Telco & AI Pay Ties: Telstra’s Accenture partnership update says staff are completing “Technology Quotient” training and that AI-assisted migrations include tools to flag payment/credit-transfer issues before customers need help, while the telco also faced scrutiny over executive pay after a July triple-0 outage. Retail Tech & Privacy: Coles and Woolworths are trialling facial recognition in stores to improve staff safety and security, with the move drawing privacy controversy. NSW Data Centres: NSW released a Data Centre Policy Framework to speed approvals (75 days for projects meeting standards) while pushing developers to fund extra energy and water infrastructure, as AI-driven demand ramps up. Payments Disruption Risk: A Mastercard outage left shoppers unable to pay across Australia, highlighting how fragile checkout experiences can be when systems fail. Food & Weight-Loss Drugs: Nestlé says GLP-1 weight-loss demand is reshaping product strategy, using AI and nutrition science to build foods/snacks aimed at side effects of rapid weight loss. Medicinal Cannabis Distribution: Cann Group is widening pharmacy distribution via chain arrangements, while Vitura Health’s asset-light marketplace model keeps it in focus for profitability. Consumer Safety Tech: Seeing Machines launched a platform to adapt its driver-monitoring “human sensing” for humanoid robots working safely alongside people. Energy Theft Crackdown (PNG): PNG Power is rolling out smart meters and monitoring to cut electricity theft and technical losses, with laws flagged as needing review.