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Artificial Intelligence (AI) – What is it, and should we be concerned about it ?

AI development has continued apace since this blog was first published in June 2024, with little sign of a slowdown. Herewith an update for 2026.....   Introduction There has been much discussion, and not a little concern, voiced in the press and on social media recently about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the dangers it might pose for humanity. How dangerous is it really, and what if anything can, or indeed should, we do about it ? First, let’s try to pin down what we mean by the term ‘AI’. The OED dictionary definition is: “.. the theory and development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence, such as visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation between languages. ” This rather narrow definition focuses on the use of AI as a tool, to be used to enhance what we as humans already manage to accomplish, rather than considering what a new ‘cohort of intelligent machines’ might do themselves in the future....
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Burnham: The Raid on England's Personal Wealth

‘Middle England’ is worried…and so it should be.  In his new role as our new PM, Burnham has, in his own words ‘hit the ground running’ in his project to 'Manchesterise' Britain (or at least the non-devolved English part of it), and is looking hard for a new revenue-generating target to make ends meet.   His left-leaning socialist ideology points him towards across the board redistribution of the UK's wealth. Since most of the UK’s private money and assets are held by this large, disparate and normally compliant group of electors (particularly those over 50), they are seen as a potential 'soft-touch'....and are firmly in his sights as a potential 'cash cow'. One of the problems our new PM faces, however, is that he is severely constrained, as was his predecessor,   by Labour’s 2024 manifesto. Starmer designed this 'statement of intent' specifically to make Labour seem fiscally 'safe' enough to get them elected. In the event, he managed to...
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