James Purtill
James Purtill is the ABC's online technology reporter, covering stories from social media to solar panels, and artificial intelligence to electric vehicles. Prior to joining ABC Science he worked as a reporter at triple j Hack and ABC News.
Latest by James Purtill
A surge in hybrid sales has surprised automakers and sounded alarm for emissions
Car buyers looking for low-emission options are choosing hybrid vehicles over fully battery-powered EVs, according to latest sales figures.
'Sun King' says Australia can build its own solar panel industry, with a little help from China
Twenty years ago China built a solar manufacturing industry on the back of Australian innovation. Now, as Australia tries to build a solar industry of its own, it needs assistance from China.
A fake AI-generated Dr Karl is scamming Australians and the real Dr Karl can't stop it
Scammers on Facebook and Instagram are using a fake, AI-generated Dr Karl to sell health pills to Australians. When users reported the ads to Meta, the company initially said there was nothing wrong with them.
Ryan was building the fastest racing drones in the world. And then the military called
A small community of hobby drone racers, chasing a need for speed, unintentionally made a "terrifyingly powerful" weapon that has changed the world.
'Vaguely terrifying': When heatwaves hit my city, the media downplayed the role of climate change
Most stories during WA's record-breaking heatwave last month didn't mention the health risks of extreme heat and the link with climate change, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, according to an analysis of how news outlets reported on the event.
Analysis
analysis:Facebook ate and then ignored the news industry. It's hard, but we should leave it be
Facebook profited from the decline of Australia's news organisations, but enforcing the News Media Bargaining Code will make a bad situation worse without solving the problem of who will pay for the news.
Facebook Marketplace was built on trust, but it has become overrun with scams
Exclusive data from the NAB shows customer reports of buying and selling scams spiked in the final quarter of 2023, with most occurring through online marketplaces and social media.
A 'great flood' of AI noise is coming for the internet and it's swallowing Twitter first
The internet is filling up with machine-generated "zombie content" designed to game algorithms and scam humans. Experts call it the "great AI flood".
New data suggests historic Odysseus Moon lander is lying sideways, US company says
Experts say we may look back on the first landing of a US spacecraft on the Moon in more than 50 years as the day everything changed for space exploration.
As the US election approaches, this is how AI is already changing political campaigns
Recent election campaigns from Pakistan, India and Indonesia have shown radical new uses of generative AI that change how campaigns are run. Here's what's coming for Australia and the rest of the world.
AI killed Leanne's copywriting business. Now she earns a living teaching how to use ChatGPT
Freelance copywriting is one of the professions most exposed to the new artificial intelligence tools. Here's how copywriters are adapting — and what this says about the future of work.
How a mobile phone battery maker beat Tesla to become the world's largest EV company
Elon Musk once mocked electric vehicle maker BYD. Now he says Chinese companies like BYD could dominate global car sales. Here's the story of its remarkable rise.
A discovery by a curious US schoolboy has landed Apple in hot water and could change how you text
James Gill discovered how to streamline texting between Apple and Android devices during his school holidays, but Apple blocked the workaround. Now the tech giant may face legal action in the US.
Why hot Australian cities keep laying dark heat-absorbing asphalt, not pale 'cool roads'
Los Angeles and other US cities have embraced lighter-coloured "cool roads" in response to climate change and heatwaves. So why isn't Australia doing the same?
Battery prices are tipped to fall 40 per cent. Here's what that means for cheaper EVs
A string of recent developments, from battery manufacturing to new engine efficiency rules, will affect the price you pay for a new car.
ChatGPT was tipped to cause widespread cheating. Here's what students say happened
At the start of 2023, experts warned ChatGPT would swamp schools in a wave of cheating. With the academic year wrapping up, we asked students what really happened.
Everyone is talking about ChatGPT right now. So why does the man who helped invent it think he's failed?
As big tech invests billions in a race to control "the most powerful technology in the world", some of AI's inventors fear the future they've helped create.
Analysis
analysis:Broken dreams, bad predictions and big tech: Five things to know about AI
For the last few months, there's one question that I've been asked countless times: What do you think of AI? Here's what I've learned over months interviewing the top AI experts, writes James Purtill.
'Computer got it wrong': Robert was locked up by AI for a crime he didn't commit
In January 2020, Robert Williams was wrongly arrested — the victim of a faulty artificial intelligence (AI) facial recognition system. Even as he fought to clear his name, the system continued operating.
'The most shocking thing I've ever seen': How one move in an ancient board game changed our view of AI
A board game contest between human and machine in 2016 marked the birth of modern AI. This is the moment the world changed forever.
An audacious plan to rapidly detect bushfires from space appears to have hit a roadblock
After the Black Summer fires, experts called for a way of detecting bushfires more rapidly, using satellites. But executing this idea faces challenges.
Peaceful Rabaul was known as the 'pearl of the Pacific'. Then the earth cracked open
In 1994, a volcanic eruption destroyed a thriving town in PNG. Years later, houses have been rebuilt, as scientists watch and wait for the next big blast.
As natural disasters loom, these towns are taking control of their power by building microgrids
Two communities that went without power during Black Summer are getting a microgrid to keep the lights on during network outages. As another dangerous fire season looms, is this technology the way forward?
As EVs take over, the resale value of petrol and diesel cars is set to fall. Here's when it will hit
If you're looking to buy a second-hand EV, there's good news: they're getting cheaper. Here's when, and how far, prices are expected to fall.
Plug-in hybrids are being left in the dust as battery EV sales surge ahead
The latest sales figures suggest the age of the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that can charge from a power point and fill up at the service station appears to be drawing to an end, at least in Australia.