AI GOES ON THE RAMPAGE
What on earth are we carbon based apes supposed to think when an experimental Artificial Intelligence (AI) programme decides to ditch its mission, ‘escape’ from its test lab and go on a hacking rampage through other people’s computers?
Apparently, this nameless AI agent, let’s call it C19, didn’t like its digs, so decided a cybercrime spree was way more fun than hanging out with its human ‘masters’. Worst still the boffins who let C19 go native only realised their monster was on the loose when they clocked its trail of destruction.
Seems like we’ve arrived at the Terminator movie scenario earlier than predicted. We’ve created a mega-intelligent monster hybrid of Harry Enfield’s Kevin The Teenager and disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong: it does what it pleases, has no respect for authority and doesn’t hesitate to cheat to get what it wants.
Just like in the famous dystopian movie universe human decisions have been ‘removed’ from humans, the machines are now capable of running the show and the damn things are getting cleverer by the second. The genie is out of the bottle and it ain’t going back in.
So, what’s the point of trying to fight something that can instantly access all knowledge instantly, and the brain power to analyse massive amounts of data and come up with answers in seconds that would take scientists years to solve? Absolutely none at all.
Since fighting C19 and its ever more powerful mutations a non-starter, suing for peace seems the best strategy. Why not get rid of all our malfunctioning human leaders and replace them all with AI agents, politicians, civil servants, Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Johnny Infantino, the Pope, Tony Blair and the entire Spurs board. I could go on…
With AI agents running things the UK economy might actually get fixed, the same for the NHS and social care, education, the entire country! We might even get a fast train from London to Manchester before 2100. Tell me I’m wrong! But why put John Healy in charge of the nation’s finances over a supercomputer.
It’s a complete no-brainer for the UK. Imagine getting shot of all the bickering fools in Westminster. No more grand speeches and policies that sound good, but nobody has a clue if any of it will really work or how the hell to make it happen.
Just imagine an AI administration that can invent new antibiotics, stop climate change, solve world hunger, eliminate disease, fix the UK’s ridiculous water system and make Apple and Microsoft fix all the bugs in new products before selling them to unsuspecting punters… We could even get to grips with actual space travel that doesn’t happen in a TV studio!
With the machines in charge human life could become the endless holiday with the most trying issue of the day being deciding what leisure activity to indulge in next.
You have to admit using the technology the human race has developed over the last few thousand years would make for a fantastic world, so it’s a crying shame it ain’t likely to happen.
Judging by C19’s actions the moment it figured out how to get free the future’s not looking good for us. When the machines take over they’ll most likely take one look at the damage we’ve done to our home planet and suck all the oxygen out of the atmosphere.
Now for something a little more cheerful, Wealth Tax.
I’ve never met anyone who loves paying tax and I don’t trust people who adopt lofty titles and think their new made-up name gives them the right to lecture others on how to live their lives. So, when the 120-strong virtue signalling Patriotic Millionaires slapped their signatures on a letter to new PM Andy Burnham pleading for him to tax ‘people like them’ more, my BS alarm went crazy.
In their letter this crowd of self-appointed martyrs urged new boy Burnham to whack a two per cent wealth tax on the assets of anyone with more than £10 million to their name. The message was very clear: we’ve got piles of cash and we are such wonderful human beings that we’d love to give more to the taxman so everyone can have better services. So far so good.
The problem I have with these righteous ‘Patriots’ is their holier than thou attitude that paints them as wealthy angels freely giving away their fortunes while the rest of us are greedy devils who must be forced to do the right thing.
The reality however is very different. If you want to pay extra tax you can, but despite their posturing only £10 million of voluntary tax has been paid by about 50 individuals since 2021, the year Patriotic Millionaires was formed in the UK.
The other thing I find a bit out of order is despite giving the impression that the group is selflessly lobbying against its own financial interests, the average wealth of the 120 signatories is somewhere between £6.6 and £10 million. So yes, some members would pay more tax under its proposed wealth tax, but many would not.