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Morning Mail: The rise of AI use in psychiatry; Altman beats Musk in clash of tech titans; ancient dingo bond revealed

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18 May 2026
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18 May 2026, 10:00 pm

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Psychiatrist adopts AI note taking tool; Sam Altman wins court fight against billionaire rival

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Digital rights experts have raised concerns about the security of the data recorded by AI in psychiatrists’ sessions. (Stock image). Photograph: Science Photo Library/AlamyView image in fullscreenDigital rights experts have raised concerns about the security of the data recorded by AI in psychiatrists’ sessions. (Stock image). Photograph: Science Photo Library/AlamyMorning Mail: The rise of AI use in psychiatry; Altman beats Musk in clash of tech titans; ancient dingo bond revealedWant to get this in your inbox every weekday? Sign up for the Morning Mail here, and finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletterGood morning. In a sign of the times, a Melbourne psychiatrist is refusing to take on new patients who don’t consent to her using AI note-taking tools. Coincidentally, overnight a jury has handed victory to Sam Altman in his high-stakes battle with Elon Musk over the founding of tech giant OpenAI.Meanwhile, research reveals the under-16s social media ban has had unintended consequences, and activists have criticised proposed Northern Territory laws that would allow police to hold children for days without charge.Plus: a thousand-year-old dingo burial site in New South Wales tells us about an ancient connection.AustraliaView image in fullscreenBarkindji custodian David Doyle lifts the first bone from a millennium-old dingo burial site in Kinchega national park. Dingoes ‘were a companion animal right up until colonisation’, he says. Photograph: Amy Way Archaeological find | A millennium-old dingo burial site in western NSW, including evidence of a “feeding” ritual, has shed new light on the relationship between the canines and First Nations people. Computer says no | AI-driven note-taking tools are increasingly popular – and now a Melbourne psychiatrist is refusing new patients unless they agree to allow her to use an AI scribe in their sessions. ‘Unintended consequences’ | A study has found that Australia’s social media ban is preventing teenagers from accessing news, with half of the teenagers who have been blocked saying they’re now seeing less news. Murder charges | A man has been charged with three counts of murder overnight after the bodies of a woman and two boys were found in a Sydney home. Detention fears | The NT government has been accused of “funnelling Aboriginal children into prisons” over new laws that would allow police to detain young people for up to 48 hours. WorldView image in fullscreenA digitally colourised scanning electron micrograph showing filamentous Ebola virus particles. Photograph: Reuters Pandemic threat | The world is becoming less resilient to outbreaks of infectious diseases, experts have warned, as health authorities in the DRC and Uganda scramble to contain an outbreak of Ebola; the US imposes travel screening measures after an American contracts Ebola; the Science Weekly podcast asks: can the Ebola outbreak be contained? Middle East crisis | Iran has made a new proposal for a deal to definitively end the war in the Middle East, officials in the region have said; “the clock is ticking,” Donald Trump warns Tehran; a US court case has highlighted how Iran is recruiting agents who may not even be regime supporters, Jason Burke writes. OpenAI court battle | A jury in the US has ruled in favour of Sam Altman in a long and bitter legal battle that pitted the richest person in the world, Elon Musk, against a leader of the AI boom. Payback time | Spain’s tax authority could pay singer Shakira back more than $90m after a court ruled that it had wrongly imposed huge fines because it had made mistakes over her tax status. Cave divers | Rescuers have found the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, four days after their group was reported missing. Full StoryView image in fullscreenAuthor Patrick Radden Keefe is in Australia for a book tour. Composite: GuardianPatrick Radden Keefe on power and greed in LondonIn Sydney before his Australian book tour, celebrity investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe speaks with Reged Ahmad about his Australian roots and his new book, London Falling, which examines a mysterious death and a family’s search for truth.Full StoryPatrick Radden Keefe on power and greed in London – Full Story podcastSorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $https://audio.guim.co.uk/2026/05/18-25809-FS_PRK.mp300:00:0000:27:25In-depthView image in fullscreenAnoulack Chanthivong: ‘It’s about keeping our community safe and always trying to find ways to change people so they can live better lives once they finish their sentence.’ Photograph: Blake Sharp-Wiggins/The GuardianAnoulack Chanthivong says he was surprised when Chris Minns asked him to take on the unforgiving portfolio of NSW corrections minister. The 48-year-old has four other portfolios but it is in Corrections that his values and political nous have been most vigorously tested. Chanthivong has found himself, at times, at odds with the premier.Not the newsView image in fullscreenJulia Hollingsworth: ‘While I had many skills – typing fast, crying delicately – it was starting to feel like driving would not be one of them.’ Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The GuardianIn the latest of our My rookie era series, Julia Hollingsworth recounts going for her driver’s licence in her 30s – and failing four times. As she explains, her journey towards getting behind the wheel as an adult felt humiliating because everyone knows how to drive, but also frustrating because (as other drivers ran red lights and failed to stop at pedestrian crossings) no one knows how to drive properly.SportView image in fullscreenArsenal’s Kai Havertz celebrates after scoring against Burnley at the Emirates Stadium. Photograph: John Walton/PA Football | Arsenal are taking on Burnley as they hunt for the Premier League title; Sam Kerr bids farewell to Chelsea in fitting style after equalling the club’s goalscoring record; Mohamed Salah’s spiky Liverpool departure puts Arne Slot in an awkward spot, Andy Hunter writes. Basketball | “That game sucked”: No 1 seed Detroit Pistons rue their NBA playoff exit as the Cleveland Cavaliers advance to the Conference finals. Athletics | Eddie Nketia runs 100m in 9.74s but the Australian sprint record stays out of reach. Golf | The nice guy who finished first? Why all of golf was glad to see Aaron Rai lift this year’s US PGA Championship. Media roundupAt least $57bn worth of vital infrastructure in Victoria is at risk from more frequent and severe natural disasters, ABC News reports. Only 3% of clothes bought in Australia are made locally as cheap imports threaten to kill off local textile manufacturing, the Advertiser reports. Tasmania’s first legal test of new rental pet laws has ended in heartbreak for a tenant and Periwinkle the kitten, the Mercury reports.What’s happening today VIC | Richard Marles, the deputy PM and minister for defence, is scheduled to give an address about Aukus to the Lowy Institute in Melbourne. NSW | Treasurer Jim Chalmers is due to speak at the Bloomberg Forum for Investment Managers in Sydney. NSW | The Police Association of NSW conference is taking place in Wollongong. VIC | Michelle Obama is scheduled to speak in Melbourne today as she promotes her latest book. Sign upSign up for the Breaking News Australia emailIf you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland.Brain teaserAnd finally, here are the Guardian’s crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword Contact usIf you have a story tip or technical issue viewing this newsletter, please reply to this email.If you are a Guardian supporter and need assistance with regards to contributions and/or digital subscriptions, please email customer.help@guardian.co.ukExplore more on these topicsAustralia newsMorning mail newsletternewslettersShareReuse this content