Hopeful signs on AI regulation and social media

Hopeful signs on AI regulation and social media
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National
Victoria
Hopeful signs on AI regulation and social media
August 29, 2026
— 8:00pm
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National
Victoria
Hopeful signs on AI regulation and social media
August 29, 2026
— 8:00pm
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Matt Golding
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Hopeful signs
The government’s proposed and already legislated actions against AI and social media platforms have been powerfully vindicated by two developments. First, Bill Gates, while acknowledging the enormous potential of AI (“
Gates warns global leaders on risks of AI to humanity
”, 28/8), identifies many potential dangers due to its “mind blowing” rate of advance. He acts as an industry whistleblower declaring that big business will actively resist government actions to slow or rein in its advance, due to “economic incentives”. He also suggests some innovative guard rails: preserve certain jobs and responsibilities for humans and taxing the “tokens and robots” that replace humans.
Second, the financial penalty agreed to by Meta (“
Meta to pay $24b in addiction case
”, 28/8) and the controls it now says it can and will build into its platforms to protect teenagers and limit their usage, justifies the government’s social media controls. Both developments strengthen its negotiating position with big business.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
Energy necessity
The only requirement the government needs to make of new data centres is that they choose the most cost effective source of energy and that they supply themselves with that in the fastest possible time. That’s it. Let’s see what then emerges.
Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury
Robot peril
The proper response to the Chinese robot games is not laughter or ridicule but fear. Remember ″