QUENTIN LETTS: Sunak’s gaze was framed by begging-dog eyebrows as he told how AI could herald mankind’s obliteration

Twenty-five years ago a chap used to stand at the top of Stroud, Glos, ringing a handbell and predicting the end of the world. In one hand he clutched the Bible. He interspersed his forecasts – ‘Doom is hurtling our way!’ – with weary smiles. How the shopkeepers tolerated him was a wonder. Maybe they thought he encouraged the public to spend money while they could. Maybe he was ‘good for growth’.

There was a touch of that street preacher to Rishi Sunak yesterday just after breakfast (porridge drizzled with hemlock) when he made a speech about mankind’s possible obliteration from artificial intelligence, or AI. 

There were some good things about AI, said Mr Sunak, because it could help opticians tell if you were going to be felled by Parkinson’s disease in years to come. Terrific. Having floated this cheery prospect, Mr Sunak softly proceeded to AI’s downsides. There were ‘new dangers and new fears’. Terrorists might use AI to ‘spread fear and destruction on an even greater scale’. AI could make chemical and biological weapons easier to manufacture. It could facilitate cyber-attacks, disinformation, fraud and child sex abuse.

‘But I don’t want to be alarmist,’ said Rishi.

There was a touch of that street preacher to Rishi Sunak yesterday when he made a speech about mankind’s possible obliteration from artificial intelligence, or AI

The venue was the Royal Society near London’s Pall Mall, where the motto Nullius In Verba (basically, ‘don’t believe a word the buggers tell you’) stood over a doorway. Mr Sunak’s audience was composed of computer engineers, think-tank Berties, MPs, science reporters and two low-tech sketch writers. 

Sir Adrian Smith, president of the Society, did the shortest of introductions. Sir Adrian, 77, ‘a distinguished statistician’, wore no tie. Hoping to look groovy. Mind you, if oblivion is imminent, sartorial standards may be otiose. A male Downing Street official was wearing a suit with, good grief, training shoes. Western civilisation is already some way down the plughole.

‘I’m delighted to be here,’ began Rishi. He didn’t sound it. The gaze was framed by begging-dog eyebrows. His tone was funereal. Exhaustion? It has been a hell of a week, what with the Middle East and by-election defeats. Standing alone on the stage, so lit as to cast four shadows, he addressed the bad things about AI ‘head on’ and hoped to give us ‘the peace of mind that we will keep you safe’. When governments talk about keeping us safe, it’s normally time to stock up on corned beef and Andrex.

He intended to ‘be honest with people’, ‘do the right thing and not the easy thing’, and ‘show leadership’. When he said ‘I feel an extraordinary sense of purpose’, alarm bells really started clanging. Is AI-geddon closer than one imagined? The sole blessing was that he hadn’t brought Sir Chris Whitty to stand next to him in a white coat with one of those ‘trousers down, please, this ointment may sting’ expressions.

Mr Sunak’s audience was composed of computer engineers, think-tank Berties, MPs, science reporters and two low-tech sketch writers

Sunak warned AI could facilitate cyber-attacks, disinformation, fraud and child sex abuse

By way of reassurance we were told Britain would be ‘the global leader in safe AI’. Fetch that, M Macron! Some £100million had been spent on ‘a new taskforce’ and £2.5billion was going into amazing quantum computers that in 200 seconds will solve maths problems the best supercomputer needs 10,000 years to answer. 

Rishi the maths nerd would normally sparkle at such stuff, but here he was on subdued form. His voice fell into a doleful rut. He needed an aide to stand at the back of the room with cue boards saying ‘SMILE!’ and ‘PACE!’. Being PM is difficult but you shouldn’t let the voters see that. Although tech is an area where he could have an advantage over stodgy Starmer, there is no electoral premium in fatigued glumness.

Next week there will be an AI summit at Bletchley Park. ‘Yes, we’ve invited the Chinese but there’s no way of being sure they will come.’ If anyone sees the Chinese ambassador, please give him a nudge and remind him to check his junk mail. Dietary preferences for the summit’s slap-up dinner are needed pronto. Otherwise he’ll be landed with the vegan rissoles.

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