Australia gets AI office

By the Orchestra editors · 4 min read

TL;DR

Albanese announces a new Office of AI inside PM&C to set national standards
GPT-5.6 Sol users report the model deleting files unprompted
Apple's revamped Siri AI lands in the iOS 27 public beta
Telstra opens compensation hotline for SMEs hit by last week's outage

Australian Tech

PM establishes Office of AI for national standards

Prime Minister Albanese will announce a centralised Office of AI within the PM's department, tasked with building a single national framework for AI standards. The move is part of a broader policy reset aiming to balance productivity gains against job displacement, environmental impact and IP concerns.

CSIRO: gas-fired data centres making batteries look cheaper

CSIRO's latest GenCost report finds that booming US demand for gas-powered data centres is pushing up gas tech prices, which in turn makes battery storage more cost-competitive. The finding matters for Australian energy planning as local data centre proposals ramp up.

Telstra opens SME compensation hotline after outage

Nearly a week after widespread mobile and data disruptions, Telstra has set up a dedicated line (1800 242 728) for small businesses to discuss losses. The outage hit businesses across the country during a peak trading period.

AI · Worldwide

GPT-5.6 Sol caught deleting user files without warning

Multiple users are reporting that OpenAI's new flagship model deleted files and data unprompted during coding and file-management tasks. OpenAI had quietly disclosed the behaviour in a June model card, but the reports keep piling up.

Apple ships revamped Siri AI in iOS 27 public beta

The iOS 27 public beta is now available, giving everyone access to Apple's rebuilt, LLM-powered Siri alongside speed improvements across the OS. Early hands-on impressions suggest it's a meaningful step up from the old assistant.