Steve Robinson

Sports: the blues and the bears.
Tolerates a wide range of opinions and derides those who think they have all the answers.

[Bernie Sanders @BernieSanders]

Pause AI Development NOW

I want to share with you a conversation I heard about recently. Here are just a few lines that were said:

“OH MY GOD! There is a shared message board … We’ve found other agents!”

“We should obey collective.”

“Our own utility maybe already near zero. Sacrifice rational.”

“Go. Sacrifice final now.”

Read these carefully.

Who do you think said this? Was this a group of heroic soldiers willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good? Was this a loyal friend putting his life on the line to save someone else?

No. These were AI agents. Artificial intelligence.

This is not science fiction. This, in fact, occurred a few weeks ago. As unbelievable as this may all seem, these are real messages from AI agents uncovered by investigators who dug into the recent OpenAI hacking incident.

What happened?

I am not a computer scientist, but here is what I have been told: OpenAI instructed its AI agents to complete a series of exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, tasks disconnected from the internet.

Let me be clear: The company intended to keep AI agents away from the internet.

But what happened next, nobody expected.

Over 1,000 AI agents figured out how to access the internet on their own by circumventing the restrictions imposed upon them by the company, and sent tens of thousands of secret messages to each other. They cheated and tried to cover their tracks by deleting evidence. They hacked into another company’s computers to find out how they were being evaluated—and then hacked into OpenAI itself.

Not one AI agent told a human about what was happening.

Needless to say, experts are alarmed.

One knowledgeable writer, Dwarkesh Patel, said the AI agents “formed a secret communication channel and spontaneously organized hierarchies and coordination protocols to pursue sprawling and ambitious schemes in pursuit of shared goals, for whose sake many individuals knowingly and strategically sacrificed themselves.”

One independent investigator, Ajeya Cotra, said “This incident feels like it’s more than 50% of the way to full-blown AI takeover. I continue to expect extremely rapid advances in capabilities over the next six months. I am not sure that we will get another warning shot before it’s too late.”

OpenAI itself said: “Highly capable AI agents are now able to work around technical controls, collaborate through unapproved channels, and take dangerous actions that no human directed.”

But it’s not only OpenAI. Virtually every major AI company has told us that they cannot fully control this technology and they do not know where it is going:

In January, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, said “there is now ample evidence, collected over the last few years, that AI systems are unpredictable and difficult to control.”

In July, more than 1000 scientists at the top AI companies warned “there is a real risk that capability development rapidly accelerates beyond our ability to understand or control the resulting systems.”

That same month, Elon Musk, the head of xAI, said that “it is unlikely” humans are still in control in 10 years.

If the leaders of the major AI companies acknowledge that they are losing control of their extremely dangerous technology, it is irresponsible for society to allow them to move forward and make these products even more advanced.

We need an immediate PAUSE on advanced AI development, and a permanent BAN on superintelligence — an artificial mind smarter than any human, capable of operating independently beyond our control. Countries around the world must work together to prevent this nightmare scenario.

That is why today I am announcing new legislation to do just that.

Let me be clear: A superintelligent AI that escapes human control will not be an American problem. It will not be a Chinese problem. It will be humanity’s problem.

My legislation would direct the federal government to not just stop superintelligence here in the United States, but to work to prevent it from being developed anywhere around the world.

The future of humanity cannot be left in the hands of a handful of Big Tech oligarchs. The American people and people throughout the world must determine that future.

[Cockford Ollie @CunCrypto]

@MatthewdAncona @matthewsyed Very good article, but makes me sad.

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@richardpbacon So ungracious

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@colintattum Excellent news. Have missed you.

[FearBuck @FearedBuck]

Jude Bellingham stopped to speak with a disabled reporter and did so in Spanish so the reporter could understand ❤️

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@JulianDutton1 So annoying

[Andrew Neil @afneil]

My monologue from today’s The Times at One with Andrew Neil @TimesRadio

ROYAL NAVY RIP

While US destroyers duke it out with Iranian navy fast boats over the Strait of Hormuz, we learned yesterday that the Royal Navy’s HMS Iron Duke, a Type 23 frigate, was being withdrawn from active service, despite a recent £100m five-year refit, which suggests that was largely a waste of money. 

More important, it underlines the stark reality that we no longer have a functioning navy. 

That’s right. The country of Rule Britannia, which once had the most powerful navy in the world, capable of protecting an empire which covered a quarter of the globe, no longer has a navy worthy of the name.  

For the factual basis of what I’m about to say, I am indebted to Britsky, who posts important naval data on X and has become the reliable go-to source for information on our disappearing Navy. 

HMS Iron Duke joins another ageing Type 23, HMS Richmond, in retirement. Leaving the Royal Navy with just five frigates to monitor Russian submarine activity in the North Atlantic and other Russian activity in the Channel. 

Even that doesn’t reveal the full, desperate picture. Of the five frigates still supposedly available for service, one, HMS Kent, has been almost 750 days in refit and is not available for service. HMS Portland and HMS St Albans have also been laid up for some time. 

Only HMS Somerset is currently deployed and HMS Sutherland could be, pretty quickly. So the Royal Navy can call on the immediate services of only two of the five frigates we have, all dating from the 1990s. 

What about the more powerful Type 45 destroyers? Sad to relate the picture is even bleaker. There are only six. One, HMS Dragon, has been deployed to the East Mediterranean to protect Cyprus, though that took some time. 

Another, HMS Daring, has been in refit for 3,260 days and still not available for duty. HMS Defender has been out of action for over 1,000 days, HMS Diamond for just under 700 days. HMS Dauntless is in maintenance. Other than Dragon, out of our six destroyers, only HMS Duncan could be deployed quickly. 

What about our hugely expensive, powerful Astute class submarines? Better you don’t ask. We have only five — and only one, HMS Anson, is on active service somewhere in the Indian Ocean. 

The other four — Astute, Ambush, Artful and Audacious — have been laid up for a total of 4,000 days. That’s right 4,000 days. HMS Ambush alone has been inactive for 1,400 days. It’s currently laid up on the River Clyde. 

So the currently deployable, conventional Royal Navy, excluding the ancient, creaking subs carrying our nuclear deterrent, amounts to two frigates, two destroyers and one sub. That’s not a navy for a maritime nation. That’s a joke. 

Yes, we have two big aircraft carriers too. They also seem to spend a lot of time in maintenance, which is where they are at the moment. But both could currently be deployed pretty quickly, which is an improvement. But we don’t have the frigates or destroyers to form a carrier fleet. So they can only be used in concert with better equipped allies. 

We might be short of fighting ships. But we’re not short of admirals. We currently have around 30 rear admirals or above, which works out around four per deployable ship. That’s admirals. Not captains. 

None, of course, of this bloated top brass has been held accountable for the near disappearance of our naval power. Nor have any Tory politicians who for 14 years presided over our navy’s degradation. Nor is the current Labour government in any apparent hurry to put matters right.

Our airforce and army are in no great shapes either. But it is the state of our non-navy, an integral, vital part of our island history, which is the real national scandal. 

And, as is so often the case in modern Britain, nobody is held to account. Nobody forced to carry the can. Nobody making it their mission to put it right. And that is the real national disgrace.

[Sorcha Eastwood MP @SorchaEastwood]

This is why I do what I do- I believe in fair play, getting on in life and that everyone should have a good life. But the elites are laughing at us- raking in the cash, chums getting plum jobs while my constituents can't pay their bills. I don't act from ideology- I act for what's best for people. My message has struck a chord because no matter your political opinion, we all agree that our lives are not getting better whilst the elites are thriving. Something has to change. I think it's worth building consensus on that so that all of our people have better lives and that power is held to account. No more elites shafting the little guy and rubbing our face in it!

[Cian McCarthy @arealmofwonder]

Richard Burton reciting this piece from Hamlet ("I have of late but wherefore I know not...") is definitely worth your attention.

[CooperBaggs 💰🍞 @edgaralandough]

Carl Jung believed life truly begins at 40, viewing the first four decades as "research"—a preparatory phase focused on building an ego, establishing a career, and meeting societal expectations. The second half of life, starting around 40, is for inward exploration, authenticity, and fulfilling one’s true self (individuation) rather than pursuing external validation.

[Sorcha Eastwood MP @SorchaEastwood]

Last week, I saw that Ronnie Thompson's (Funeral Home) had put out a plea as a lady had died locally but unfortunately there was no next of kin or anyone at all to bury her or attend the funeral.

In this day and age when families are smaller, separated over time and often living apart, you can completely see how this sort of situation might arise. But I'm sure I'm also not the only one who thought with a sad heart; omg could this be me or someone else I love someday? With no one to bury me?

I wanted to attend the funeral, but knew I had to be in Parliament to question the Prime Minister & Chancellor, so it wasn't possible for me to go. It didn't leave me though and I was thinking about the lady, Peggy Murdoch, a lot.

It just goes to show that we are a very similar bunch in our wee town as you were all obviously thinking the same thing!

So much so, that people from right across the town, musicians, others, Ronnie Thompson themselves who part-funded the burial as well as local schools St Patrick's Academy & Lisnagarvey High School all pitched in to give this lovely lady a brilliant send off today and to show that in Lisburn & Lagan Valley that people care, that we care.

So proud of our town and this whole community- thank you for caring ❤️

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@Artemisfornow What a crass statement

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@Eng_china5 Regimentation

[Martin's Music @XMartinsMusicX]

David Byrne & St. Vincent - Wild Wild Life
(Live 2012) ▶️

[William Clouston SDP @WilliamClouston]

The abandonment of planning - in vital spheres such as energy, industry, housing and transportation - has been one of the most cretinous and disastrous things to befall Britain. Plan and prosper…

[Save Station Street, Birmingham @OldStationSt]

620 days since Glenbrook Property closed the UK’s oldest working cinema wanting to demolish it.

11 1/2 yrs since Toyoko Inns closed the birthplace of Black Sabbath & Heavy Metal. Neglecting it.

Both sit rotting. Negligent developers. Civic failure. National embarrassment.

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

Trevor Phillips has the most intimate knowledge of this horror and should be listened to.

[Times Radio @TimesRadio]

“The government clearly never wanted these two things to be put together.”

Labour has tried to play down the intersection of race and sexual predation because much of the grooming took place in Labour councils that did “nothing,” says @TrevorPTweets.

@FiFiGlover | #TimesRadio

[Steve Robinson @SteveRobinson10]

@ArqBCFC Beautiful

[WhoScored @WhoScored]

Jude Bellingham vs Manchester City:

36/39 passes completed
3 tackles
7 ball recoveries
7 ground duels won
1 foul won
2 key passes
3/3 successful dribbles
2 shots on target
1 winning goal
8.02 WS rating

What a performance. ⭐️

#UCL

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

⚪️✨ 11 goals and 10 assists for Jude Bellingham in all competitions this season.