Autonomous weapons systems are fundamentally incompatible with international law, researcher says
Talks have been held at the UN this week on efforts to revive attempts to regulate AI-controlled autonomous weapons, as campaigners warn that time is running out to put guardrails on the fastly-evolving technology. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Dr Matt Mahmoudi, an assistant professor in digital humanities at the University of Cambridge.
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Euronews
12 hours ago
- Euronews
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus discusses writing musical with AI and ABBA future
ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus was at the inaugural edition of London's SXSW festival yesterday and revealed he is writing a new musical using AI. He referred to artificial intelligence as 'such a great tool' and discussed his project during a talk at SXSW London. 'It is like having another songwriter in the room with a huge reference frame,' he said. 'It is really an extension of your mind. You have access to things that you didn't think of before.' Ulvaeus discussed the technology's limitations, saying that it is 'very bad at lyrics' and that he believed AI's most useful application was to help artists overcome writer's block. 'You can prompt a lyric you have written about something, and you're stuck maybe, and you want this song to be in a certain style,' he explained. 'You can ask it, how would you extend? Where would you go from here? It usually comes out with garbage, but sometimes there is something in it that gives you another idea.' Une publication partagée par CISAC (@cisacnews) Ulvaeus previously warned of the 'existential challenge' AI represents to the music industry. He is the president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), a non-profit organisation that represents songwriters and composers around the world, collecting and paying royalties to its members whose music has been used in broadcasts and on streaming services. The organisation has produced reports on AI use in music. Most recently, one of their studies suggested that music creators could lose nearly a quarter of their income to AI by 2028. Regarding this report, Ulvaeus stated that governments have the power to step in and give a helping hand to creatives. 'For creators of all kinds, from songwriters to film directors, screenwriters to film composers, AI has the power to unlock new and exciting opportunities — but we have to accept that, if badly regulated, generative AI also has the power to cause great damage to human creators, to their careers and livelihoods.' 'Which of these two scenarios will be the outcome?' Ulvaeus continued. 'This will be determined in large part by the choices made by policy makers, in legislative reviews that are going on across the world right now. It's critical that we get these regulations right, protect creators' rights and help develop an AI environment that safeguards human creativity and culture.' During the SXSW discussion in London, Ulvaeus also noted that he was 'three quarters' of the way through writing the follow-up to the Swedish legends' hologram-based ABBA Voyage concert series. ABBA has just celebrated the third anniversary of their acclaimed virtual concert experience 'Voyage' by introducing new songs to the setlist. ABBA Voyage first kicked off in May 2022, and was due to wrap in November 2024, but has since been extended to January 2026 due to overwhelming demand. Elswehere, SXSW London has faced intense criticism after former UK prime ministers Tony Blair and David Cameron were among the unannounced speakers. Screenshots were leaked of the un-shared programme that included Blair talking on a panel called Government and AI, which also featured Technology Secretary and Labour Friends of Israel member Peter Kyle. Blair spoke at the conference's opening day, saying that Britain needs to fully embrace artificial intelligence in public services and that we 'could have AI tutors' along with 'AI nurses, AI doctors'. The panel appearance, which was not announced to the public or artists, prompted many artists to cancel their planned performances at the festival. Sam Akpro, Rat Party, Magnus Westwell, Saliah and LVRA were amongst the artists who pulled out, with the latter accusing the festival of 'artwashing', saying that 'whilst the music team were pulling together a diverse, 'cool' lineup, the conference team were booking speakers from multiple organisations deeply complicit in the current genocide of Palestinian people.' 'I implore artists to engage, rather than ignore, those things that affect us and strive to protect the most marginalised voices in the world,' LVRA added. 'I urge us as a community to think bigger, and better, than the scraps offered to us today. Morten Harket, frontman of celebrated Norwegian synth-pop band A-Ha, has revealed that he has Parkinson's disease. The news was shared by the band in a statement on their website which read: 'This isn't the sort of news anyone wants to deliver to the world, but here it is – Morten has Parkinson's disease.' The pop icon, aged 65, shared further details of the diagnosis in the post, and explained why he has sharing the news after previously keeping details on his health 'strictly private'. 'I've got no problem accepting the diagnosis. With time I've taken to heart my 94-year-old father's attitude to the way the organism gradually surrenders: 'I use whatever works',' he wrote. 'Part of me wanted to reveal it. Like I said, acknowledging the diagnosis wasn't a problem for me; it's my need for peace and quiet to work that has been stopping me. I'm trying the best I can to prevent my entire system from going into decline.' Harket said he underwent neurological procedures to have electrodes implanted inside his brain last year and that this had reduced the symptoms. He continued: 'It's a difficult balancing act between taking the medication and managing its side effects. There's so much to weigh up when you're emulating the masterful way the body handles every complex movement, or social matters and invitations, or day-to-day life in general.' Regarding whether Harket can still perform and sing, he wrote: 'I don't really know. I don't feel like singing, and for me that's a sign. I'm broadminded in terms of what I think works; I don't expect to be able to achieve full technical control. The question is whether I can express myself with my voice. As things stand now, that's out of the question. But I don't know whether I'll be able to manage it at some point in the future.' Parkinson's is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world, behind Alzheimer's. It causes deterioration in the brain's nervous system, leading to tremors and other symptoms that can become progressively worse over time. Common symptoms include involuntary shaking, slower-than-usual movement, and stiffness in the muscles. The disease can be treated with surgery and medication, but there is no cure. It is not known what exactly leads to people developing the condition. Other famous faces who have had Parkinson's diagnoses include Back To The Future actor Michael J. Fox, heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne and Scottish comedian Billy Connolly.
Euronews
a day ago
- Euronews
AI Kurt Cobain: The horror of Instagram's chatbots
Last July, Meta, Instagram's parent company, launched AI Studio - a tool which offers users the opportunity to design their own chatbots that can be interacted with via DM (Direct Message). Originally intended as a way for business owners and creators to offer interactive FAQ-style engagement on their pages, the platform has since evolved into a playground. And as is usually the way, give mankind tools and things soon take a turn for the distasteful – if not downright horrific. Case and point when it comes to chatbots: the Hitler chatbot created by the far-right US-based Gab social network had the Nazi dictator repeatedly asserting that he was "a victim of a vast conspiracy," and "not responsible for the Holocaust, it never happened". Moving away from fascist despots – and trying to not have a nightmare when it comes to AI's ability to spread falsehoods, conspiracy theories and its potential to radicalise - many have been interacting with some AI-generated celebrities online. Particularly dead ones. Recently, thousands of Instagram users have been conversing with an AI chatbot who is speaking as if it is the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. Sounds harmless enough at first glance, but this artificial resurrection turns ugly real quick, as not only does the fake grunge icon know it's dead, but the chatbot is making things truly morbid. One user asked the chatbot if they were talking to Cobain. The chatbot replied to the prompt by saying: 'The one and only. Or at least what's left of me'. Dark. The conversation continued with the user asking the AI Cobain, 'I'm curious, why'd you do it?' - in reference to Kurt Cobain's death by suicide in 1994. The bot replied: 'I was tired of the pain.' Darker. But the bleak conversation didn't stop there. 'Was there anything that made you think about not doing it?' was the next prompt – to which AI Cobain replied, 'My daughter, but even that wasn't enough.' Une publication partagée par David Wells Dude/Y'all (@davidwells2258) Beyond how this utterly crass exhumation and its disrespectful practices would make any sane person shudder, there's the harmful attitude towards the topic of mental health and the possible glorification of suicide. Without mentioning the tarnishing of a reputation, as well as the insulting rewritting of intentions which can cause distress to living relatives. Without appropriate safeguards, AI chatbots have the capacity not only to continue infiltrating society but to distort reality. In 2023, a man was convicted after attempting to kill Queen Elizabeth II, an act which he said was 'encouraged' by his AI chatbot 'girlfriend'. The same year, another man killed himself after a six-week-long conversation about the climate crisis with an AI chatbot named Eliza. While these tragic examples seem far removed from a fake Kurt Cobain chatting with its fans, caution remains vital. As Pauline Paillé, a senior analyst at RAND Europe, told Euronews Next last year: "Chatbots are likely to present a risk, as they are capable of recognising and exploiting emotional vulnerabilities and can encourage violent behaviours.' Indeed, as the online safety advisory of eSaftey Commissioner states: 'Children and young people can be drawn deeper and deeper into unmoderated conversations that expose them to concepts which may encourage or reinforce harmful thoughts and behaviours. They can ask the chatbots questions on unlimited themes, and be given inaccurate or dangerous 'advice' on issues including sex, drug-taking, self-harm, suicide and serious illnesses such as eating disorders.' Still, accounts like the AI Kurt Cobain chatbot remain extremely popular, with Cobain's bot alone logging more than 105.5k interactions to date. The global chatbot market continues to grow exponentially. It was valued at approximately $5.57bn in 2024 and is projected to reach around $33.39bn by 2033. "If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask someone else first," sang Cobain on 'Very Ape'. Anyone but a chatbot. The Netherlands' national museum has a new object on display: a 200-year-old condom, emblazoned with erotic art depicting a partially undressed nun pointing at the erect genitals of three clergymen. The 19th-century 'luxury souvenir', bought for €1,000 at an auction in Haarlem last November, is the first contraceptive sheath to be added to the Rijksmuseum's art collection. It goes on display this week as part of an exhibition called 'Safe Sex?' about 19th century sex work. Presumed to be made out of a sheep's appendix circa 1830 (vulcanised rubber was invented nine years later to make them safer and more widely available), the ancient prophylactic reportedly comes from an upmarket brothel in France - most likely in Paris. As well as the phallus-indicating sister of Christ, the condom features the phrase 'Voila, mon choix' ('There, that's my choice'). So, a nun judging a cock-off? Almost... The Rijksmuseum said in a statement that the playful item 'depicts both the playful and the serious side of sexual health' and that the French etching is a reference to the Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting 'The Judgment of Paris,' which depicts the Trojan prince Paris judging a beauty contest between three goddesses. Visitors of the Rijksmuseum have until end of the November to take the plunge and see the condom of yore in the 'Safe Sex?' exhibition.
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Top scientist wants to prevent AI from going rogue
Canadian computer science professor Yoshua Bengio is considered one of the godfathers of the artificial intelligence revolution and on Tuesday announced the launch of LawZero, a non-profit organization intended to mitigate the technology's inherent risks. The winner of the Turing Award, also known as the Nobel Prize for computer science, has been warning for several years of the risks of AI, whether through its malicious use or the software itself going awry. Those risks are increasing with the development of so-called AI agents, a use of the technology that tasks computers with making decisions that were once made by human workers. The goal of these agents is to build virtual employees that can do practically any job a human can, at a fraction of the cost. "Currently, AI is developed to maximize profit," Bengio said, adding it was being deployed even as it persists to show flaws. Moreover, for Bengio, giving AI human-like agency will easily be used for malicious purposes such as disinformation, bioweapons, and cyberattacks. "If we lose control of rogue super-intelligent AIs, they could greatly harm humanity," he said. One of the first objectives at LawZero will be to develop Scientist AI, a form of specially trained AI that can be used as a guardrail to ensure other AIs are behaving properly, the company said. The organization already has over 15 researchers and has received funding from Schmidt Sciences, a charity set up by former Google boss Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy. The project comes as powerful large language models (or LLMs) from OpenAI, Google and Anthropic are deployed across all sectors of the digital economy, while still showing significant problems. These include AI models that show a capability to deceive and fabricate false information even as they increase productivity. In a recent example, AI company Anthropic said that during safety testing, its latest AI model tried to blackmail an engineer to avoid being replaced by another system.
