Let's talk about Artificial Intelligence

[rgmwa]

The major AI developers in the US recognise the risks and don't seem to be averse to some kind of regulation or constraint on development, but none of them wants to be the first to slow down because they're all in competition with each other and have huge sums of borrowed money tied up in development with very little return on investment to show for it so far. They can't afford to stop and seem to be hoping the government will step in and do something, which the current administration certainly won't. Another reason they won't slow down is that unless there's an international agreement, which will never happen, they will be worried that China or Europe will get the upper hand.  I think we're on a rocky road with great potential for positive benefits but also lots of opportunity for things to go off the rails. I saw a report today that the Houtis were using Claude to design them a new missile until Anthropic got wind of it and stopped them. 

 

[nomadpete]

20 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

there has to be a global organisation and agreement on AI proliferation

There already is. There is a small number of very wealthy tech moguls (independant of political pressure, of course) looking after all that.

[Jerry_Atrick]

1 hour ago, rgmwa said:

The major AI developers in the US recognise the risks and don't seem to be averse to some kind of regulation or constraint on development, but none of them wants to be the first to slow down because they're all in competition with each other and have huge sums of borrowed money tied up in development with very little return on investment to show for it so far.

Yes.. but by my paralleing AI to guns, regulation is required to force it to slow down. However, emerging news is: https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/sam-altman-elon-musk-ai-safety-concerns-b3049217.html

 

Which basically says there is a need to slow down. The other problem is you have China and no doubt Russia and other non-aligned countries who will not slow down any time soon.. so, again in an analogy of weapons, you're only as strong as the effectiveness of what you've got. There has to be some sort of verifiable global non-proliferation agreement. 

 

Ultimately, like everything else in a free market, it takes government regulation to manage the risks. 

Edited Sunday at 08:20 AM by Jerry_Atrick

[rgmwa]

1 hour ago, nomadpete said:

There already is. There is a small number of very wealthy tech moguls (independant of political pressure, of course) looking after all that.

True, but I was hoping for a more responsible group to manage it.

 

[Marty_d]

Yes - these models are being built by billionaire tech bros, as a cohort possibly the most amoral set of scoundrels as exists in the USA.

They are completely detached from reality. They have no concept of how normal people live.

This AI race is simply a game to them. Why do they care if their company "wins" this race? They already have more money than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes.

[Jerry_Atrick]

54 minutes ago, Marty_d said:

They already have more money than they could spend in a hundred lifetimes.

I have to admit, I am not normally against people accumulating vast amounts of wealth. Again, that is based on an economic structure where the wealth did trickle down at least to those who participated - the labour force. However, the rules are changing. While I am sure if you asked one of the LLM/generative AI solutions to build you your own AI competitor, they would reneg, there is nothing in the core model that would not allow them to do it. In other words, in terms of product development, it is almost a perpetual motion machine already.. Of course, ti still requires people, but disproportionately fewer for the output - and significantly so. 

 

On that basis, trickle of wealth down will be slower than an old fella's pipe without the magic tablets they take. So, on that basis, again, the wealth will have to be forced to trickle down by outside regulation - so at some stage a) the clamps have to be put on or b) there is a point at which that wealth is taxed. Of course there will be cries that it is paper wealth and if they cashed it out it would impact the share price of investors which includes pension funds. Of course, it doesn't have to be cashed out. The government can automatically take a stake in the companies that exceed a valuation / employee ratio or something like that. 

[Marty_d]

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-14/irish-reunification-natural-trump-says/107148712

 

Despite the text, the link is actually about how Trump thinks everything is ok with AI and it's just "very negative" people who worry about it.

So now I'm really concerned.

[old man emu]

It is interesting that the people doing the AI development work are now issuing warnings that the AI horse is kicking at the corral gate, thretening to bolt from all control. You know there is something amiss when the boss of Anthropic is one of those calling out warnings. However, we know that it is corporate greed that is ignoring these warnings.

[Jerry_Atrick]

8 hours ago, Marty_d said:

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-09-14/irish-reunification-natural-trump-says/107148712

 

Despite the text, the link is actually about how Trump thinks everything is ok with AI and it's just "very negative" people who worry about it.

So now I'm really concerned.

Chump isn't known as one of the more responsible leaders of our time. Sadly he is at the helm precisely when we don't need him. 

 

8 hours ago, old man emu said:

It is interesting that the people doing the AI development work are now issuing warnings that the AI horse is kicking at the corral gate, threatening to bolt from all control. You know there is something amiss when the boss of Anthropic is one of those calling out warnings. However, we know that it is corporate greed that is ignoring these warnings.

Anthropic has for a long time called out the warning and put the brakes on or the use of offensive purposes by defence (now war) departments. That was the origin of the spat with Chump and, ironically, export controls of the model that had stronger guardrails than most. 

 

I did neglect to mention one of the issues of AI. AI mimics human intelligence - all things good and not good. Like humans, it self-propagates and evolves. Unlike humans, it does it a lot faster. But also unlike humans, it can be switched off. 

 

[rgmwa]

19 minutes ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

But also unlike humans, it can be switched off. 

 

Provided you know where it's gone.

[nomadpete]

17 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

wealth will have to be forced to trickle down by outside regulation - so at some stage a) the clamps have to be put on

Unfortunately the USofA is showing the no government has the power to over-rule these mega wealthy individuals.

 

Until now we grew accustomed to the elites having more of their own way than commoners. But the extreme wealth of today's top .1% allows the tech bros to have their own unchallengable top tier of power.

[Litespeed]

 

rather sobering for the fans

[nomadpete]

No need to worry. The tweet of the day from our orange saviour says it all.....

 

Real tweet today:
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

[old man emu]

27 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”

Is he praising African-Americans and suggesting that the USA should have an African-American President?  Americans know that spade is a derogatory slang term for an African-American.

 

To paraphrase King Henry II regarding Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170, "Will no one rid me of this troublesome president?"

[nomadpete]

34 minutes ago, old man emu said:

suggesting that the USA should have an African-American President?

They tried that. The backlash is still playing out.

[Marty_d]

Obama's IQ is substantially higher than this clown's.

Literally everything Trump says is wrong. 

[rgmwa]

And what's not wrong is a lie.

[facthunter]

Not really Foreman material is He? Nev

[red750]

We're already doomed. Chump says he has it under control.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Had to laugh,,, The thought of Chump in control means it is bound to not work..

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Serious question - in the absence of an Aussie core AI company, should the federal government proactively encourage/sponsor a local industry, legislating 100% Aussie ownership of our own AI companies?

[nomadpete]

Serious answer...

Yes.... as long as they can provide numbers for a concrete achievable profit from the investment - over and above the cost of the investment.

[pmccarthy]

In the last 60 years we have been told many times that the minerals industry is in decline and that some new industry is about to take over as Australia's new domestic and export industry driver. It has never happened. 

 

What happens instead is that investment in exploration and mining is discouraged and the investment returns from mining go flat until the next "boom". The main result of this has been that domestic investment is driven out, and foreign owners gradually get control of Australia's resources, because they are nimbler in reinvesting when conditions improve. 

[old man emu]

3 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

100% Aussie ownership of our own AI companies?

No government legislated to ensure 100% ownership of so many companies that were successful from the 19th to 20th Century. I'm talking about manufacturing and retail companies. That's why the quality of the foodstuffs we buy is so poor and why we import so much. Just look at out dairy industry, or our canning industry. Most of those products are imported. I bought a can of SAFCOL tuna. It was pacaged in Thailand. SAFCOL stands of South Australian Fish Cooperative Limited.

 

Why would any government now bring in that sort of legislation?