UNSW signs nation’s biggest education deal with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT to staff
Caitlin Cassidy
The University of New South Wales in Sydney announced a sweeping deal with OpenAI to roll out its ChatGPT Edu platform to all 10,000 permanent staff.
They say it’s the biggest education deal with the US-based research company in Australia. Last year, UNSW was the first university to sign an agreement with OpenAI, which included a trial with the Edu platform.
UNSW vice-chancellor, Prof Attila Brungs, announced the agreement at the UNSW Societal Impact of AI Symposium in Sydney. He said it would give his community access to “secure, practical tools that can support their work, whilst ensuring they can be used responsibly”:
As we introduce these technologies, our focus is on helping staff explore how AI can add value in teaching, research and operations, while maintaining the highest standards of ethics, privacy and academic integrity.
Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Unlike other ChatGPT versions, Edu data can’t be used for model training and prompts remain private.
UNSW has faced backlash from some students over the environmental impacts of using large-scale artificial intelligence models. A spokesperson said in response to community feedback that it would buy carbon offsets to mitigate the emissions associated with the agreement.
The Guardian Media Group has a strategic partnership with OpenAI, which you can read about here.
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Updated at 06.30 CEST
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Pacific leaders gather to celebrate 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea’s independence
Pacific leaders have gathered in Port Moresby to celebrate Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence from Australia, as the prime minister, James Marape, reflected on the moment and voiced his optimism for the future despite the country’s challenges.
Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia as a single territory from 1945. The territory included the former British protectorate of Papua and the former German colony of New Guinea. In 1975, Papua New Guinea was granted independence.
James Marape. Photograph: Andrew Kutan/AFP/Getty Images
In an address at Independence Hill on Tuesday, Marape addressed a crowd of thousands:
At one minute past midnight on 16 September 1975, our first governor general, Sir John Guise, declared to the world, Papua New Guinea is now independent.
Earlier that evening, as the Australian flag was lowered, Sir John reminded the crowd that ‘we are lowering the Australian flag, not burying it’.
Out of many, we became one, united under a single flag that was hoisted for the first time.
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Updated at 06.44 CEST
Lifeblood seeking urgent donations of O+, O-, A+ and A- blood
Australian Red Cross Lifeblood is seeking urgent donations of four types of blood, O+, O-, A+ and A-, with stocks low across all of Australia.
Lifeblood issued an urgent appeal for blood donations of all types last week, as well as plasma, to help boost critical supplies, saying record high demand during winter, coupled with appointment cancellations and seasonally lower bookings, had strained supplies.
At the time, the body’s CEO, Stephen Cornelissen, said:
Right now, we need donors of all blood types. If you’ve never donated before, now is the time to start. Don’t wait for someone else to do it. Every donation counts.
Photograph: Paul Miller/AAPShare
UNSW signs nation’s biggest education deal with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT to staff
Caitlin Cassidy
The University of New South Wales in Sydney announced a sweeping deal with OpenAI to roll out its ChatGPT Edu platform to all 10,000 permanent staff.
They say it’s the biggest education deal with the US-based research company in Australia. Last year, UNSW was the first university to sign an agreement with OpenAI, which included a trial with the Edu platform.
UNSW vice-chancellor, Prof Attila Brungs, announced the agreement at the UNSW Societal Impact of AI Symposium in Sydney. He said it would give his community access to “secure, practical tools that can support their work, whilst ensuring they can be used responsibly”:
As we introduce these technologies, our focus is on helping staff explore how AI can add value in teaching, research and operations, while maintaining the highest standards of ethics, privacy and academic integrity.
Photograph: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
Unlike other ChatGPT versions, Edu data can’t be used for model training and prompts remain private.
UNSW has faced backlash from some students over the environmental impacts of using large-scale artificial intelligence models. A spokesperson said in response to community feedback that it would buy carbon offsets to mitigate the emissions associated with the agreement.
The Guardian Media Group has a strategic partnership with OpenAI, which you can read about here.
Share
Updated at 06.30 CEST
Andrew Messenger
Queensland Labor accuses premier of ‘literally daring’ Glencore to close copper plant
Queensland Labor has accused the premier of “literally daring” mining company Glencore to close a copper smelter and refinery, after comments heaping pressure on the mining company.
Local MP Robbie Katter used a question in parliament to pressure the state government to take over the facilities in Mt Isa and Townsville and replace Glencore if the company shuts them down.
“If they take a decision to close that and put it into care and maintenance, that’s their decision. It’s not the federal government’s decision, it’s not the state decision, and it’s not the council’s decision. That will be Glencore’s decision,” premier David Crisafulli said, but added they wouldn’t rule anything in or out.
David Crisafulli. Photograph: Darren England/AAP
The deputy Labor leader, Cameron Dick, said the premier was “literally daring” the company to pull out.
“The LNP did this before. The LNP did this with the Australian car manufacturing industry, and we don’t have one of those any more,” Dick said, adding:
He’s literally daring Glencore to close the Queensland copper refinery and copper smelter. As a consequence, the premier is willing to put 17,000 Queenslanders out on the dole queue.
Both the federal and state governments have offered Glencore a deal to keep the facilities open. The Mt Isa smelter is among Australia’s largest.
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Updated at 05.51 CEST
Petra Stock
Victorian deferment of offshore wind auction doesn’t change necessary contribution to energy future, industry says
The developer behind Star of the South, Australia’s most advanced offshore wind project, said the Victorian government’s decision to defer the state’s offshore wind auction, as reported in the blog earlier, was “disappointing”.
Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images
Southerly Ten chief executive, Charles Rattray, said the decision did “not change the reality that offshore wind is essential to Australia’s energy future”, adding:
Gippsland has powered Victoria for over a century – and it can continue to do so with offshore wind. With consistent winds, existing port and grid infrastructure to tap into, and a skilled energy workforce, Gippsland is uniquely positioned to deliver Australia’s first offshore wind project.
We will continue to engage constructively with government, industry partners and communities to unlock the full potential of offshore wind for Australia.
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Updated at 05.37 CEST
Twenty-five-year-old man dead after gas leak at Sydney restaurant
More on the gas leak at a Sydney restaurant, as we’ve reported earlier in the blog.
Gavin Wood, assistant commissioner for NSW police, said the deceased is a 25-year-old man who was found unresponsive by the owner of the restaurant and his son. The pair called police, who arrived and attempted CPR on the man. The owner and his son were among seven taken to hospital, alongside five police officers.
Wood said:
At that time the five police officers have attempted CPR on that male, to the point where they felt there was something … in terms of the environment they were in, including an odour, so they have taken the 25-year-old male from the scene, but unfortunately the [CPR was] unsuccessful and the male is now deceased.
Wood said it was possible the dead man was employed at the restaurant, but added the investigation was still in its early stages.
Read more here:
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Updated at 05.30 CEST
1,400 machetes handed in as part of Victoria amnesty program
Benita Kolovos
The Victorian government’s machete amnesty program has netted more than 1,300 weapons in its first two weeks of operation, the acting premier, Ben Carroll, and police minister, Anthony Carbines, announced.
On 1 September, Victoria enacted a ban on machetes as a prohibited weapon, making it illegal to own, carry, use, buy or sell them without an exemption. The ban includes a three-month amnesty period from September to November, during which people can safely surrender their machetes at bins at police stations.
Jacinta Allan and Anthony Carbines inspect a machete amnesty safety disposal bin. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP
Carroll said:
We’ve seen approximately 1,400 machetes off our streets in two weeks. Add to that another nearly 3,500 from our retailers. That’s some 5,000 machetes, illegal knives off our streets, which is a really, really important thing for Victoria.
Carbines added that the $13m amnesty program was designed to give people an opportunity to safely dispose of machetes before it became a crime to own one, which in turn would make it harder for criminals to access them. He went on:
It’s making it much harder for those who want to do harm in the community – you can’t purchase them online, you can’t purchase them from retail outlets, you can’t pinch them from someone else’s home or a back shed. I think it’s just a demonstration that more [people] in the community understand that we don’t need them at home or anywhere else.
Carroll said he would take a proposal to ban machetes to a national meeting of police ministers in Canberra in a fortnight’s time.
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Updated at 05.15 CEST
Josh Taylor
NBN users to get even higher speeds after new upgrade
NBN users on fibre-to-the-premises or hybrid fibre-coaxial connections will be able to get even higher speeds after an upgrade released by the company on Tuesday.
Under the changes, users who have compatible connections will be able to get high speed download and upload increases for the same price they’re currently paying, with retailers to roll out the upgrades over the coming weeks.
Users currently on a 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up plan will be upgraded to 500Mbps down and 50Mbps up. For those on 250/25, it will increase to 750/50, and from 500Mbps down to nearly 1Gbps down and 100Mbps up.
Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
The company is also launching a new home wholesale plan for 2Gbps down and 200Mbps up plan for home, with the business version offering 500Mbps upload speeds.
These speed increases should happen automatically, but internet providers are urging users to make sure their NBN device is capable of delivering those higher speeds.
NBN says more than 9.8m homes and businesses are eligible for the speeds, up to 10m by the end of this year as more of the old fibre-to-the-node connections are upgraded.
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Updated at 05.00 CEST
Caitlin Cassidy
Mark Scott to serve second five-year term at University of Sydney
The vice-chancellor of the University of Sydney, Prof Mark Scott, has been unanimously endorsed to serve a second term in the role.
On Tuesday, the university’s chancellor, David Thodey, confirmed the Senate had universally endorsed Scott to serve a second five-year term, beginning in July next year.
Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images
He said Scott, who was “unwavering in his pursuit of excellence and innovation – will continue to lead the university towards its mission and ensure our work is more compelling, and more important to our society, than at any other time in our history”.
Scott said it was with “great pride” that he continued to serve students, staff and the wider community and he was “energised each day by our work to transform lives through education and research, and contribute to a better world”.
The vice-chancellor’s leadership came under fire over the university’s handling of a pro-Palestine encampment last year, with some Jewish groups and then-opposition leader, Peter Dutton, urging him to resign. Scott apologised at an inquiry into antisemitism, noting there were things the university could have done better, but said it hadn’t called in police for fear of escalating tensions.
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Updated at 04.46 CEST
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Treasury modelling one specific figure for emissions reduction, inquiry hears
Treasury has been modelling one specific figure for a 2035 emissions reduction target, rather than a range of numbers, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.
Senior Treasury official Alex Heath would not reveal the number in question but possibly let slip the modelling work was under way before the federal election in May.
Much of the speculation around the government’s soon-to-be announced 2035 target has centred on the prospect of a target range after the Climate Change Authority’s preliminary advice put a span of 65% to 75% on the agenda.
Fronting a parliamentary inquiry into the newly released national climate risk assessment on Tuesday, Heath revealed Treasury has been modelling a specific target – not a target range, or various different numbers.
She said that was due to the “difficulty” in modelling a target range as opposed to individual numbers.
The nature of the modelling that we have done has a point estimate for 2035. I would refer you to the Climate Change Authority advice, which is explicitly the advice that the government is using to look at the potential implications of different targets.
Asked when the work started, Heath said she “genuinely cannot recall” and asked to take the question on notice.
The Greens leader, Larissa Waters, sought clarification after believing she heard Heath say “I think it was prior [to the election]”.
Waters asked Heath if that was correct.
Heath responded:
I think that’s right but I would much prefer to take it on notice.
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Updated at 04.28 CEST
Benita Kolovos
An update on the Victorian premier’s China trip
Jacinta Allan declared boosting international students is the top priority of her China strategy, which she unveiled at an event with Chinese and Victorian business leaders, diplomats and trade officials last night.
In the speech, Allan nominated her three priorities for the five-year strategy as “education, education and education”. According to a copy distributed after the event, she said:
Education has been our largest services export for 23 years running, and Melbourne has again been voted Australia’s best student city. Our international students hail from 175 countries. And one in every five is from China. From primary school to PhD, every single level of our public education system reaches out to your own … I want us to build the best education system in the world, together. That’s my project here in China.
Jacinta Allan. Photograph: James Ross/AAP
Victoria’s China Strategy: For A New Golden Era is the government’s first China strategy since 2016. At the time, Daniel Andrews had sought to attract investment from China for the state’s infrastructure projects, double the state’s exports and boost tourism from the country.
But Allan said her strategy had “three big differences with its precursor”, including a focus on regional Victoria, “empowering” the state’s Chinese community and education. It forecasts that Chinese visitors will nearly double to 800,000 people by 2029 but contains no projections on future student numbers, which are ultimately controlled by the federal government.
She also made several references to her home town of Bendigo – “the Big Gold Mountain” – which saw an influx of Chinese migration during the gold rush.
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