Good afternoon,

Welcome to your twice-weekly look at how generative AI is transforming the way we live, work and play – plus the latest news and analysis.

Life insurer TAL has bought an extra 2000 licences for staff to use Microsoft’s AI platform after it found the technology saved employees almost the equivalent of a day’s work.

The company is the latest in Australia to sign a deal with the US tech giant, following law firm Clayton Utz, after realising AI-powered tools could save its staff six hours per week on average.

The Sydney Marathon is about to get a whole lot more technical, with plans for the major 42km event to be catapulted onto the world stage alongside races in London and New York.

The major upgrades are thanks to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) which will be embedding its technology into the race with the ability to replicate a digital version of a runner’s heart as well as a suite of upgrades to the mobile app which can predict when a runner will finish the event and allow friends and family to cheer for them from the nearest pub.

Lastly, Australia’s spy agencies and military commanders will accelerate their use of artificial intelligence to analyse vast datasets under a $2bn contract with a US tech giant to create a top secret cloud computing network.

Let me know what you think — lynchj@theaustralian.com.au