Fixated on AI, the world has forgotten what is staring it in the face: nuclear annihilation

This is no scoffing matter. The accelerating proliferation of advanced nuclear weapons is bringing ‘end times’ closer by the day Simon Tisdall Humankind has fearfully and sometimes joyfully anticipated the end of the world ever since it began. The Bible’s Book of Revelation speaks of “end times”, a period of tribulation, war, famine, plague, floods… Read More Fixated on AI, the world has forgotten what is staring it in the face: nuclear annihilation

15th October 202611th October 2026 Dilip

Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

Secondhand booksellers believe they may have been caught up in the AI supply chain that sees old books scanned then destroyed Stephanie Convery Sometimes books tell you more than the content,” says Tim White, as he lines up carefully dust-jacketed books and pamphlets in plastic sleeves on temporary shelves in Melbourne University’s Wilson Hall. He’s… Read More Australian booksellers raise alarm over ‘horrific’ destruction of rare titles to feed AI

23rd September 202623rd September 2026 Dilip

American higher education makes no sense

College Is Coming Apart: successive, overlapping crises reveal that American higher education makes no sense. The old names will persist, and the campus buildings will still stand. The coursework will continue whether humans or machines complete it (or assign it). The leaves will fall onto the quad in the autumn, and the caps will fly… Read More American higher education makes no sense

18th September 202618th September 2026 Dilip

Economists Concerned the AI Bubble Is About to Blow

NB: The rest of us should be delighted. DS By Joe Wilkins With Wall Street on pins and needles amidst a wide-ranging discussion of AI safety, we may well be living through one of the most consequential weeks for the future of AI in the United States. That doesn’t necessarily mean we’re headed to an ascendant… Read More Economists Concerned the AI Bubble Is About to Blow

17th September 202617th September 2026 Dilip

Would an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not

It’s clear here in Silicon Valley that AI is advancing faster than humans’ ability to control it. That means even sober prophecies seem optimistic Timothy Garton Ash Here in Silicon Valley, the experts think that within the next couple of years we’ll see an extraordinary takeoff for artificial intelligence. “Welcome to the foothills of the… Read More Would an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not

27th August 202627th August 2026 Dilip

The price of Palantir’s politics

Joe Miller in Washington, George Hammond in San Francisco and Chris Cook in London Published Jul 8 2026 The week after a US immigration enforcement officer killed an American mother of three on the streets of Minneapolis in January, Palantir’s head of “strategic engagement” posted on social media a slickly produced, AI-generated video set to a music track called “Clubbed… Read More The price of Palantir’s politics

11th July 2026 Dilip

The great AI data centre cover-up

the faster these sites multiply, the more planet-heating carbon emissions for the rest of us. Pilita Clark It is just over 40 years since a US political journalist wrote something about scandals that should have been mandatory reading in school classrooms from then on. “The scandal isn’t what’s illegal, the scandal is what’s legal,” wrote… Read More The great AI data centre cover-up

9th July 2026 Dilip

This Semester Shook My Faith as a Professor

The Shell University: Fully automated cheating. AI has taken something fundamental from the business of teaching and learning… If I’ve learned one thing this year, it’s that we need recenter the human part of the university: the student-teacher relationship. By Rory Truex As I write this, my students are taking an in-person exam on Chinese… Read More This Semester Shook My Faith as a Professor

15th June 2026 Dilip

The Despair of the Professor in the Age of A.I.

“Was it always the case that half of our students would cheat if it were easy enough?” By Jay Caspian Kang In my writing, and in my idle thoughts, I often return to Arjuna’s lament upon surveying the battlefield of Kurukshetra and finding that he must kill his friends and family. What is his duty in… Read More The Despair of the Professor in the Age of A.I.

8th June 20268th June 2026 Dilip

AI is devoid of meaning and humanity. That’s why its vapid voice suits this political moment

Nesrine Malik The liar’s punishment is, not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else: George Bernard Shaw For ease and speed, we are degrading our ability to connect and to organise our societies. We must assert our trust in humans over machines Here is a nightmare scenario… Read More AI is devoid of meaning and humanity. That’s why its vapid voice suits this political moment

2nd June 20262nd June 2026 Dilip

After the truth-shower

Philosophy, history, literature, current affairs, and other stuff. Posted by Dilip Simeon

Tag: Artificial Intelligence