Force majeure
Chat GPT - 4 is not the enemy. It has an off switch...
STOP! No more war...
For a long, long time, I have been banging on about the seeming inability of those who play party political games to run a whelk stall. Or a very heavy drinking session in a brewery. It is quite obvious to those who do not take the tabloids.
Last night I was stunned. I watched a BBC presentation of Russian television's viewpoint on the war in Ukraine. Apparently, ‘the special military operation’ was launched to save Ukraine from Nazi influence, and 'western' godless devils. And it appears that this viewpoint is broadcast to approving viewers and listeners.
Agitprop is often far from subtle, and both sides use it to bolster their political and military viewpoint, nothing really changes. Leopards do not change their spots, unless they are tanks, they change their appearance to blend in. We use technology in ever increasingly malevolent ways to cause suffering. The ways we use technology for military purposes is there for anyone to see, you just have to look. No clever camouflage can hide the intent.
I hope that we think with clarity. Things could easily spin out of control. If that happens, even the most ‘clever’ piece of buffoonery will not save us. Boffins too may create our downfall. However, this talk of artificial intelligence being some form of dangerous and malevolent technology is misguided. We are creating a folk devil. It is easy to mock the misunderstood.
Moreover, some slightly worrying defence assessments have been leaked, some are apparently marked ‘secret’. Well, all military forces carry out defence assessments. These documents are not necessarily correct, so they should be read with caution. One fact ‘revealed’ in these documents showed heavy personnel losses on both sides. This is the fact that cannot be ignored. Matériel can be replaced, such is the capability of the military industrial complex. People cannot be replaced. A ‘killer’ fact.
What truly frightens me is the hatred and fear that is being stoked up by nation state actors. I hope that sense prevails because if not, Europe could be dragged into an unwinnable war. People should think carefully. Hopefully?
The second BBC link gave me a kernel of the hope we need. He is a braver man than I will ever be. The third link is an artistic description of agitprop. Nice?
Will VernonBBC News, Moscow
