PM to announce Bondi Royal Commission + Your AI cheat sheet for 2026
About this episode
Thursday Headlines: PM expected to announce Federal Royal Commission into the Bondi terrorism attack, US seizes Russian-flagged vessel linked to Venezuelan oil, thousands of Aussies hit with highly transmissible flu strain, Grok under investigation by Australia’s online safety watchdog over deepfakes, and Warner Bros rejects ‘inadequate’ $160bn Paramount bid.
Deep Dive: In 2025, the architects of artificial intelligence were named Time’s Person of the Year - making the question no longer whether AI will shape our future, but how fast and on whose terms.
What started in our feeds is now reshaping classrooms, the economy and the physical world around us - with massive AI data centres now being built in Australia.
In this episode of The Briefing, Helen Smith is joined by Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist at the UNSW AI Institute, to break down what to expect from the tech in 2026.
Follow The Briefing:
TikTok: @thebriefingpod
Instagram: @thebriefingpodcast
YouTube: @TheBriefingPodcast
Facebook: @thebriefingpodcast
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Get every episode summarized
Each time The Briefing publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from The Briefing
Hanson MIA amid resurfaced 'racist' comments + The $855bn cost of rising seas
The Briefing
PM 'proud to be a houso' + Why Elizabeth Holmes is going viral again
The Briefing
BONUS: How to make friends with a magpie this swooping season
The Briefing
Our Take: HBO's Harry Potter, a kidney donation & Chris loses to English (again)
The Briefing