Artificial intelligence is being sold to us as the future.  

Faster, smarter, more efficient, maybe even world changing. 

But as a handful of tech companies race to build ever more powerful AI, there are growing questions about secrecy, exploitation, and the extraordinary concentration of power behind the scenes. 

Journalist Karen Hao has spent years reporting on OpenAI and the global AI industry, and in her book Empire of AI, she argues this isn’t just a story about technology, it’s a story about ideology, labour, resources, and control. 

Today on The Front Page, Karen Hao joins us to unpack the rise of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and the real cost of the AI arms race.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

Artificial intelligence is being sold to us as the future.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Faster, smarter, more efficient,&nbsp;maybe even&nbsp;world changing.&nbsp;
But as a handful of tech companies race to build ever more powerful AI, there are growing questions about secrecy, exploitation, and the extraordinary concentration of power behind the scenes.&nbsp;
Journalist Karen Hao has spent years reporting on OpenAI and the global AI industry, and in her book&nbsp;Empire of AI, she argues this&nbsp;isn&rsquo;t&nbsp;just a story about technology,&nbsp;it&rsquo;s&nbsp;a story about ideology, labour, resources, and control.&nbsp;
Today on The Front Page, Karen Hao joins us to unpack the rise of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and the real cost of the AI arms race.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee

Go beyond the headlines with The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald’s daily news podcast. Each weekday Chelsea Daniels unpacks the stories shaping Aotearoa, from what’s happening in our own backyard to global events shaping our future.

Every episode we speak to leaders, experts, reporters, and those living the story, so you get the full picture. 

Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.

Go beyond the headlines with The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald&rsquo;s daily news podcast. Each weekday Chelsea Daniels unpacks the stories shaping Aotearoa, from what&rsquo;s happening in our own backyard to global events shaping our future.
Every episode we speak to leaders, experts, reporters, and those living the story, so you get the full picture.&nbsp;
Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.

Every day, The Front Page takes you behind the scenes of the biggest story from the New Zealand Herald. Hosted by Damien Venuto

The Front Page

Go beyond the headlines with The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald’s daily news analysis podcast. Each weekday Chelsea Daniels unpacks the stories shaping Aotearoa, from what’s happening in our own backyard to global events shaping our future. Every episode we speak to leaders, experts, reporters, and those living the story, so you get the full picture. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.

Go beyond the headlines with The Front Page, the New Zealand Herald&rsquo;s daily news analysis podcast. Each weekday Chelsea Daniels unpacks the stories shaping Aotearoa, from what&rsquo;s happening in our own backyard to global events shaping our future. Every episode we speak to leaders, experts, reporters, and those living the story, so you get the full picture. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode.

The hidden costs of AI: Labour, data, and the race to dominate

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/700477dd-45d2-4739-9c6e-b44b0046e637/transcript

Auckland’s long-running second harbour crossing debate is back in the spotlight.

It’s a project that politicians love to talk about but have long struggled to deliver - given the complex work, the very high price tag, and the wide range of very heated opinion on what would be best for the City of Sails.

NZTA is in the final stages of refining both a tunnel and a bridge option and will seek a decision on which to progress with “in mid-2026".

It’s after reports show the existing bridge’s ongoing maintenance burden – and the possibility of repair work forcing closures.

Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland senior lecturer in urban planning, Dr Timothy Welch is with us to unpack the politics, the planning, and the choices ahead.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

Auckland&rsquo;s long-running second harbour crossing debate is back in the spotlight.
It&rsquo;s a project that politicians love to talk about but have long struggled to deliver - given the complex work, the very high price tag, and the wide range of very heated opinion on what would be best for the City of Sails.
NZTA is in the final stages of refining both a tunnel and a bridge option and will seek a decision on which to progress with &ldquo;in mid-2026".
It&rsquo;s after reports show the existing bridge&rsquo;s ongoing maintenance burden &ndash; and the possibility of repair work forcing closures.
Today on The Front Page, University of Auckland senior lecturer in urban planning, Dr Timothy Welch is with us to unpack the politics, the planning, and the choices ahead.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee

Bridge or tunnel? Auckland’s second harbour crossing decision looms

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/9bfeef1d-3f94-4660-bb3b-b44a00352670/transcript

On paper, New Zealand Super is one of the simplest parts of our welfare system. 

Most people become eligible at 65, it’s not means tested, and for decades it’s been treated as a kind of social contract: work hard, reach retirement, and the state will be there.

But that contract is under growing pressure.

As our population ages and governments look for ways to contain long-term costs, the debate keeps returning. Should we raise the age of eligibility, and if we do, who pays the price?

Today on The Front Page, Auckland University Business School associate professor Susan St John is with us to talk about the future of superannuation, the arguments for and against raising the retirement age, and why this debate never stays settled for long.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

On paper, New Zealand Super is one of the simplest parts of our welfare system.&nbsp;
Most people become eligible at 65, it&rsquo;s not means tested, and for decades it&rsquo;s been treated as a kind of social contract: work hard, reach retirement, and the state will be there.
But that contract is under growing pressure.
As our population ages and governments look for ways to contain long-term costs, the debate keeps returning. Should we raise the age of eligibility, and if we do, who pays the price?
Today on The Front Page, Auckland University Business School associate professor Susan St John is with us to talk about the future of superannuation, the arguments for and against raising the retirement age, and why this debate never stays settled for long.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee

Should New Zealand raise the age of NZ Super?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/7e024942-d626-4ba8-983d-b44900276450/transcript

You may have heard there’s a new virus making headlines. 

Three people have died and several others have fallen ill after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise ship.  

Governments and health agencies around the world are coordinating a mass evacuation of passengers – working together to get people home while at the same time trying to prevent any further spread. 

So, should we be worried here in New Zealand? What are the real-world risks for most people? What are the warning signs? And, what does this response tell us about how authorities handle a serious disease threat? Have we gotten any better at it?  

Today on The Front Page, Massey University infectious diseases expert Professor David Hayman is with us to unpack the outbreak, the evacuation, and whether this really is an unprecedented public health operation.

Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.

Host: Chelsea Daniels
Editor/Producer: Richard Martin
Producer: Jane Yee

You may have heard&nbsp;there&rsquo;s&nbsp;a new&nbsp;virus&nbsp;making headlines.&nbsp;
Three people have died and several others have fallen ill after an outbreak of hantavirus on a cruise&nbsp;ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;
Governments and health agencies around the world are coordinating a mass evacuation of passengers &ndash; working together to get people home while at the same time trying to prevent any further spread.&nbsp;
So, should we be worried here in New Zealand? What are the real-world risks for most people? What are the warning signs?&nbsp;And,&nbsp;what does this response&nbsp;tell&nbsp;us about how authorities handle a serious disease threat?&nbsp;Have we gotten any better at it?&nbsp;&nbsp;
Today on The Front Page, Massey University infectious diseases expert Professor David Hayman is with us to unpack the outbreak, the evacuation, and whether this really is an unprecedented public health operation.
Follow The Front Page on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can read more about this and other stories in the New Zealand Herald, online at nzherald.co.nz, or tune in to news bulletins across the NZME network.
Host: Chelsea Daniels Editor/Producer: Richard Martin Producer: Jane Yee

Cruise ship hantavirus outbreak tests global health response post-Covid

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/1e5a9f62-f024-4657-b357-b448002a407f/transcript

The hidden costs of AI: Labour, data, and the race to dominate

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