Torbjørn Færøvik's Blog, page 224

AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google

A man widely seen as the godfather of artificial intelligence (AI) has quit his job, warning about the growing dangers from developments in the field. Geoffrey Hinton, aged 75, announced his resignation from Google in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted his work. He told the BBC some of the dangers of AI chatbots were "quite scary". "Right now, they're not more intelligent

The tiny Philippine island on the frontline of the US-China battle for supremacy

The azure waters are inviting and its long stretches of clear white sand are spotless. But hardly anyone is swimming or sunbathing. Fuga Island is not a holiday destination. The residents of the remote community of just over 2,000 on the northern tip of the Philippines are farmers and fishermen – growing palay and corn; raising native chicken, pigs and goats; and catching their bounty from the

Biden hails ‘deep friendship’ with Philippines and boosts military ties amid China tensions

Joe Biden has reiterated US commitment to the Philippines’ security and noted the “deep friendship” of the two nations as he hosted President Ferdinand Marcos Jr for White House talks as concerns grow about the Chinese navy’s harassment of Philippine vessels.As Biden sat down with Marcos on Monday, the US president went out of his way to note the progress in the US-Philippine relationship – one

Professor Arne Jon Isachsen: God bok om Xi Jinpings Kina

Tittelen på denne boken, som kom ut på Universitetsforlaget i fjor, er dekkende for innholdet. Her er det personen Xi Jinping som står i fokus. Denne sfinksen av en leder tar seg friheter langt utover hva noen eksperter hadde forventet da han tiltrådte som generalsekretær i Det kinesiske kommunistpartiet (CCP) for vel ti år siden.Xi, som selv hadde vært utsatt for Maos brutalitet, trodde man “...

Chinese Censorship Is Quietly Rewriting the Covid-19 Story

Under government pressure, Chinese scientists have retracted studies and withheld or deleted data. The censorship has stymied efforts to understand the virus. Early in 2020, on the same day that a frightening new illness officially got the name Covid-19, a team of scientists from the United States and China released critical data showing how quickly the virus was spreading, and who was dying.The

Baltic states condemn China envoy’s remarks over sovereignty of ex-Soviet nations

France, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have expressed dismay after China’s ambassador in Paris questioned the sovereignty not only of Ukraine, but all the former Soviet Republics including the Baltic states. Lu Shaye’s remarks in a TV interview late on Friday raise fresh questions about the faith the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has placed in China to act as a mediator between Russia and

Australia unveils biggest defense overhaul in decades with wary eye on China

Australia has unveiled a radical shakeup of its defense spending billed as the most significant review of its military preparedness since World War II, shifting its emphasis onto long-range strike capabilities and building munitions at home.Launching the Defense Strategic Review in Canberra, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government’s strategy was designed to make Australia more self

Torbjørn Færøvik: Vil India overleve i en varmere verden?

India blir det mest folkerike landet i verden, jublet indiske aviser i uken som gikk. Ifølge FNs befolkningsfond er landets folketall i ferd med å passere Kinas. Begge land har vel 1,4 milliarder innbyggere, men mens kineserne blir færre i årene som kommer, blir inderne stadig flere. I 2050 kan India ha nesten 1,7 milliarder innbyggere. Men hva går de til? Denne våren lider flere hundre millioner

China ramps up coal power despite carbon neutral pledges

Local governments in China approved more new coal power in the first three months of 2023 than in the whole of 2021, according to official documents. The approvals, analysed by Greenpeace, reveal that between January and March this year, at least 20.45 gigawatts of coal power was approved, up from 8.63GW in the same period in 2022. In the whole of 2021, 18GW of coal was approved.A Chinese

Professor Arne Jon Isachsen: Kina - fra lojalitet til ufrihet

Li Qiang heter Kinas relativt ferske statsminister. Han er medlem av politbyråets stående komité (PBSC). Den nest mektigste mannen i Kina. Over ham står Xi Jinping, generalsekretær i Det kinesiske kommunistpartiet (CCP). Politbyråets stående komité består av Xi, Li og fem til. Disse syv har makten i Kina. Li Qiang tar over som statsminister etter en annen Li, nemlig Li Keqiang. Etter reglene