2026-02-17
AI Is Already Harming NZ Youth – Here’s What We Must Do
AI deepfakes are fuelling a sextortion surge in New Zealand. Here's what the law gets wrong, what NZ youth need now, and what you can do about it.
Read full reportEST. 2025 · WELLINGTON AOTEAROA
We're an independent advocacy initiative translating global AI risks into a New Zealand context and pushing for the laws, institutions, and literacy to meet them.
01 - Our position
The decisions being made right now by governments, companies, and researchers in the US, EU, and China will shape life in Aotearoa, whether we participate or not.
Our laws were not designed for AI-enabled harms. Our small population makes us disproportionately valuable as training data, yet we have almost no rules governing how it's used.
We research, translate, and communicate AI safety issues for a New Zealand audience, making technical concepts accessible, analysing global developments through a local lens. We educate New Zealanders about AI risks, run campaigns on specific issues, and make it easy for ordinary people to take action.
02 - Featured
2026-02-17
AI deepfakes are fuelling a sextortion surge in New Zealand. Here's what the law gets wrong, what NZ youth need now, and what you can do about it.
Read full report03 - The blog
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionise our world, but it also comes with significant risks. One of the most serious risks is the…
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact various aspects of society, from healthcare to transportation. However, it also poses significant risks, particularly if AI…
Reward functions are the mechanisms that guide AI systems towards their desired goals. They essentially provide a score or rating to the AI based on its…
04 - Signal
What we’re reading
A hand-picked selection of New Zealand AI stories worth paying attention to. Updated monthly.
RNZ
NZ’s AI data centre boom: Who benefits from the build‑out?
1news
AI turning identity fraud into major business risk, tech firm says
1news
Job hunters struggling to get through AI screening, algorithms
Newsroom
NZ firms warned overseas businesses aren’t getting a return on AI – MPs’ report
RNZ
AI-generated Westpac boss used in scam ads on Facebook
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05 - Subscribe