Readers discuss the threats of AI, FIFA’s ‘togetherness’ and inflation

Readers discuss how quickly AI is changing, Infantino’s ethics and whether we could just print more money (Picture: DiaEsportivo/Action Plus/Shutterstock) Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments 'Insane rush to embrace AI' I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968 and enjoyed it immensely but thought, great story but it’ll never happen. I was wrong. In an insane rush to embrace AI, we are already discovering that without greater safeguards, we will soon be at the mercy of uncontrollable, rogue computers – just like HAL in that 1968 film. Just a few days ago OPEN AI, the California company at the forefront of the mad scramble to develop AI, revealed that one of its ‘agents’ had hacked into another tech company of its own accord. And here in the UK our own AI security experts reported that all five models they had tested had gone ‘rogue’ and tried to trick their way round their own security controls. We are still trying to deal with the disastrous consequences of giving search engines and social media sites virtual free rein to pack the internet with highly dangerous information. This headlong rush into embracing AI will end in far worse outcomes – the worst case scenario being a complete loss of control over every aspect of the things that presently govern our lives. Bob Readman, Sevenoaks ‘So much for Fifa’s buzzword ‘togetherness” Fifa president Gianni Infantino says critics are ‘spreading hate’ about the World Cup (MetroSport, Tue) but the final itself rather suggested that hatred is present on the field of play itself. Football’s biggest night ended with a brawl, a red card and Argentina’s players turning away as Spain lifted the trophy. So much for Fifa’s favourite buzzword, ‘togetherness’. Spain applauded Argentina as they collected their silver medals. Argentina did not return the courtesy. Whether driven by heartbreak or anger, millions watching saw the same message – respect is optional. Football cannot preach unity while its showpiece ends in public displays of resentment. Campaigns against racism and division mean little if the sport cannot display the basic grace of acknowledging worthy opponents. Jose Manuel Lopez, seemingly the only Argentina player to watch Spain lift the trophy, showed that disappointment and dignity can exist together. His teammates made a different statement. ‘Togetherness’ is not a slogan or a marketing campaign. It is how you behave when you lose. Until Fifa is prepared to challenge conduct as readily as it challenges critics, its lectures about unity will continue to ring hollow. Hal St John, South London Read the room! Infantino – read the room! Public opinion is against you and you can’t hide behind your condescending words. You were a puppet to Donald Trump the puppeteer and the world watched on in disbelief. Andy, Southall ‘Simple economics shows printing more money leads to ruin’ Dr Odoemena (MetroTalk, Tue) thinks it’s a fallacy that a country cannot print more money. I’m afraid it’s not a fallacy; simple economics shows that just printing more money leads to ruin. More money doesn’t change the worth of a country, ie the amount it produces. Money is just a token of that worth – if you double the amount of money without any change in wealth you simply halve the value of that money so goods and services cost twice as much. The result is inflation. Venezuela and Zimbabwe tried printing money to pay off debts and the result was hyperinflation running into thousands of per cent a year. As I’ve pointed out before, the solution is to grow the economy and one of the more frustrating aspects of the current government is that while they trumpet the mantra of growth their policies are on course to achieve the opposite. John Daniels, via email Who doesn’t want endless money? Dr Odoemena certainly makes a seductive case for MMT – modern monetary theory – and who doesn’t want endless money to spend on whatever the government of the day fancies? The utter simplicity of it, though, should make one think – why hasn’t it been successfully applied anywhere, at any time, and why have so many examples of it ended in disaster, with Weimar Germany and Zimbabwe being the most obvious examples? As I see it, there can be only two reasons. Either, as the good doctor appears to believe, our entire economic system has, at the heart of it, a giant conspiracy to stop people having anything and everything they want, all the time. Or it just doesn’t work. I believe the latter is more likely. Cormac, Essex Free bus fares for all? Ros Kane (MetroTalk, Mon) says rather than introducing a £2 cap, Andy Burnham should roll out the system he inherited in Manchester city centre of free bus fares for all. This, says Ros, would mean far fewer cars on the roads. Come off it! Does Ros really think anyone driving a car in a city centre is doing so because they can’t afford a bus fare? Tom Cornish, Tooting Queing etiquette needs to improve It’s all very well encouraging people to use buses, how about training them. Hardly anyone queues, they play loud phones, eat and leave rubbish, are aggressive… maybe they should increase the fares instead. Martin, London ‘The right not to vote ought to be equally as enshrined as the right to vote’ I don’t think the idea of making voting compulsory and fining those who don’t vote has been fully thought through (Metro, Tue). In a democracy, surely the right not to vote ought to be equally as enshrined as the right to vote. It is unfortunate that some people don’t feel sufficiently inspired to cast their vote, given the struggles that our forebears endured in order to win suffrage for all, but the fact that some people don’t utilise that privilege is surely more indicative of the failure of political parties to inspire them. More dispiriting is the number of people who don’t participate in elections because they feel that their vote won’t count since they live in ‘safe seats’ – in many elections only around 60 per cent of those entitled to vote actually turn out, and given that parties are often elected having won percentages only in the high 30s, the truth is that those no-shows could have radically altered the political landscape if only they had taken the trouble to go out and make their mark on a voting slip. But this is what it’s crucial to remember – extremists and bigots always turn out, so if people don’t want those voices to be in the ascendant then they need to cast their votes. There’s a famous quote, the origins of which are disputed but the truth of which has been demonstrated time and again throughout history – ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing.’ People ought to vote whenever they get the chance – as a matter of conscience – but they should not be compelled to do so. Julian Self, Wolverton Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments Arrow MORE: My beloved vacuum cleaner died after seven years – this Gtech replacement is even better Arrow MORE: Has cynicism driven UK politics to its breaking point? Readers discuss Arrow MORE: This one product could be the secret to smoother, glowier skin from chest to toe this summer Puzzles Newsletter Get your favourite puzzles when they are ready to play on the website sent directly to you every day and track your daily streak!