Is Trump’s AI obsession walking the world into disaster? – podcast
Is Trump’s AI obsession walking the world into disaster? – podcast. Skip to main contentSkip to navigation30:27Is Trump’s AI obsession walking the world into disaster? | Politics Weekly AmericaTech bosses have called for a slowdown in artificial intelligence and formal guardrails to be introduced by the US government.
What happened
Photograph: Carlos Barría/ReutersAlbanese government considers ‘world-leading’ ban on smart glasses in public offices and buildings Minister for public service says the devices pose ‘legitimate privacy and security concerns’ in commonwealth-run workplaces Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our new political email, free app or daily news podcast The Albanese government is considering a “world-leading” ban on smart glasses in its offices and service centres as councils around Australia push the technology out of public spaces over privacy fears.
Tech bosses have called for a slowdown in artificial intelligence and the creation of formal guardrails from the US government. But why is President Trump unmoved by the doomsday predictions, dismissing them as a ‘hoax’? What lies behind his embrace of the AI industry? Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian US tech editor, Blake MontgomeryWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelSend your questions and feedback to politicsweeklyamerica@theguardian. comListen to the latest season of Black Box Continue reading. . .
But President Trump is not moved by the doomsday predictions, calling them a ‘hoax'. Jonathan Freedland and Guardian US tech editor Blake Montgomery discussExplore more on these topicsAI (artificial intelligence)Politics Weekly America video episodesDonald TrumpUS politicsMost viewedMost viewed The Albanese government said it was seeking to set a world-leading standard. Instagram boss says users will be ‘overwhelmed’ with brand content in algorithm-free worldAustralia’s outdated technology is vulnerable to AI hacking attacks, signals chief saysAustralia is on a collision course with US big tech.
Composite: Getty ImagesThe US government is failing Americans on AIShakeel HashimTrump and Republicans want companies to regulate themselves.
The wider picture
The combination of dire warnings from insiders and growing real-world evidence of rogue AIs should, in a sane world, lead to government action. Instead, Donald Trump and the Republican leadership have their heads in the sand. On Sunday, Trump dismissed industry concerns, accusing “very negative forces” of “raising exaggerated concerns”. That analogy makes Trump and Johnson’s call for self-regulation all the more absurd. And that is why Trump and Johnson ought to use this sudden interest in AI safety to pass concrete laws.
Trump’s argument against doing any of this is that the US is in a race with China on AI, and it must not lose. Despite what Trump may think, it’s the government’s job to make sure they can’t. Explore more on these topicsAI (artificial intelligence)Donald TrumpOpenAIAnthropicSam AltmanElon MuskGrok AIcommentShareReuse this contentMost viewedMost viewed
What has been reported
Photograph: Darkwings WildlifeReviewThe Route to Cappyness review – capybara boosterism is an ode to the internet’s favourite rodentFrom a cappy-cafe owner in Japan to an escaped capybara in the UK, this homespun film takes the temperature of an international obsessionOne of Midlands-based film-maker Sharon Walia’s previous works was The Keepers of the Pigs, proudly described on her production company’s website as “the first ever documentary about guinea pigs”. Walia’s celebration of the species stays on script, rejoicing in the animals’ natural geniality, friendliness to other species in their natural habitat, and their compelling, remunerative charm that seems to have bolstered the fortunes of several animal attractions around the world.
What is behind his affection for the AI industry? Skip to main contentSkip to navigation Meta smart glasses. Schools and hospitals run by state governments will be left to set their own rules over the technology. Photograph: Carlos Barría/ReutersView image in fullscreenMeta smart glasses. The government has avoided a sweeping ban on the import of the camera-equipped technology and encouraged individual workplaces to set their own rules. The public service minister, Katy Gallagher, said on Thursday she had asked the Australian public service for advice on whether the glasses should be prohibited.
What happens next
“We need clear and consistent guidance for public servants,” Gallagher said. “Smart glasses can raise legitimate privacy and security concerns, particularly because of their ability to record and capture information. ”Commonwealth-run workplaces range from bureaucrats’ offices to Centrelink service centres and CSIRO laboratories. A University of Sydney study of smart glasses-filmed videos posted on Instagram found 60% of a sample could be classified as potential harassment. So far, no national government has banned the glasses’ use across their agencies.
Courts in England and Wales in the UK and New York state in the US have banned the technology, while the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency reportedly classified them as body-worn cameras and barred them from the “federal workspace”. A local council in Sydney on Tuesday became the latest to issue a targeted bans on the use of the technology. Canterbury-Bankstown’s mayor, Bilal El-Hayek, decried what he called “pervert glasses” as the council barred the wearable tech from public pools.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.