Paul Stenhouse: OpenAI launches new AI assistant, US Govt launches AI-powered search site, Google launches prototype data centre into space
Saturday Morning with Jack TameShow Notes
The 'AI Assistant' battle is heating up We talked about Muse last week, now OpenAI has announced their 'always on' assistant called Dots. Each company seems to be trying to make AI friendly, helpful, fuzzy and warm with these cute mascots. But do you find all this confusing? I do. I don't understand why there is ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, Codex, now Dots... can it not all just be inside ChatGPT? That simplicity is partly what made the whole thing feel so magic at the beginning.
The US Government held a tech launch event to rival Apple The flashy launch of America.gov was... impressive! Despite what people might think about Donald Trump and his administration's policies and actions, there was almost a collective "wow" in the tech world that the US government launched something so great. America.gov wants to be the front door to every government service. Need a passport? Need to change your name? Need to get a statement from the tax department? Want to visit a national park? it's all there. And it looks gorgeous. A playbook for New Zealand? I'm available to help launch hello.govt.nz ;)
Google's quest for data centres in space has begun The literal liftoff was this week with a prototype 'data centre' on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Project Suncatcher is Google's ambitious project that has all kinds of unknowns. Firstly, there's no guarantee this will even work, or the project will make economic sense. There are many obstacles they're going to need to figure out how to overcome, including the radiation their chips will be subjected to, how to disperse heat, and how to handle the risk of other satellites crashing into a data centre. They've done about as much testing as they can do on Earth, so now their chips will be under the harsh conditions of space.
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More from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame
Stuart McKenzie describes his latest play as a "theological road trip". 'After God' is the latest work of theatrical power couple Dame Miranda Harcourt and Stuart McKenzie – a verbatim play about a search for meaning and discussions with theologists. "I think people are kind of searching for meaning, for a sense of what makes their lives tick. There's a lot of darkness and a lot of uncertainty in the world, as there always is," McKenzie told Jack Tame. "I think it's more amplified at the moment, of course, but there is a feeling of what else is there? What am I here for? So 'After God' is a play to answer that question, but it does it with humour." Both he and Harcourt directed the show, and she told Tame they came at it from very different angles. "It's like a post-ethical theologian and an atheist walk into a room together. I'm an atheist, Stuart's a post-ethical theologian," Harcourt explained. "My staunch atheism has not been challenged, but I really understand Stuart's perspective a lot more having worked on this play." "And that's what I would offer the audience, is that you understand a lot more about yourself and the people around you once you've seen this play." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Six years in the making, The Avalanches have released their fourth studio album. The Australian electronic group formed back in 1997, with albums releasing in 2000, 2016, 2020, and now 2026. Their music is created out of samples, and 'No Bad Memories' draws on old jingles, commercial branding, tech sounds, as well as music, to create a nostalgic vibe. Chris Schulz joined Jack Tame to share his thoughts on the album. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
An Irish advertisement promoting consent has been withdrawn due to criticism. It was part of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's 'We-Consent' campaign, and featured a teenager reluctant to hug their grandparents. The Centre says it's making a point about respecting boundaries from a young age, but the Irish Justice Minister says the ad's 'inappropriate and demeaning'. Kevin Milne joined Jack Tame to give his two cents on the situation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger Two great loves. A world in chaos. And a life that never lands in order. Discover the long-awaited sequel to the bestselling phenomenon, The Time Traveler’s Wife. Alba DeTamble is a time traveler, slipping unpredictably through decades like her father before her. But the hardest thing she carries isn’t the burden of futures she can’t understand, or pasts she cannot change – it’s a secret: she is in love with two different people. Each of them offers a different life. Zach lives in the present and can’t follow her when she disappears. Oliver can travel through time, just like she can. As Alba careens from time to time, moving from the riot-torn Chicago streets of her present to the eerie, timeless Yellow House, and into the digital corridors of the Museum of Lost Souls and a flooded future London, she must face a question she can no longer avoid: how is it possible to love, and live a meaningful life, in an increasingly troubled, fractured world? Intimate and expansive, Life Out of Order is a kaleidoscopic story of love, resilience and hope when time is running out.
"Wide open spaces and serenely undulating landscapes set quite the stage for summer holiday frolics. Sprinkle that setting with a spoil of unexpected gems and experiential treats, and the Waitaki Valley delivers in spades. It’s been a long time coming, but Waitaki’s latest accolades in Lonely Planet’s annual Best in Travel list should come as no surprise. Crowning the head of the Waitaki Valley and backdropped by the Southern Alps, the junction town of Ōmārama brims with distinction. Ōmārama is Māori for ‘place of light’, a pitch-perfect description for the big skies, clarity of the light and the starkness of the surrounding landscape." Read Mike's full article here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.