Afternoons for Tuesday 4 February 2025

 

1:15 Can you spot an AI-generated photo from a real one? 

AI generated images are becoming more commonplace and harder to spot. Sometimes the outcomes are worth a laugh, and sometimes the implications can be more harmful. 

The latest issue of the Wellington Central Yellow Pages claims to have a picture of Mākara Peak on the front cover. 

However, any Wellingtonian would confirm the view in the background is not of Wellington. 

One Reddit user described it as looking like "Wellington and Queenstown had a baby". 

UiRev transformation lead Brooke Howard-Smith joins Jesse to discuss the increasing use of AI in creating images and offer tips for spotting the less-obvious examples.

In each of these examples, one image is a real photograph while the other is AI-generated. Can you guess which is which? 

1:25 The banana mystery of Beeston 

We've had our fair share of neighbourhood mysteries here in Aotearoa. Remember the teabags left along the top of a fence in Christchurch? The flavoured milk left on the pump at a petrol station in Alexandra? More recently, there were romance novels being left in letter boxes in Lower Hutt.

Well, we are not alone.

For over a year, residents in the English town of Beeston have been puzzled by a plate of peeled bananas that appears on the same street corner every month.

Harry Stevens has been following the story for BBC Nottingham and he joins Jesse today. 

1:35 Helping every Kiwi kid make a good first impression 

As kids head off to school, there is the inevitable flurry of shopping to sort out uniforms and supplies.

For some families this also comes with a lot of financial stress and that can affect how children feel on that crucial first day. 

'School Start - First Impressions' is a charity that aims to ensure every child has a chance to start school with confidence. 

General manager Jessica Timmins speaks to Jesse today. 

1:45 Tech Tuesday: Elon Musk, consumer technology, DeepSeek

Tim Batt returns to give listeners the latest from the world of tech. 

Today Tim discusses what he calls Elon Musk's "digital coup of the USA", the diminishing returns of consumer technology, and the AI sevice that's got everyone asking questions, DeepSeek. 

2:10 Book Critic: 'The New Faces of Fascism' by Enzo Traverso

Afternoons book Critic Anna Rankin joins Jesse to review the latest release by Enzo Traverso, which explores the development of fascism in the 21st century. 

2:20 Update on Oz with Brad Foster

Australian correspondent Brad Foster brings the latest news from across the ditch to Jesse's desk. 

Today Brad discusses the rise of anti-Semitic attacks and the backlash a politician is facing after using a tax-payer funded card to have a three-hour lunch in the Hunter Valley over Australia Day weekend.

2:30 Music feature: Immigrant songs 

Today we're doing something a bit different for our weekly music feature. 

If once aspect of New Zealand culture has surprised Afternoons producer and British export Tom Riste-Smith, it's the treasure trove of songs that he believes are smash-hits here, but nowhere else. 

Today Tom takes us through a selection of songs that you all know, but he doesn't. 

3:10 Why kids check-out of learning and how to prevent it

How well kids do in school depends largely on how they feel about school. 

All over the world, by the time they hit intermediate, many students just don’t see the point of school anymore. In New Zealand, that’s clear from rising truancy levels and declining test scores.

Dr Rebecca Winthrop is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and Jenny Anderson is a journalist. Together they’ve spent years looking into the reasons why so many students check out of learning. 

Their new book offers a roadmap to help kids get back to not just academic success, but emotional health too. 

It’s called 'The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better'.

Co-author Jenny Anderson speaks to Jesse.