Written by Sophie Babic

Meta turns to AI for risk assessments 

Meta has announced that it will integrate AI into up to 90 per cent of all risk assessments for Facebook and Instagram. Privacy and integrity reviews, such as evaluating new features, rule changes, and potential harms, like privacy violations or toxic content, will now be handled by automated AI systems, not humans. 

While Meta claims its AI is capable to handle these decisions at scale, it will only automate “low-risk decisions”, and the rest will be manually reviewed. Critics have raised concerns about whether AI can adequately understand and mitigate risks tied to human behaviour and online harm. 

White Glo’s backlash 

Teeth-whitening brand, White Glo, has sparked widespread backlash in Sydney and Melbourne for its latest “Make the White Choice” campaign for echoing racially loaded language, historically associated with white supremacy.  

Critics, including content creators and activists, have pointed out the dangerous implications of such phrasing, especially in a multicultural country like Australia.  

While the brand claims the line was a harmless play on words, the controversy highlights a major oversight in cultural sensitivity, with many questioning how such messaging cleared multiple levels of approval. 

The incident is a reminder that language is never neutral, especially in public spaces. Brands must prioritise cultural awareness and include diverse voices in campaign development to avoid harm and uphold social responsibility. 

Media moves and shake-ups 

Venessa Hunt will step down from her role as ARN’s Chief Digital Strategy Officer in June, concluding a tenure of nearly three years. Venessa joined the network in September 2022 and has been instrumental in shaping ARN’s digital strategy during a period of industry transformation.  

At the Seven Network, a series of leadership changes have also been confirmed, including the promotion of Sydney news director Sean Power to a national role and the departure of Gemma Acton, who has been leading news operations for less than a year. 

In the tech space, Microsoft’s recent announcement to cut three per cent of its global workforce (around 6,000 roles) has begun to affect local operations, with several Australian LinkedIn News editors made redundant this week. The move marks the tech giants’ largest round of layoffs since 2023.  

Environmental advocacy 

Scotland could soon become the first country in the UK to criminalise severe environmental destruction, with a new bill proposing jail time and unlimited fines for company directors and businesses responsible for ‘ecocide’. The Ecocide (Scotland) Bill would treat large-scale, long-term, or irreversible damage to nature as a serious crime with penalties of up to 20 years in prison, on par with murder offences.  

Meanwhile in Australia, Unilever continued its collaboration with Clean Up Australia, Cool.org, and Coles to raise awareness about littering and circular economy practices. As part of the recent campaign,10 cents from selected Unilever product purchases at Coles contributed to a $150,000 donation to Clean Up Australia, supporting the distribution of Clean Up Kits and educational resources to schools and communities nationwide.