Post-Quantum, Xero Ultra, Voice AI

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

Canberra mandates federal agencies begin shifting to post-quantum cryptography
Xero launches Ultra, pitching it as a mid-market ERP alternative for growing AU businesses
OpenAI ships new voice model that can talk and listen simultaneously
Who Gives A Crap suspends AI email agent after it hallucinated a price hike

Australian Tech

Federal agencies told to plan for post-quantum crypto

Australia's cybersecurity agency has directed federal departments to draw up plans for retiring current encryption standards and migrating to post-quantum cryptographic algorithms as the threat from quantum computing edges closer.

Xero launches Ultra as mid-market ERP play

Xero has released Ultra, a new tier aimed at Australian businesses that have outgrown basic accounting software but aren't ready for full enterprise ERP. It fills a gap the company says has been underserved for years.

Who Gives A Crap pulls AI agent after hallucinated price hike

The toilet paper subscription company suspended its AI-powered email tool after it incorrectly told a customer their subscription price would more than double. A tidy reminder to keep humans in the loop on customer-facing AI.

Government report: AI hasn't disrupted AU labour market yet

A federal report covering 2022 to early 2026 found no evidence that generative AI has materially disrupted Australia's job market, despite widespread adoption of tools like ChatGPT.

AI · Worldwide

OpenAI ships voice model that listens while it talks

GPT-Live-1 can speak and listen at the same time, making real-time translation and natural conversation more practical. It routes to GPT-5.5 for reasoning and web search when needed.