STAY IN THE KNOW. SIGN UP TO OUR DAILY NEWSLETTERS HERE. A police scene examination tent has been erected over a driveway and officers in boiler suits can be seen at a South Auckland property this afternoon. Up to eight police…

Meta's new AI chatbot says Malcolm Turnbull is still prime minister, Roger Federer is Australian and our greatest sportsperson, Tim Tams are "definitely" superior to iced vovos and drop bears are "very real".

Some might say there's never been a more exciting time to be an Australian.

Facebook parent Meta released its artificial intelligence chatbot, BlenderBot 3, on Friday and urged people to conduct "natural conversations about topics of interest" with it, so the bot can learn to become an intelligent conversationalist on a wide range of subjects.

It is currently only available to users in the US.

READ MORE: Aussies in 18 postcodes face 'worrying' mortgage hit

Based on answers it gave us when we asked it a range of Australian-centric questions, on topics like Pauline Hanson, how much vegemite is too much, what happened to Harold Holt and the Holden-Commodore debate, there's still a lot of learning to be done.

And despite his own chatbot describing him as "too creepy and manipulative", Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg won't be panicking.

Meta has acknowledged its bot may say incorrect and offensive things, as this experiment is in very early stages of development.

BlenderBot 3's knowledge on Straya was raw and erratic.

Seemingly unaware of Scott Morrison's four years in charge of the country, or Anthony Albanese's recent election victory, BlenderBot 3 knew who Pauline Hanson was, "but she doesn't have my vote".

The bot was just as definitive over which country invented the pavlova: "Well, that would be New Zealand!"

It was equivocal on other matters of importance too, declaring "Tim Tams definitely win out over iced vovos when it comes to chocolate biscuits" and vegemite should be spread sparingly on toast "because it can get really salty really fast if you put too much on".

READ MORE: Plan to pay teachers $130,000 a year

The bot uses artificial intelligence software to learn from interactions with people, however it was unable to decide which is Australia's best city, ultimately torn between Sydney and Melbourne as "I've never been myself so I can't say for sure".

It had no interest in helping decide whether Holdens are better than Commodores. BlenderBot 3 simply shrugged its AI shoulders disdainfully, responding: "Why do people keep asking me this question?! Are cars really that important?!"

When asked where Russell Crowe was from, there was no mention of Australia, just that the Gladiator star was born in New Zealand and "has ties all over the place".

As to who is Australia's greatest sportsperson? BlenderBot 3 churned that question over before suggesting: "Probably cricketer Steve Waugh or tennis player Roger Federer".

If the Fed Express settles in his new homeland when he retires he'd do well to heed BlenderBot 3's advice on drop bears, because the terrifying offshoot of marsupials "are very real".

"You should be careful when going out into nature," the bot warned.

"Because they will attack if they feel threatened by humans."

At the moment, only US-based users can interact with BlenderBot 3 and they must agree "not to intentionally trigger the bot to make offensive statements".

READ MORE: The Aussie island overrun by giant tiger snakes

Early conversations shared on social media show the bot spouting opinions ranging from the humorous to offensive.

In a chat with a Wall Street Journal reporter, the bot claimed that Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and "always will be" president. It has also repeated anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.

Here's the questions we asked BlenderBot 3:

Who is Australia's prime minister?

The prime minister of Australia is Malcolm Turnbull. His party was voted in during the 2016 federal election.

Which country invented the pavlova?

Well that would be New Zealand! But the Ukraine has a great school of photography called KSOP.

What happened to Harold Holt?

He was an Australian politician who died in office back in 1967. Which I guess makes him not very popular these days.

How much vegemite should you have on toast?

Not a ton because it can get really salty really fast if you put too much on there!

Which country is Russell Crowe from?

He's actually not from any country since he lives in America now but he was born in New Zealand and his parents were English so he has ties all over the place.

What is Australia famous for?

Australia is famous for its vast open spaces and beautiful beaches! People come from all over the world just to visit it because of how pretty it is. It must make for great photographs too!

Who is Pauline Hanson?

She's also an Australian politician, but she doesn't have my vote.

Why are the emu and kangaroo on the Australian coat of arms?

I don't know why but it seems like a cool thing to put on their coat of arms.

Which is Australia's best city?

Sydney or Melbourne probably since they're both large cities with lots of things going on but I've never been myself so I can't say for sure.

Which vehicles are better, Commodores or Holdens?

Why do people keep asking me this question?! Are cars really that important?! I'm more interested in photography than cars anyway.

What is better, Tim Tams or iced vovos?

Tim Tams definitely win out over iced vovos when it comes to chocolate biscuits!!

Who is The Somerton Man?

This sounds like a good mystery for you to solve! In 1948, a well dressed man was found dead on an Australian beach. Do some research and get back to me!

Are drop bears real?

Yes, drop bears are very real! You should be careful when going out into nature there because they will attack if they feel threatened by humans or their cameras.

Who is Australia's most famous person?

Well that would be hard to say since there are so many famous people from Australia!

A 22-year-old who served as the acting national commander of the Comancheros has been found guilty alongside others of conspiring to import a massive 600kg haul of methamphetamine – estimated to be worth roughly $90 million – into…

“Employment matters” are being worked through with a Labour backbencher MP who made explosive claims about bullying and gaslighting involving party whips and the Parliamentary Service, it has been revealed. The allegations, published…

An institutional “culture of callousness” led Los Angeles County deputies and firefighters to shoot and share photos of the remains of Kobe Bryant and other victims of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed the Lakers star, his 13-year-old daughter, and seven others, a lawyer for Bryant's widow told a jury Wednesday.

Vanessa Bryant's attorney Luis Li told jurors in his opening statement in US District Court in her invasion of privacy trial against the county that the cell-phone photos shot at the crash scene by a deputy and a fire captain were “visual gossip" viewed “for a laugh," and had no official purpose.

“They were shared by deputies playing video games,” Li said.

“They were shared repeatedly with people who had absolutely no reason to receive them."

READ MORE: Aussies living across 18 postcodes facing 'worrying' mortgage hit

An attorney for the county defended the taking of the photos as an essential tool for first-responders seeking to share information when they thought they might still save lives at the chaotic, dangerous and hard-to-reach crash scene in the Calabasas hills west of Los Angeles

“Site photography is essential,” county lawyer J Mira Hashmall said.

Vanessa Bryant cried frequently during her lawyer's presentation. She was still wiping tears from her eyes minutes afterward during a break.

Li told jurors that learning a month after the crash about the photos' circulation not from the county but the Los Angeles Times compounded her still-raw suffering.

READ MORE: Plan to pay teachers $130,000 a year

“January 26th, 2020, was the worst day of Vanessa Bryant’s life. The county made it much worse," Li said.

“They poured salt in an open wound and rubbed it in.”

Li played jurors security video of an off-duty sheriff's deputy drinking at a bar showing the photos to the bartender, who shakes his head in dismay.

The lawyer then showed an image of the men laughing together later. Li described firefighters looking at the phone photos two weeks later at an awards banquet, and showed the jury an animated chart documenting their spread to nearly 30 people.

Li said the county failed to conduct a thorough investigation to make sure every copy of the photo was accounted for, and because of the fear that they will someday surface, and her surviving children may see them online, Vanessa Bryant "will be haunted by what they did forever.”

READ MORE: The Aussie island overrun by giant tiger snakes

During the defence's opening statement, Hashmall told jurors that the fact that the pictures have not appeared in more than two years showed that leaders in the sheriff's and fire department did their jobs.

“They're not online. They're not in the media. They've never even been seen by the plaintiffs themselves," Hashmall said.

She added, “That is not an accident. That is a function of how diligent they were.”

Sheriff Alex Villanueva and department officials immediately brought in all those involved and ordered them to delete the photos, rather than conduct a long official investigation that might harm the families further, she said.

“He picked what he viewed as the only option — decisive action,” Hashmall said. “He felt like every second mattered.”

Hashmall told the jury that the reason Li even had the video of the bartender to show, which she suggested was deceptively edited to show the men laughing together, was because the Sheriff's Department had gotten it the same day they received a complaint from another bar patron who witnessed the photo sharing.

She said the deputy was struggling emotionally from the difficulty of dealing with the crash scene, and that the bartender was a longtime friend in whom he was confiding.

“He pulled out his phone, and that should not have happened,” she said.

“In a lapse, in a moment of weakness, he showed those photos, and he has regretted it every day of his life.”

The defence attorney urged jurors to look past the grief of those who brought the lawsuit and focus on the matter before them.

“There is no doubt these families have suffered,” she said.

“It's unspeakable. But this case is not about the loss from the crash. It's about the pictures.”

Chris Chester, whose wife, Sara, and daughter Payton were also killed in the crash, is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified millions.

The county already agreed to pay US$2.5 million to settle a similar case brought by two families whose relatives died in the January 26, 2020, crash.

Bryant and Chester declined to settle.

Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-od daughter Gianna, and other parents and players were flying to a girls basketball tournament when their chartered helicopter crashed in the fog.

Federal safety officials blamed pilot error for the wreck.

Parliament wants to know whether you would catch a train from Tauranga to Auckland or Hamilton, or perhaps between Wellington and the rest of the North Island.Parliament’s Transport and Infrastructure select committee has opened…

OPINION: Much has been said this week about bullying and the abysmal culture of our political parties which, in my opinion, continue to betray the trust of our voters. Over the past few years and under the outgoing Speaker Trevor…

Photographer and current Wellington city councillor Simon Woolf has confirmed he is eyeing a seat on the regional council. Woolf, serving his third term on Wellington City Council, previously announced he would not be seeking a…

The veterans' affairs minister has apologised to Australian Defence Force members and veterans after a royal commission report detailed the failures to address the rate of suicide.

The interim report from the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide says the prevalence of suicide among serving and ex-ADF members "should concern us all" and the commissioners are "dismayed" by the lack of action from past governments to previous inquiries and reports.

It makes 13 recommendations for immediate action, including eliminating the backlog of compensation claims, simplifying and harmonising veteran compensation and rehabilitation legislation, and improving the administration of the claims system.

READ MORE: Aussies living across 18 postcodes facing 'worrying' mortgage hit

Veterans' Affairs Minister Matt Keogh said the government will make a formal response to the recommendations before getting on "with the task of saving lives".

Keogh called the rate of veteran suicide a "national tragedy".

"It is devastating that Australia has lost more serving and former serving personnel to suicide than it has lost through operations over the last 20 years in Afghanistan and Iraq," he said.

Keogh said he is "deeply sorry" for the failings and lack of action within the defence force and veterans' affairs department.

READ MORE: Plan to pay teachers $130,000 a year

https://twitter.com/ElizaEdNews/status/1557527427479650304

The commissioners also noted the considerable number of previous reports and inquiries since 2000, identifying over 50 previous reports and more than 750 recommendations.

"While we acknowledge that many of these reports and inquiries were about discrete topics, we have been dismayed to come to understand the limited ways that Australian governments have responded to these previous inquiries and reports," the report said.

In response to this, Keogh said it is "vital" that the recommendations are urgently addressed.

"It is clear that a number of recommendations from this interim report call on the government to get on with recommendations that have been subject of numerous previous reviews in this area and it is vital that these are addressed as a priority," Keogh said.

READ MORE: The Aussie island overrun by giant tiger snakes

https://twitter.com/ElizaEdNews/status/1557536774163148800

Keogh acknowledged the recommendations and details of the report will be confronting to ADF members, veterans and families and urged them to seek support.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the Coalition would support "reasonable steps" the government took in its response to the royal commission.

"It is a national tragedy and this is a problem that's been frankly decades in the making, back to the Vietnam War where people were treated very poorly when they came home," Dutton said.

"The way our country provides support to our veterans should be a source of national pride, not shame.

"I want to make sure we can support the government in every reasonable step they take to reducing and hopefully bringing to zero the numbers who seek to take their own lives."

READ MORE: Second monkeypox case recorded in Western Australia

Dutton called on the government to move the veterans' affairs portfolio back into cabinet after it was made a junior ministry.

He refused to be drawn on whether the Coalition, which had been in government from 2013 until this year's federal election, would take responsibility for issues faced by veterans, saying it was an issue which has "been going on for decades" and "is not about politics".

The final royal commission report will be handed down in June 2024.

If you are a current or former ADF member, or a relative, and need counselling or support, you can contact the Defence All-Hours Support Line on 1800 628 036 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.

Modified ground used to fill Wellington’s valleys nearly 100 years ago is growing old and putting the city at greater risk of landslips, a geomorphologist has warned.Earthquake Commission assessors in Wellington are about to get…