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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_English https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnaby_French https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/László_Magyar Can't find anyone with a surname of Australian, New3 Zealander, Canadian, or Kiwi (but there are a few people with a first name of Kiwi): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_Camara https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_Chow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiwi_Gardner And there are a few others if you care to look.

I maintain that we produce a higher grade of bullshit than AI could.

That fish should be thrown back.

I agree. these are dexterity professions at the end of the day, for which robotics isn't there, yet. But, if we look at the medical profession, there are already AI based diagnostic services that can do a better job than very well trained practitioners: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/news/new-ai-powered-service-launched-transform-cancer-detection-and-care There is AI assited surgery: https://www.brainlab.com/surgery-products/overview-platform-products/robotics/?gad_campaignid=22014774702&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw7vzOBhBxEiwAc7WNr-bTvUhd2xifCHStu-okO4oq5o9MSC5hM48hvZBSMAE9fO_DBJGuXxoCINwQAvD_BwE There is robotic drain/sewerage cleaning systems: https://www.srodrobotics.com/product/category/dredging-and-sewage-suction?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22856888573&gclid=CjwKCAjw7vzOBhBxEiwAc7WNr2fW35dyHvXA8NWv2txpE0rvVH7wI4sUCAIgCWA-ispgrIf3n7nfshoCHWYQAvD_BwE There is AI assited teaching.. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/teachers-to-get-more-trustworthy-ai-tech-as-generative-tools-learn-from-new-bank-of-lesson-plans-and-curriculums-helping-them-mark-homework-and-save All designed to improve productivitty and outcomes. If you improve productivity, you require less production - in this case humans. An ex employee of mine who suffers clinical depresseion (thankfully he still works with our company, but has been promoted and moved to an area where he wants to be - far more cerebral than what my team does), when suffering an episode calls for a large scale mass nucelar war to reset humanity. However, there are nefarious and ethical actors; AI represents a huge opportunity to improve everyone's lives and hopefully remove the mass inequities that fuel hatred, wars, and the like. Of course, we are miles from there, but maybe not as far off as people think.

Don't worry ome, there's a reason the presenter asks the question at 0:47 in the video. They've been wrong about El Nino for the last couple of years. They told us El Nino would produce a drier than normal summer and we had one of the wettest on record, so there's hope at your place yet.

A few named English. The only French I've known of was one of our local lads in my dad's Batallion, got a posthumous VC at Milne Bay.

I'm so not looking forward to this.

The real concern is that AI might make the contributors to this forum obsolete.

The Net can be hacked. Nev

Haven't you know a bloke named English, or his mate French?

Just grap a Net and Yahoo!

We will sill need a doctor to sew up our wounds and set our bones. We will need teachers to show our children how to read and count. We will need plumbers to clear our blockes drains and sparkies to wire in our fuse boxes. Every new technology displaces those who performed the activity the is displaced. Humanity always finds something new to do that the technology hasn't caught up with. We are not looking at disaster. We are seeing new opportunities.

Watch out for Hailstones near Cb. Even in clear air. Nev

Just another thing to Increase the depressed state we are in already. Stop the World , I want to Get off.. Nev.

With all that Money she is still not attractive to Me. Maybe IF she was in Uniform? NOoooo. Nev

And here is the chat gpt version: I’ve been saying for a while now that hardware has finally caught up to the point where AI is reaching a real inflection point. We’re moving toward something close to large-scale automation of cognitive work—not just coding, but a significant portion of white-collar jobs. Think about roles like: Accountants Psychologists Actuaries / quantitative analysts Traders, risk managers, compliance and settlements staff Sales and customer support Real estate agents Copywriters, editors, and even parts of journalism Engineers and product designers Architects Legal professionals Healthcare professionals Even scammers, hackers, and other bad actors The list goes on. A large portion of the analytical and process-driven work in these fields is increasingly within AI’s capabilities. That said, AI still doesn’t really have “lightbulb moments” in the human sense. It works by identifying patterns in data, not by suddenly inventing ideas from pure intuition. You won’t get the classic “what if this bus were moving at the speed of light?” moment. But what AI can do is automate a huge amount of the groundwork needed to get from idea to theory. If reports about systems like “Anthropic Mythos” are even partially accurate, we may be edging closer to that kind of capability as well. What this could mean for the workforce Mass displacement of many white-collar roles Jobs requiring physical dexterity (trades, hospitality, fine arts, etc.) remain safer for now—robotics isn’t quite there yet Research roles will persist, though increasingly AI-assisted Management may shrink to a smaller, more senior/executive layer A small, highly skilled workforce will oversee and direct AI systems—domain experts who are also technically capable and entrepreneurial A shift from the gig economy to a “side hustle” economy Economic implications Short term: Cost savings (e.g., the hypothetical $40m) will mostly go to company profits Long term: As adoption spreads, competition increases Lower barriers to entry mean more players → margin compression Over time, this could reduce costs across industries However: If large parts of the population lose income, who can afford to buy anything? Governments will likely be forced to respond—possibly through wealth redistribution mechanisms or similar policies In theory, we could end up with better, cheaper products—but controlled by fewer, more powerful organisations. And as we’ve seen before (e.g., with CRM systems), technology often gets used to cut costs rather than improve user experience. Bigger societal questions 1. Psychological impact Work gives people structure, identity, and purpose. What happens when that disappears for millions? We could see major increases in anxiety, depression, and social instability if this isn’t managed carefully. 2. Education The current model won’t hold. Beyond basic literacy and numeracy, we’ll need to prioritise: Critical thinking Creativity Entrepreneurship We’ll still need professionals and trades—but far fewer of them. So what happens to everyone else? 3. Health and lifestyle If traditional work disappears, what motivates people day-to-day? Do governments start encouraging—or even mandating—physical and mental health routines at scale? 4. Living wage / universal income Two broad paths: Economic contraction (if people can’t afford to spend) Some form of income redistribution to sustain demand This raises bigger questions about whether we’re approaching the limits of traditional capitalism and need hybrid or alternative systems. 5. Migration and demographics Birth rates are already falling in developed countries. AI could accelerate that trend. At the same time, economies still need consumers—so migration may increase significantly, bringing major cultural shifts. 6. Military implications This one speaks for itself. It won’t be “robots vs robots”—it’ll be people using advanced systems against other people, with potentially rapid and devastating consequences. Final thoughts This isn’t just another wave of innovation—it’s a genuine societal shift. It creates enormous opportunity, but also serious risk: Greater concentration of wealth and power Increased dependence on governments and large corporations Potential exclusion from economic life if you’re “locked out” of key platforms And critically, this isn’t something any one country can handle alone—it likely requires global coordination, which historically hasn’t been our strong point. There are very few truly forward-thinking or benevolent governments out there, so realistically, we should expect a turbulent transition.

Pretty passive and subdued Sex. I wouldn't get too excited about watching it. Also you Might get Bitten for your troubles and another Bee dies. Nev

More.. I have been saying for some time, the hardware technology has now advanced enough that AI has reached a critical point where it is able to stat to acheive its potential. And that is almost absolute automation. It isn't just coding, by the way.. much of the white collar work will be displaced. Think about these professions: Accountancy Psychology Actuary/quantitative analysts (finance, insurance, etc) Traders, risk managers, settlements staff, compliance staff, etc. Sales Customer Support Real Estate Agents Copywriters, editors, even journalists to some extent Engineers, producte designers, etc. Architects Even scammers and hackers and other crimonals.. and of course, lawyers Health professionals The list goes on. A lot of their work will be replaced with AI as it has the analytical capability to do a lot of the work done by these profressions now. Of course, AI at this stage can't generally have those lightbulb moments as it relies on various probability models of observed data, so sitting on a bus looking at a clock and thinking !hmm, if this bus was doing the speed of light.. what would happen!, but what it can probabl do is automate a lot of the grunt work to get from that to the actual theory. If the reports of Anthropic Mythos are true, though, it may well be a step in that direction, too. What it means for the workforce: Mass displacement Anything that requires human dexterity at this point will still be in demand - I am not sure robotics has yet hit the scale necessary to be able to replace humans in these areas. So tradies, fine arts in painting (not printing), sculpture, etc will remain, labourers, hospitality, etc). Research - as AI can support, but still not theorise in the same way as humans, there will still be research. Management - probably executive only, but apparently Meta did some experiment with an AI version if Zuckerberg and employees couldn't tell. Small workforce driving the AI output. For example, in my area, we would need only a handful of senior people who know how to drive AI who would also be business domain experts and techncally savvy. The will need to be entrepreneurial, too, as they will be looking to drive innovation and an edge against their competitors. And with AI, you can do that very quickly. Will move from th gig economy to the side hustle economy. So, the theoretical $40m saving will: Initially, as Marrty states, go to the bottom line (hopefully I will get some of that if I can make it happen). But this is only inertia However, as more and more companies adopt, and as AI reduces the barriers of entry, competition will eventually take hold. Say, all banks use AI and have reduced their cost massively, we will go for market share and customers to grow our business. That will inevitably lead to lower margins until there is a normalisation of prices and returns. In theory, this will happen over time to all indistrues that use it. The cost of living in theory goes down.. but... There will be less money in the bulk of the population to afford a lot of this anyway. Eventually, as the governments see the issues arising (they are generally hopeless at foresight or at least hopeless on acting on it), they will have to address a burgeoning unemployment situation (country specific), lest there be civil war. This will mean even governments that don't like to step in will have to to redistribute the concentration of wealth as a result. In theory, you shoud get a better product, but it will be in the hands of those that control products. And as we saw with customer relationship management solutions, which had the potential to really improve the customer experience and reduce costs, management colelctively decided to use it to cut costs by offshoring and compounnd the shippy customer experience. Depending on where you are and the geopolitics of the time, will depend on how well a particular society handles the onslaught of change for the majority of the people. But there are a few things to think about from a sociological perspective: Psychological impact: With more time on peoples' hands and very large changes to societal structures in a short period of time, what will be the impact on the individuals and the community. We see our worth in our work, we need to be occupied, etc. What impact will there be of being able to sit around and do nothing? How much of th ecommunity will fall into chronic and sever mental illness - anxiety, depresseion, and worse? What will be be doing to avoid this sort of thing on a bigger scale than we already habve today? Education: No longer will our current education system and approach be relevant. Of course, we need to know the three Rs, but a much bigger emphasis will have to be on critical thinking (pollies don't generally like that), entreprenuership, and the like. Naturally, traditional subjects will remain as we will still need the professionals, trades, etc. Just a lot less of them. What to do with the rest of the population - the worker bees or ants, so to speak? Health: Will we have to start mandating some sort of physical and mental health management/exercise. What gets people out of bed today won't exist tomorrow and it is not apparent what will replace it for the vast majority tomorrow. Those old vids of China and I think Germany where people were mandated to attend mass physical exercise classes may well be needed going forward. Living wage: With so many people potentially being displaced, there are two options - one, a virtual collapse of the economy as the crticial mass can't afford anything so all this automation will yield nothing; or as I mentioned earlier, redistirbution of income to keep the economy and poeople going. Does everyone get a living wage - enough to put a roof over their head, food in the stomach, utilities paid, and some left over to spend money and keep the economy going. Econimics is always a law of diminishing returns, so is this the point that heralds the implosion of capitalism and necessity of socialism (which is not communism)? Do we have to rethink the term dole bludgers? Intensified migration and culture change: We are already seeing virtual collapses in birth rates amongst developed countries. Part of it is the cost of upbringing, but my guess is that it is more around the fact that many couples want a blend of preserving living standards and being able to lavish more on fewer kids than having to spread the same across more kids. And, wit mortalisty rates so low, you don't have to have 10 kids in the hope that two or three make it. More families are happy with 1 child than three; I was very happy with just the one for that very reason. With AI, where it is either harder to have kids because you can't afford it, or it is easy noit to have kids because of a living wage to everyone, in order to keep the economy going, you will still have to have people to give the money to, in order to spend it, in order to generate the economy. Third world will be behind the curve and looking for the juicy lifestyle this can bring.. or just free of their oppressive regimes. That can mean only one thing.. There will be no room for anti-immigration. You need someone to wipe your posterior in old age, it ain't gonna be a born and bred person. Wuth intensified migration, expect culture change. Military: I don't need to go into that.. we should all be able to see what will happen there. But let's not pretend it will be robots against robots.. It will be people using robots (drones, etc) against people who try to deploy robots to defend themselves. Once the barriers are broken, there will be carnage far quicker than Iran's protest suppression until a surrendr (if one is even listened to). There are other areas to consider, but the AI revolution (and that is what it is - a revolution) is a great opportunity and a great threat. It frightens me to say it, but we will be far more dependent on our governments' actions and approach than many other waves of change that have come across society. It will further concentrate wealth and power in a smaller number of corporates. If you don't do what they say, they will cut you off their platforms and lock you out of society. I use the term governments in the plural as it will require a global approach. Sadly,m there are few turly benevolent governments, so we are in for a tough ride.

Gliders need ridges or thermals. Nev

We are Not in NORMAL circumstances and it could get worse. Imagine the Hullabaloo if that Happened. Perhaps this will get us a bit weaned off fossil fuel where we can be Held to ransom at the whim and fancy of lots of people and have a cleaner World at the same time. Nev

You couldn't be more Negative. Bell Bay is In Tassy which is Mostly Hydro and the Plant is probably Obsolete. Nev

Had a bit of a reality check at the servo today. The last fill was early in the war at $2.20/litre, today was $3.25. The litres dial was moving very slow and the dollars dial moving very fast at the pump. $130 for 40 litres. There must be a lot of prawn trawlers tied up. A lot of money at today's fuel prices to fork out with no guarantee of a catch.

Australian industry is moving overseas! Bell bay smelter is closing down by the looks of it.Solar is high cost when you look past the generating electricity part.

Re nuclear, We have oodles of solar, wind, and wave... Re cost blowouts.. well, I wouldn't worry - I have never worked on a nuclear plant that didn't have one, and Hinkley Point C, in 2016 prices is going fro an original £18bn to £35bn in 2016 money (about £46bn in today's money). According to Google AI, Australian industry is moving to solar: Again, you can stick to old ways of doing things and hamstring us with high costs. Well done. Making Austalia Competitive Again (MACA).. Maybe that is all we will be able to afford to eat - MACCAs When I first entered the nuclear industry - now 30 years ago, I was all for Australia getting coasstal nuclear power stations. The renewable technology was not really there yet and it made a lot more sense that staying with coal - especially since we bloody well own the resources needed to run the darned thiungs. But we also have abundant sources of renewable energy and the technology has progressed immensly since then. Nuclear is, for Australia, the new fossil fuel. Even in the UK, where the sun is variable at best, wind is being used as is solar. Rooftop solar, before the Iran war, was steadily pickung up and the government ar debatign about whether to make it mandatory for new build properties.

Specifically talking Australia. Yep, remember when that report came out. Pumped hydro also has a round trip efficiency of about 80% which is pretty good.