ABC News Daily

Why Iran is just the beginning of AI warfare

Artificial intelligence is playing a key role in the war in Iran, with AI tools suspected of being used to gather intelligence, pick targets and plan bombings.At the same time, a battle has broken out between the Trump administration and one of the leading AI firms, Anthropic, over what limits should be placed on the use of AI by the military. Today, Toby Walsh, the chief scientist at the AI Institute at the University of New South Wales on why guardrails are crucial to avoid a nightmare future of AI fuelled warfare. Featured: Toby Walsh, UNSW AI Institute chief scientist 

The brave escape of the Iranian soccer players

They stood on a field in the Gold Coast and bravely refused to sing their national anthem and they were condemned as traitors on Iranian state TV. A week later, members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who competed in the Women’s Asian Cup have been offered asylum in Australia.Today, lawyer and sport integrity expert Catherine Ordway on how it all unfolded. Featured: Catherine Ordway, sport integrity expert and a visiting scholar at the University of NSW School of Business based in Canberra 

Is Iran’s new supreme leader looking for revenge?

Donald Trump wanted regime change in Iran and to personally choose who the next leader would be. Instead, Iran’s top clerics chose Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, after he was killed in US-Israeli strikes.Today, Barbara Slavin, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre on what this appointment means for the war.Featured: Barbara Slavin, distinguished fellow at the Stimson Centre in Washington D.C.

Why it’s finally time for high speed rail

Can you believe the construction of a high speed rail network could start in just two years? Scepticism is not unwarranted because we’ve been talking about fast train travel for decades, but it’s never happened because it basically costs too much.  Today, Joe Langley, an urban planner who worked on the Gillard government’s study of high speed rail and who is a member of the advocacy body the Australian High Speed Rail Association. Featured: Joe Langley, urban planner and member of the Australian High Speed Rail Association

How the Iran war increases the global nuclear threat

One of Donald Trump’s stated reasons for going to war with Iran is to destroy the nuclear threat he says it poses.  But by starting the conflict has he made the world less safe? There are concerns around what happens to Iran’s enriched nuclear material and the lessons other countries will take from Iran’s being hit while remaining at the threshold short of getting a bomb.Today, Kelsey Davenport from the Arms Control Association on why it could all lead to more nuclear weapons around the world.Featured: Kelsey Davenport, Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association