Political adversaries Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for more restrictions on AI development; New research estimates Australia's Indigenous population before colonisation was much larger than previously thought; And in cricket, Australia achieves victory over Zimbabwe in the first clash of their three-match series.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Political adversaries Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon call for more restrictions on AI development
- New research estimates Australia's Indigenous population before colonisation was much larger than previously thought
- Australia achieves victory over Zimbabwe in the first clash of their three-match series
Progressive US Senator Bernie Sanders and a close ally of President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, have called for greater restrictions on AI systems.
The two political adversaries spoke at the same Washington gathering, responding to concerns about the potential for AI to harm humans.
Mr Sanders urged the US and China to work together in banning AI super-intelligence.
"When the future of humanity is at stake, we need binding international safety rules. Not voluntary standards from the industry."
Mr Bannon says he believes Congress is taking too long to pass legislation to slow down the development of AI.
"What they (tech companies) want is to socialise all the risk with the American people - including potential bailouts when they come. And they want to keep all the upside. So you can break this down into three component pieces: the national security piece, the regulatory piece, and we can talk about the financial and economic."
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New research suggests Australia’s Indigenous population before European colonisation was far larger than previously estimated, at about 2.2 million people.
Researchers say around 93 per cent of that population was removed in less than 80 years following the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788.
The study also estimates more than two million excess deaths occurred between 1788 and 1861, from disease.
Flinders University Global Ecology Professor, Corey Bradshaw says understanding the size of Indigenous populations during that period is essential to truth-telling and reconciliation.
He tells SBS in the face of all of that persecution, the country's Indigenous population managed to survive.
"(It) shows just how systematic the persecution was, and it's something that we have to acknowledge in our history and not sweep under the carpet. It's part of understanding why the gap still exists in many aspects of society, and how to address it and how long we might expect things to take to realign."
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The United Nations says escalating fighting on Yemen's western coast has displaced more than 100,000 people within the country and forced thousands more to seek safety across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in Djibouti.
The displacement started over the weekend when the Iran-aligned Houthis seized control of the entirety of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route.
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric says there is deep concern over the growing civilian toll.
"Many families had to flee on short notice with very few belongings. We and our humanitarian partners continue to support displaced families and others caught up in the hostilities in the affected areas. One of the biggest challenges are the constraints of movement due to insecurity because of the fighting. Our OCHA colleagues say that access and movements along key routes are restricted or just suspended, making it harder to reach many of those in dire need."
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Australian households are being warned of another cost-of-living hit as the Middle East conflict drives global oil prices sharply higher.
Analysts say oil could surge to around 150 US dollars a barrel if major supply disruptions continue, with global stockpiles potentially falling to critically low levels within weeks.
The Strait of Hormuz, which carries around a quarter of global oil and oil products, remains disrupted, while attacks have also knocked out a key Saudi export pipeline.
ANU energy expert Professor Llewelyn Hughes has told SBS Arabic that higher oil prices are expected to hit Australian petrol and diesel prices, with increased transport costs potentially flowing through to groceries and inflation.
"So I think the answer of how bad can it get really depends on how long the crisis lasts and let me also say that of course this is first and foremost a human tragedy for the people in the region as well as a pocket book and an economic issue for people in Australia and elsewhere in the world."
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The family of a victim of the notorious Snowtown murderers says they are devastated one of the killers will be released from prison.
James Vlassakis was the youngest of four men involved in the so-called "bodies in the barrels" killings in South Australia in the 1990s, and is being released on parole after more than 25 years behind bars.
South Australian Parole Board chair Frances Nelson KC says the decision is because Vlassakis has shown remorse, his behaviour behind bars has been exemplary, and he's not considered a risk to the community.
Karen Davies, whose brother Ray was one of the 11 murder victims, says the decision is difficult to accept.
"Devastated, you know it wasn't the outcome that we were actually hoping for - people out there they do petty little crimes and they make the decisions to keep them in but they make a decision to let a murderer to wander the street."
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To sport, and in cricket, Australia have achieved a 59-run victory over Zimbabwe in Harare.
A century from Matt Renshaw set up the success in the first of three ODIs.
After Mitch Marsh won the toss, the tourists made 8-294 from their 50 overs, with Renshaw leading the way with a 94-ball 109 - the highest score by an Australian in Zimbabwe.
