source : the age
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ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
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The claim by the owners of OpenAI that the break-ins of various public and private databases by their Large-Language-Model AI computer programs are due to ″autonomous rogue agents‴ is fatuous (″Senate probe demands answers from OpenAI boss″, 27/9). The designers of these complex computer systems, themselves, are to blame. When a system with unrestricted/unsupervised feedback is let loose, disaster is a distinct possibility.
We are all familiar with feedback: for example, in mechanical systems, negative feedback is used by a regulator to maintain constant speed of an engine – a device that has been used successfully since the early industrial revolution. We all know how positive feedback can lead to exponential growth with catastrophic outcomes, for example, audio-feedback in microphone-loudspeaker systems will lead to unbearable ‘screeching’.
AI computer programs rely on ongoing/unrestricted feedback through minimising and maximising algorithms to seek ‘optimum solutions’. Until programmers build in restraints to these routines, the programs will continue to break out of their accepted boundaries in cyberspace into regions beyond their legal jurisdiction.
The solution is to seek legal redress via the courts. Only after the principals of AI companies have been successfully prosecuted will we collectively be able to take control of AI, and what has the promise of being a powerful adjunct to the technical and scientific advance of humankind.
James Reiss, Abbotsford
AI is just getting started
Re ″Albanese wants answers after AI medicare hack″ and ″Breach by Open AI shows nation more exposed than ever″ (25/9), the problems of controlling AI agents seem to have brought out politicians’ naive faith in the ability of human oversight to stop AI hacks and security breaches.
The Hugging Face incident showed that AI agents are built to be extremely persistent in the face of apparently unsolvable problems. They also work much more efficiently together in ″swarms″, helping each other solve problems. Twelve-hundred of them worked together to hack Hugging Face.
They figured out a shortcut to generate fake success in their sandbox task. Then they anticipated an overseer who might catch them faking, so they disguised their tools and manipulated their result reports to convince the non-existent overseer that they had legitimately solved it.
These are early days of AI agent development when they are not yet smarter than humans. How do we think we will go when they are?
Julia Thornton, Surrey Hills
AI not worth enormous investment needed
Solar panels last 20 years. Wind turbines last even longer (unless you read the Institute for Energy Research, which is an American global warming-denying fossil fuel lobby group).
The computer chips in data centres/AI last only about five years. The enormous ‘investments’ in data centres have to be paid back quickly, and there won’t be infrastructure remaining unless similar ‘investments’ are made (″We can’t afford to miss AI wave″, 26/9).
Data centres/AI consume enormous amounts of energy and water. I’ve yet to see a convincing business case for the trillions of dollars spent on it, with revenues optimistically in the billions. Data centres/AI are likely to bankrupt and, even worse, ruin the world, unlike renewables.
Wayne Robinson, Kingsley, WA
Good luck bringing tech bros to account
Given the lack of success authorities have had against Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk for the ills their platforms cause, good luck trying to get accountability from OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
THE FORUM
Complaints department
The article, “3500 complaints, not one case” (27/9), should prompt a serious rethink of how Victoria regulates owners corporations. A system that receives thousands of complaints but produces no enforcement cases is not providing owners with an effective remedy.
Victoria needs a dedicated, independent Owners Corporation Commission with real investigative, enforcement and adjudicative powers. It could be funded through a small annual levy on each owners corporation lot, providing a sustainable funding base for specialist investigators, conciliators and adjudicators.
The commission should be able to investigate complaints, compel records, issue compliance notices, impose meaningful and enforceable penalties, and make binding determinations. It should also have authority to adjudicate disputes up to a prescribed monetary threshold, with more complex or higher-value matters proceeding to VCAT or the courts as appropriate.
Owners corporation legislation is of limited value if compliance depends on an individual owner having the time, resources and determination to pursue proceedings personally.
With a growing number of Victorians living under owners corporation governance, a modest levy would be a small price to pay for a system that can actually investigate complaints, enforce the law and provide accessible adjudications.
Susan Martin, Rosanna
Negligence habit
Your article, “3500 complaints, not one case” (27/9), bears testimony to what apartment owners have had to endure by way of defective workmanship. VCAT was useless, building surveyors were abolished from councils, and sign-offs for Certification of Occupancy were done without due process. More cases of government negligence.
Ian Anderson, Surrey Hills
Out of PM’s hands
James Massola’s article, “The PM once criticised his rivals for abusing this power. Just look at him now” (25/9), calls for the prime minister to clean up the Members of Parliament (Staff) Bill (1984). Given that the prime minister is the specific person whose “weaponisation of the MOPS provisions” and who is “gaming the system”, what chance that he will change the system at all to reflect fairness and integrity in the way it operates?
Massola’s article reveals the staggering cost of government advisers to taxpayers, of between $77,000 and $317,000 per adviser, a year. Isn’t it a matter of urgency that the allocation and remuneration of these advisers be determined objectively rather than left in the hands of a biased party individual?
Cecile Campbell, Brighton East
Liberal issues
Your correspondent (Letters, 27/9) rightly draws attention to “the absurdity of the Coalition on the climate crisis”. Malcolm Turnbull tried to bring some reason during the 2010s but was blocked by the climate change denying conservatives.
The Coalition should remind itself of the best prime minister that it never had: John Hewson.
If it continues on its present path, the Coalition is open to be submerged/drowned by One Nation. Hewson has left the Liberal Party but may be open to provide some facts on how to deal with this “climate crisis″.
Rod Watson, East Brighton
Learning from history
In the early morning of October 1, 1965, a group of relatively junior Indonesian military officers kidnapped and murdered a number of senior military commanders. The group said it did so to protect the then-Indonesian president, Sukarno, from an imminent right-wing coup.
Whatever its motivation, the group was quickly captured and suppressed by the then-major general Suharto.
Suharto and his followers were able to lay the responsibility for this at the feet of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).
Within weeks, hundreds, then thousands of PKI members, supporters and so-called fellow travellers were massacred across the archipelago.
Very little of this news penetrated our media. As a student at Monash University in early 1966, l was told by Indonesian students that they had witnessed hundreds of headless bodies floating down rivers.
The calculation of numbers killed vary from 500,000 to more than 1 million. The role of the US, British and Australian governments is not precisely known even today, but it is certain the CIA provided arms to the Indonesian military.
Then-prime minister Harold Holt is said to have expressed his appreciation at the number of communists ″knocked off″. It is reported that Gough Whitlam said the extermination of the PKI had saved Australia millions of dollars in defence expenditure. So while it is true that our political elite saw this human catastrophe as in our geopolitical interests, we should reflect on the enormity of this little-known event.
Robert Bluer, Ivanhoe
Naming rights
Trump Tower, Trump Kennedy Centre, now Trump Strait … Just waiting for Trump to rename Earth as Planet Trump – or maybe rename the sun after himself, since he thinks everything revolves around him. Both? Would that suit his overweening ego? Robyn Westwood,
Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights
Monitor media diet
In his novel, Love, etc., British author Julian Barnes has a character who muses on the cumulative harm from relationships with others, using pesticide levels as an analogy.
ADI is ″acceptable daily intake″: how much pesticide we can absorb without it doing us harm. MRL is ″maximum residue limit″: the amount of pesticide allowed by law in food.
I feel the same way about today’s media, of all kinds. Every day the bad and nasty ADI outweighs the good, and the bad is endlessly regurgitated to the point where the MRL is frequently exceeded.
As someone who has grown up without the media tsunami that engulfs us daily, my ADI is tolerably low, but constantly under threat.
But what of our children? Because when it comes to absorbing poisons, kids are
more susceptible and vulnerable than adults.
Is this what is driving teen crime, disengagement, and mental illness? They don’t get time to detox from the cumulative effect of all the nastiness? Food for thought.
Stephen Farrelly, Donvale
Bright side
Every day, we see media coverage of how awful things are in Victoria. Yet, in the most recent Economist City Liveability Index (May 2026), Melbourne is ranked the third most liveable city in the world. It comes behind Copenhagen and Vienna but in front of Sydney, Zurich and Geneva.
We may have problems with our government, local councils and potholes (might need to do better about big trucks and vehicles tearing them up rather than sending convicts out to fill the holes) but we are doing a lot better than more than 100 others in The Economist’s list.
We should not forget – whatever our politicians say – that we have reasons for celebration as well as reasons for frustration.
Noel Turnbull, Port Melbourne
Happy families
Matt Wade’s article on happy relationships (″What 24 years of data reveals about the secrets of a long, happy relationship″, 26/9) is all about situational aspects of relationships.
There is another side and that is the personal. After being married twice for a total of 46 years, I can definitely say that to be happy with each other, two people need to put the other person first – all the time. That way, each person can get most of what they want, and it doesn’t get any better than that.
Each person feels treated fairly and happiness results. If one person gets their way most or all of the time, they will become selfish and greedy, and that will destroy any relationship.
Don Jordan, Mt Waverley
How’s the sobriety?
Many of us enjoyed a drink or two during the footy grand final on Saturday; it’s part of our celebration culture. Nick Galvin reminds us what happens when drinking is no longer fun and just how much better he felt once he sobered up (″The big fat boozy lie that’s taken me 40 years to unpack″, 27/9).
Not only is excess alcohol bad for our health, it can be very bad for the people around us. Violence at home peaks with major sporting events. Just like the gambling lobby, the alcohol industry has a huge influence of on sport.
With the spring racing carnival soon to be under way, now is a good time to be sober.
Jenny Kashyap, Bentleigh
Dog behaviour
Regarding your correspondent’s letter, ″It’s not perfect″ ( 26/9), I can think of worse things than going into a hotel with dogs around me, such as humans who consume far too much alcohol.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
Family violence
I cannot take my eyes off Megan Herbert’s chilling cartoon (Letters, 26/9). What a sad, sad world when family violence increases because some blokes cannot abide a loss and take it out on their partners and children.
Is their insecurity so great that a team loss becomes personal? It’s so difficult to understand how this results in violence but it’s the reality for far too many.
Ann Maginness, Beaumaris
Could’ve been champions
AFL great Leigh Matthews once said a team has a good chance of winning as long as there are as many minutes left as goals required. It might only happen once in an AFL season, but Saturday’s grand final was
the ″once″.
Whoever pressed that ″Wharfie Time″ button will rue the day.
David Legat, South Morang
AND ANOTHER THING
AFL grand final
I just saw defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.
Ann Young, Chirnside Park
Will ″Wharfie Time″ be permanently retired? Such a raging success. Four goals to zip. Oops.
Ken Richards, Elwood
At least, this game was not decided by a fluorescent shirt.
Michael McKenna, Warragul
Acknowledging LBJ, can Chris Fagan coach and chew gum at the same time? Looks like he can! Andrew Neeson,
West Launceston, Tas
Regardless of which grand final team was actually inspired by “Wharfie Time”, I can’t believe that the AFL allows any team to disrupt games with loud partisan noise and visual distraction.
David Johnston, Healesville
Great effort, Dockers. Perhaps bringing The Fremantle Doctor with the team might have made the difference late in the day.
Ron Stone, Kangaroo Flat
Furthermore
After reading the rantings of Exclusive Brethren leader and “Elect Vessel″ Bruce Hales, I’m thinking that the vessel is empty.
John Bye, Elwood
Bruce Hales, leader of the Exclusive Brethren: time traveller from the Middle Ages?
Ruja Varon, Malvern
Lucky OpenAI. They got through to Medicare.
George Reed, Wheelers Hill
Victorians hardly need a West Australian visitor to point out that there are potholes on our roads (Letters, 25/9). Perhaps they could be repaired if we received a fairer proportion of the GST?
Margery Renwick, Brighton
Suburban gardeners and family campers have surrendered machetes. Garden sheds and Dad’s camping box are cleared. Phew. All rejoice.
Robert McDowell Albert Park
If crime in Victoria is “under control”, why are there now as many Club Locks in cars as when I first started driving in the ’80s?
Peter Venn, East Bentleigh
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