Technology and Security

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Kate Carruthers. Kate is currently the head of data analytics and AI at the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She shares her journey from defending Westfield against state and non-state cyber attacks to leading UNSW's enterprise data, AI, and cybersecurity efforts, including delivering the university's first production AI system in 2019 and re-architecting its cloud data platform for AI and ML. She notes boardrooms are evolving from basic cyber literacy to probing AI risks like models, data, and risk registers. 

Carruthers ou...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Ganna Pogrebna. They explore the intersections of behavioural data science, AI, cybersecurity, and technology adoption. The discussion covers urban-rural technology divides and the dilemmas faced by small businesses using "off the shelf" AI tools. It explores Australia's global position in quantum algorithms and cybersecurity innovation and digital twins, showcasing their role in simulating complex systems in cybersecurity and even nuclear decision-making. 

This episode highlights the limits of machine learning for fighting misinformation, emphasising that humans still detect novel attacks be...

In this episode of Technology & Security, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined Dr Adrian De Grazia, Global Intelligence Lead at Pfizer. This episode explores counterfeit pharmaceuticals and the evolving landscape of forensic science. The conversation takes listeners inside global operations, including the technologies transforming supply chain integrity, collaboration with law enforcement, and the unique challenges of detecting and disrupting complex networks involved in medicine counterfeiting. It also explores the importance of data literacy for leaders, and the role of alliances in combating security threats at national and corporate levels. 

Listeners hear about innovative approaches to pr...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by lawyer and digital rights activist, Lizzie O’Shea. This episode explores Australia’s technology debates from a security and legal lens—addressing copyright, creativity, AI, and the legal structures, including class action, that shape society and security. We discuss how so often in the AI discussion we are asked to make trade-offs about immense future potential with real present harms in the now. This episode breaks down why proposals to let large language models freely train on the copyrighted works of Australians have rattled artist...

In this episode, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Emily M. Bender—A renowned AI commentator, professor of linguistics at the University of Washington and co-author of The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech Hype and Create the Future We Want. In this episode we explore the complex relationship between language, large language models, and the rise of “synthetic text-extruding machines.” Bender discusses the origins of the “stochastic parrots” metaphor, the risks of anthropomorphising generative AI, and what’s really at stake as automated systems permeate journalism, leadership, and collective decision making.

The conversation...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Edward Santow, former Australian Human Rights Commissioner and co-director of the Human Technology Institute at UTS. The conversation is a candid exploration of Australia’s evolving AI landscape, diving into why Australians remain sceptical of AI despite being early adopters, and how trust in technology must be earned—not demanded—through transparency, robust safeguards, and practical engagement with both risks and opportunities.

Professor Santow shares insights from his recent book, "Machines in Our Image," reflecting on the dual nature of AI: its...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Johnny Ryan, Director of Enforce at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties and a leading authority on surveillance, data rights, and privacy. Drawing on his extensive experience in the ad tech industry and digital rights advocacy, Dr Ryan explains how real-time bidding (RTB)—the backbone of online advertising—routinely exposes Australians’ sensitive personal information to hundreds of companies. The conversation unpacks the findings of "Australia’s Hidden Security Crisis," a report revealing how RTB enables the unchecked flow of data about individuals, their families, and even high-level government and defence personnel to foreign...

In this episode of Technology & Security, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Zena Assaad to explore the technical, human, ethical, and geopolitical dimensions of artificial intelligence. From workforce disruption to military application, this episode unpacks the complex ways AI is reshaping leadership, war, jobs and global power structures. Dr Assaad challenges common misconceptions about AI’s capabilities, explaining why understanding its limits is just as crucial as understanding its potential.

From code to command, the conversation explores the relationships between human decision-makers and machines. This podcast explores why leadership–and human decision-making–is key in tech...

In this episode of Technology & Security, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Carmen Medina, former CIA executive, influential voice in the U.S. intelligence community and renowned change-maker. Carmen shares insights on leadership, cognitive diversity, and what it really takes to build organisations that can adapt to change. This episode goes beyond the intelligence community—it’s a must-listen for leaders across industries where thinking, analysis, and communication are core to success.

We explore how to harness cognitive diversity, compile high-performing teams, and make intelligence work for decision-makers in real time. There’s practical inspiration, including tools for unders...

In this episode of Technology & Security, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Lyria Bennett Moses, one of Australia’s foremost experts in technology and law. We explore how government responses to AI often focus on regulating technology rather than addressing the human and social challenges these systems impact. We discuss how to centre humanity in legal responses to technology. We examine regulatory approaches, anti-discrimination laws and governance structures to better address the realities of AI-driven decision-making. As AI is increasingly embedded in daily life, much like past technological shifts, its influence may become invisible, but its impact on kn...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with privacy expert Anna Johnston about the evolving landscape of data privacy, AI governance, and security. With AI dominating the global conversation, this episode explores why strong data governance is the essential—yet often overlooked—foundation for innovation. Anna warns that companies rushing into AI without mature privacy practices risk legal challenges and regulatory crackdowns, including the risk of ‘algorithmic disgorgement’. 

With new privacy reforms on the horizon, 2025 is set to be a defining year for digital rights and compliance. The discussion explores major legal shifts in...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Thom Dixon, whose work explores biofutures and the bioeconomy. We explore what synthetic biology and bioinformation are and how much of an individual person's information signature is biological. We discuss how AI can learn from biomimicry and adaptive natural biological systems. We explore the future of surveillance plants and how sensing in the environment will operate and what it might mean for national and physical security as well as how a future consumer synthetic biology app will accelerate the fields growth and reach.<...

In this bonus special episode of the Technology and Security podcast, host Dr Miah Hammond-Errey was joined in conversation by Dr. Simon Longstaff and Major General Paul Symon. It is a lightly edited panel conversation about ethics, technology and intelligence held at the ethics Centre in Sydney in February this year. Ostensibly to launch Miah’s new book, the conversation was a great excuse to get the three of us together to have a fun chat about the intersections of technology intelligence and ethics. 

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey outlined how the big data landscape –of data abunda...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by the Australian Independent National Security Legislation Monitor, Jake Blight. We explore a paradigm shift in our understanding of electronic surveillance, whether the moment of interception is still the most the invasive point of interception in a digital era– the current legal basis. Or, if digital tech and AI have changed processing, disclosure and sharing to the extent that the retention, analysis and dissemination of intelligence has greater significance. We explore the implications of the "mosaic effect" on public interest immunity cases – and why it can’...

BONUS: Tailwinds and Tensions of Technology for OSINT (presented at Australian OSINT Symposium)

In this bonus episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey presents to the Australian OSINT Symposium. Called Tailwinds and Tensions of Technology for OSINT, this presentation identified three major shifts and explored their impacts. The first is how the digital landscape and emerging tech are transforming intelligence. The second is a decline in information environment. The third is the increased environment of competition and conflict, not just in our region but globally. It unpacks these more and offers insights i...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Connor Leahy, CEO of Conjecture. This episode unpacks the transformative potential of AI and AGI and need for responsible, global governance, drawing parallels to historical successes in treaties for ethical science practices, such as the moratorium on human cloning. It covers the current and potential impacts of AI monopolisation and centralisation of power and what AGI could mean, if achieved. The episode also explores the different risk profile complex cyber and cyber physical systems present for kinetic warfare. 

 This episode off...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Australian National Cyber Security Coordinator, Lieutenant General Michelle McGuinness. We talk all things cyber for Cyber Security Awareness Month. This episode explores cyber security threats, incidents and response coordination mechanisms as well as the National Cyber Intelligence Partnership and Executive Cyber Council. We also touch on Five Eyes, alliances and the intelligence implications of cyber. 

This episode explores interdependencies across sectors, highlighting cyber vulnerabilities and the consequences of cyber incidents, such as how a single system failure can disrupt essential services like p...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Australian Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind. In this episode, we start by imagining a future privacy landscape where individual privacy is protected, and users have real agency and choice and look at the steps we need to take to get there. We explore the significant impact of advertising and extractive data economies on our daily technological interactions and emphasize the critical interdependency of AI on vast amounts of personal data. We discuss the challenges posed by large tech platforms developing AI models that will shape...

In this episode of the Technology & Security podcast, host Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by investigative journalist and author Byron Tau. They discuss the intricate and often opaque world of data brokers and global surveillance. Tau, known for his deep dives into complex subjects, shares insights from his book Means of Control, highlighting the potential misuse of large data sets and the delicate balance between data collection for security and the risk of social control. The discussion traverses the evolution of data brokers, from their inception involving public records to the sophisticated surveillance technologies of today. Tau elaborates on...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Meredith Whittaker, president of Signal. The interview explores key contemporary issues in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). They discuss the impact of AI in elections and democracies, including the need for stronger local media ecosystems and improved focus on the ‘mediating’ role of social media platforms and the information ecosystem. They discuss the concentration of AI power and reliance of the business model on mass collection, including the need to write the tech stack for privacy, not surveillance.

This episode also explores developing democ...

In this episode, Dr. Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Elisabeth Braw. This discussion explores the decline in globalisation and an increasingly divided world with the West on one side and China and Russia on another. It highlights the impacts of geopolitical rifts on technology, innovation, business, supply chain vulnerabilities and complexities, subsea cables and infrastructure as well as consumer prices and job market changes. They also discuss the tech sector, the role of technology in warfare, and the implications of foreign investments in critical infrastructure as well as hybrid threats, information operations and resilience and national security responses. This...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Sir David Omand. The interview is an exploration of the evolving landscape of intelligence, technology and security from the Cold War to the near real time intelligence in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They discuss adaptation in intelligence from high frequency radio to generative AI and from state threats to myriad threat actors. They explore the interpretative nature of data and the necessity for analytical skill in understanding multiple possible explanations in both intelligence work and political decision-making. They discuss the importance of intelligence in supporting diplomatic efforts...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Nina Jankowicz, world leading disinformation expert and author. They discuss the necessity of an alliance among democratic nations to address technological challenges, and shape policies that have real impact. They discuss the security threats of disinformation campaigns, highlighting their real-world impact on human behaviour and the role of data in targeted manipulation. Russian disinformation tactics were examined, in the context of events in Ukraine, the treatment of Navalny, and broader global developments. Nina also shared examples of successful strategies used by countries like Estonia and Ukraine in...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Brendan Dowling, Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology. They discuss the Australian government's cybersecurity outlook for 2024, focusing on the anticipated pace and scale of responses from advisories to law enforcement actions and sanctions. Additionally, it covers the use of cyber autonomous sanctions, examining the case of Ermakov, as well as potential future uses and the process involved, particularly the criteria for significant cyber incidents. The interview touched on the establishment of a permanent cyber crisis response team in the Pacific, highlighting its readiness and composition as...

Special Episode: Big Data, Emerging Technology & National Security Decision-Making Lecture

*Unfortunately, the episode we had planned to release today is still in production. Our guest was recalled to deal with a major cyber incident on the day of recording. This episode will hopefully be released soon.*  

Instead, by popular request, we are bringing you a special episode. This is an edited lecture I gave at ANU which covers big data and emerging technologies, their impacts on national security and how they create friction in national security decision-making. Big data isn't just a b...

In this episode of Technology and Security, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey speaks with Professor Nita Farahany about the increasing emergence of neurotechnology and what it means for national security as well as consumers, policy makers, military forces and nation states. They discuss the importance of ensuring the privacy of brain data as the ‘final piece in the jigsaw puzzle’ of data collection by large technology companies. They also discuss the possibility of identifying, verifying and targeting individuals by their neural signature and why addressing this technology should be a national security priority. They explore the current and potential roles neurotechnology can...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Professor Johanna Weaver, founding Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre, to discuss the recent 2023–2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy, including its funding, implementation and challenges, the relationship between hacktivism and international humanitarian law and the different ways of thinking about AI risk and harms. They also discuss their highlights for 2023, Australia’s important position in driving change in multilateral forums, myGov and digital government services and their hopes for the tech policy conversation in 2024. 

Professor Johanna Weaver is the founding Director of the Tech Policy Design Centre at the Australian National Unive...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by The Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Assistant Minister for Employment, to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) in the context of competition, the initial months of the Australian Centre for Evaluation and coordinating with overseas regulators on the complexities of AI. They also discuss Australia’s technology workforce challenges, charting a uniquely Australian approach to building industrial capacity, and the ongoing, global geopolitical technology competition. 

Dr Andrew Leigh is the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury and the Assistant Minister for Employment. He is...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Dr Kobi Leins (GAICD), Honorary Senior Fellow at King’s College, London and international law expert, to discuss her work on nanomaterials and their implications for existing international law governing chemical and biological weapons. They also discuss why international standards are so important, AI’s potential for evil and the need for improved understandings of data ethics – from the classroom to the boardroom – as well as why we should be wary about claims of de-identified or anonymised data. 

Kobi is an Honorary Senior Fellow of King’s College, London; an Advisory Bo...

Kara Hinesley, Canva’s global Head of Public Policy and Government Affairs, joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to discuss her experience during the creation of The Christchurch Call after the livestreamed 2019 terrorist attack in New Zealand while at Twitter, the complex relationship between AI, art and artists, AI and IP, AI regulation and the technology workforce shortages, as well as building robust civic discourse and debate on digital platforms. They also discuss, what differentiates Australian and American tech companies and culture, working to prevent online and offline harms and navigating a career shift from law into public policy and from th...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by the Hon Victor Dominello, former NSW Minister for Community Services and Digital Government. They discuss the potential and complexities of digital identification, what it means for democracies, and how to lead risk-averse organisations like government in a manner that promotes innovation and productivity and empowers decision-making. They also discuss AI regulation, building trust in technology between government, corporations and individuals, and what can be learnt from Estonia when it comes to digital service delivery.

Across a 12-year term as cabinet minister, Victor helped modernise service delivery in the NSW Government across...

In a special episode, Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Michael Green, CEO of the United States Studies Centre, to consider the conversations and developments around technology decoupling between the United States and China across the past six months. Drawing on insights from previous guests on the podcast, Miah and Mike cover topics from international standards, subsea cables and individual user trust in technology to the role of Japan and Australia. They also discuss the role of alliances, digital infrastructure, national security and historical lessons that can inform this evolving area of debate.

Technology...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey is joined by Jason Matheny, CEO of RAND Corporation and founder of CSET to delve into the complexities of regulating emerging technologies — from AI to biotechnology, what the United States can learn from Australia, the opportunity a current bottleneck in compute capacity offers democracies, and his work at IARPA — ‘the DARPA of the intelligence world’ — using innovative methods to solve the hard problems of policy and national security. They also discuss the role of alliances such as Five Eyes in combatting AI-generated disinformation and why standards bodies need greater support.

Jason is the President and CEO of...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey sits down with Hamish Hansford, Deputy Secretary of the Cyber and Infrastructure Security Group at the Department of Home Affairs, to discuss the evolution of the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI), including Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Programs (CIRMPs), refining the critical asset class definitions and the importance of board accountability. They also cover the International Counter Ransomware Taskforce, working with other countries in cyber security and Australia’s upcoming Cyber Security Strategy for 2023–30, including lessons from the US National Cybersecurity Strategy. 

The discussion also touches on lessons from the Optus and Medibank data breac...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey interviews Susan Gordon, former US Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, discussing the potential of public disclosures of intelligence to build trust, the nuanced differences between American and Australian cultures that impact technology policy and innovation, especially in areas like AI regulation, and what is needed to make AUKUS Pillar II a success. They also cover the increasing role of private-sector firms in national security — from supply chain decisions to the role of Starlink in the Russian invasion of Ukraine to Chinese infrastructure investment in the Indo-Pacific — how best to harness them and their technologies, and the...

Dr Miah Hammond-Errey talks with Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, about AI’s rapid rise, online harms, where banking has led the way in technology regulation, and much more. In this episode they discuss eSafety’s world-leading regulation work, why we can’t just regulate algorithms and how eSafety collaborates with industry to drive change. They also cover the TikTok bans and some of the wild technologies coming down the pipeline. 

As Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant focuses on keeping Australia’s citizens safe online. She has previously worked across the public and private secto...

In this episode Alex Lynch, from Google Australia’s Public Policy team, joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to discuss emerging technologies, quantum, Australia’s role and much more. They cover Google’s recent quantum announcement on error correction and Australia’s significant role in quantum research, data localisation, ethics in AI — including Google’s approach — and strategic decoupling. They also talk about the complexity and security of Google’s global infrastructure, data breaches and what it is that should not be automated. 

Alex manages Google's public policy engagement in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, as well as related a...

In this episode, Jessica Hunter from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) joins Dr Miah Hammond-Errey to talk about emerging technologies and signals intelligence. They cover ASD’s role in Australian intelligence, REDSPICE, offensive and defensive operations and the Russia–Ukraine conflict, technology as statecraft and cybercrime. They also discuss alliances, the security of everyday technology, the Optus and Medibank hacks, international standards, and the value of creativity and vulnerability for leadership in intelligence.

Jess is a First Assistant Director-General at the ASD, working at the Australian Cyber Security Centre under Access & Effects. She has worked in th...