Sunak’s gaze was framed by begging-dog eyebrows as he informed how AI might herald mankind’s obliteration

By Quentin Letts for the Daily Mail

20:34 26 Oct 2023, up to date 20:36 26 Oct 2023

Twenty-five years in the past a chap used to face on the high of Stroud, Glos, ringing a handbell and predicting the tip of the world. In one hand he clutched the Bible. He interspersed his forecasts – ‘Doom is hurtling our manner!’ – with weary smiles. How the shopkeepers tolerated him was a marvel. Maybe they thought he inspired the general public to spend money whereas they may. Maybe he was ‘good for progress’.

There was a contact of that avenue preacher to Rishi Sunak yesterday simply after breakfast (porridge drizzled with hemlock) when he made a speech about mankind’s potential obliteration from synthetic intelligence, or AI. 

There had been some good issues about AI, mentioned Mr Sunak, as a result of it might assist opticians inform in the event you had been going to be felled by Parkinson’s illness in years to come back. Terrific. Having floated this cheery prospect, Mr Sunak softly proceeded to AI’s downsides. There had been ‘new risks and new fears’. Terrorists would possibly use AI to ‘unfold concern and destruction on a good higher scale’. AI might make chemical and biological weapons simpler to fabricate. It might facilitate cyber-attacks, disinformation, fraud and baby intercourse abuse.

‘But I do not wish to be alarmist,’ mentioned Rishi.

The venue was the Royal Society close to London‘s Pall Mall, the place the motto Nullius In Verba (principally, ‘do not consider a phrase the buggers let you know’) stood over a doorway. Mr Sunak’s viewers was composed of laptop engineers, think-tank Berties, MPs, science reporters and two low-tech sketch writers. 

Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Society, did the shortest of introductions. Sir Adrian, 77, ‘a distinguished statistician’, wore no tie. Hoping to look groovy. Mind you, if oblivion is imminent, sartorial requirements could also be otiose. A male Downing Street official was sporting a go well with with, good grief, coaching sneakers. Western civilisation is already a way down the plughole.

‘I’m delighted to be right here,’ started Rishi. He did not sound it. The gaze was framed by begging-dog eyebrows. His tone was funereal. Exhaustion? It has been a hell of per week, what with the Middle East and by-election defeats. Standing alone on the stage, so lit as to forged 4 shadows, he addressed the dangerous issues about AI ‘head on’ and hoped to provide us ‘the peace of thoughts that we are going to maintain you secure’. When governments speak about maintaining us secure, it is usually time to top off on corned beef and Andrex.

He supposed to ‘be trustworthy with folks’, ‘do the correct factor and never the simple factor’, and ‘present management’. When he mentioned ‘I really feel a unprecedented sense of objective’, alarm bells actually began clanging. Is AI-geddon nearer than one imagined? The sole blessing was that he hadn’t introduced Sir Chris Whitty to face subsequent to him in a white coat with a type of ‘trousers down, please, this ointment could sting’ expressions.

By manner of reassurance we had been informed Britain can be ‘the worldwide chief in secure AI’. Fetch that, M Macron! Some £100million had been spent on ‘a brand new taskforce’ and £2.5billion was going into superb quantum computer systems that in 200 seconds will clear up maths issues one of the best supercomputer wants 10,000 years to reply. 

Rishi the maths nerd would usually sparkle at such stuff, however right here he was on subdued kind. His voice fell right into a doleful rut. He wanted an aide to face behind the room with cue boards saying ‘SMILE!’ and ‘PACE!’. Being PM is troublesome however you should not let the voters see that. Although tech is an space the place he might have a bonus over stodgy Starmer, there isn’t a electoral premium in fatigued glumness.

Next week there might be an AI summit at Bletchley Park. ‘Yes, we have invited the Chinese however there is not any manner of being certain they may come.’ If anybody sees the Chinese ambassador, please give him a nudge and remind him to test his unsolicited mail. Dietary preferences for the summit’s slap-up dinner are wanted pronto. Otherwise he’ll be landed with the vegan rissoles.