Written by Sophie Babic

AI shopping upgrade

Woolworths will become the first Australian supermarket to use AI-powered agents to shop for customers through a new partnership with Google’s Gemini.

The upgrade will enable the retailer’s chatbot to plan meals and add products to online baskets. Until now, Olive mainly handled simple queries. This update will allow it to interpret handwritten recipes, apply loyalty discounts, and suggest basket items.

The partnership is part of a broader series of agreements Google has made with major retailers, predominantly in the U.S., including Kroger, Lowe’s and Papa Johns. Gemini-powered Olive is expected to launch in Australia later this year.

AI leaves Aussies vulnerable to fraud

News from CommBank reveals more than half of Australians can’t reliably tell the difference between a real image and a deepfake.

While 89 per cent of respondents felt confident that they could spot AI‑generated content, only 42 per cent were actually able to distinguish between a genuine photo and an AI image.

General Manager of Group Fraud Management Services at Commonwealth Bank, James Roberts, warns that criminals are increasingly using deepfake photos, cloned voices and texts, impersonations of loved ones and executives, and fabricated investment videos to run sophisticated scams.

The bank found investment scams were the most common, followed by business email compromise and relationship scams.

According to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s National Anti-Scam Centre, Australians lost nearly $260 million to scams between January and September last year, with most losses linked to fake online content such as fraudulent websites, ads, social media posts and apps.

Introduction of ChatGPT Health

OpenAI has launched its new health advice platform this month, which allows users to share private medical records in exchange for more personalised guidance.

Rising out-of-pocket healthcare costs and lengthy GP wait times have increasingly pushed people towards AI tools, with medical symptoms ranking among the most common questions asked on the platform.

The feature has raised significant privacy concerns, while healthcare professionals are also questioning whether AI-generated medical advice could do more harm than good.

Alex Ruani, a doctoral researcher specialising in health misinformation at University College London, said there have been too many “horrifying” examples of ChatGPT omitting critical safety information, including side effects, allergy warnings, and risks associated with supplements, foods, diets, or specific health practices.

OpenAI said it worked in partnership with more than 200 physicians across 60 countries to help advise and improve the models powering ChatGPT Health. Data used within the platform is encrypted and protected by privacy safeguards by .

A new source of revenue for LLMs

OpenAI has announced it will begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in Australia, after trial in the US, marking a major shift in how large language models (LLMs) are creating revenue.

Sponsored content will appear on the free tier and the fast-growing “Go” subscription, creating new opportunities for brands to reach users in real-time, conversational environments. OpenAI has clarified that ads will not influence the AI’s responses, and user conversations will not be sold to advertisers. Users will also have the option to opt out of ad personalisation.

To protect user experience and safety, ads will be restricted from users under 18 and excluded from sensitive topics like health and politics. Higher-tier subscriptions including Plus, Pro, Business, and Enterprise, will remain completely ad-free.

According to OpenAI, the move is designed to help offset subscription costs and keep ChatGPT accessible as a “personal super-assistant” for millions of users.

Google has also announced plans to run advertisements on its Gemini chatbot, projected for a 2026 roll out. Google’s VP of Global Ads, Dan Taylor, recently told Business Insider that “there are no plans for ads in the Gemini app” right now, and the priority is to focus on ads in its ‘AI Overview’ and ‘AI Mode’ features.