excise when global prices spike. How will Australians respond?

A woman puts fuel into her car at a petrol station

A woman puts fuel into her car at a petrol station

New rules finally put a ceiling on money in politics – but the cap is double what it should be

A mass of political signs for different candidates

A mass of political signs for different candidates

More federal politics

New Zealand

83,000 New Zealanders live with dementia. Here’s how simple design changes can help

Every party has pitched its own supermarket fix for NZ. What if we combined the best ideas?

‘Spring queening’ time will be crucial for finding any surviving yellow-legged hornets

A yellow-legged hornet

A yellow-legged hornet

New Zealand will be ‘super-aged’ within a decade. Are our cities ready?

Couple on park bench looking across water at Auckland CBD on clear day

Couple on park bench looking across water at Auckland CBD on clear day

More New Zealand

Climate

Will El Niño send food prices soaring this summer?

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

produce is seen in the fruit and vegetables section of a supermarket

It’s been one year since Australia assessed its national climate risk. But have we listened?

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

Firefighters put out a grass fire, with a firetruck in the background.

Australia must double down to meet our climate targets. Our new study shows how

A green shoot grows out of a tree burnt by a bushfire.

A green shoot grows out of a tree burnt by a bushfire.

As global heating heads to 1.8C, is it time to consider the ‘Voldemort’ of climate policy?

A black and white photo of clouds.

A black and white photo of clouds.

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Podcasts

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Jim Chalmers warns rising debt bills are set to hit the budget

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Jim Chalmers speaking at a podium

Australia’s ‘barking mad’ bet on nuclear submarines – the AUKUS deal five years on

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

People stand aboard a submarine, submerged in the ocean

Politics with Michelle Grattan: Matt Canavan on why One Nation is ‘not really compatible’ as a Coalition partner

Ratko Mladić: the war criminal who became a martyr for Bosnian Serbs

A crowd of people carrying flags depicting Ratko Mladić face and the Serbian flag

A crowd of people carrying flags depicting Ratko Mladić face and the Serbian flag

All episodes of Politics with Michelle Grattan

All episodes of The Conversation Weekly

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