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• assignation

an appointment for a meeting, especially a lover's secret rendezvous.

the act of assigning ; assignment .

Origin of assignation

Other words from assignation.

• re·as·sig·na·tion, noun

Words that may be confused with assignation

• assignment , assignation

Words Nearby assignation

• assiduously
• assigned counsel
• assigned risk
• assigned sex

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use assignation in a sentence

One can see an assignation end hopelessly, another can see it freighted with possibility.

Pros: Getting to picture yourself gliding efficiently through town, perhaps en route to a snowy assignation .

Leave them alone for half an hour, and they will consummate the assignation in a hall closet or a public park.

The picture turned his private assignation into a spectacle for all the world—and his wife—to see.

No girl would make an assignation at that hour just to tell a man that she intended to meet him again the next day.

I had an assignation with her here, but your coming spoiled my sport.

I warrant you have made an assignation to instruct some lady in the mathematics.

Indeed, it was chiefly upon that account that the assignation had been fixed so late.

She was convinced that the writing was Harry's, but whom could the assignation be intended for?

British Dictionary definitions for assignation

/ ( ˌæsɪɡˈneɪʃən ) /

a secret or forbidden arrangement to meet, esp one between lovers

the act of assigning; assignment

law , mainly Scot another word for assignment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Definition of assign

 (Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

• intrust

ascribe , attribute , assign , impute , credit mean to lay something to the account of a person or thing.

ascribe suggests an inferring or conjecturing of cause, quality, authorship.

attribute suggests less tentativeness than ascribe , less definiteness than assign .

assign implies ascribing with certainty or after deliberation.

impute suggests ascribing something that brings discredit by way of accusation or blame.

credit implies ascribing a thing or especially an action to a person or other thing as its agent, source, or explanation.

Examples of assign in a Sentence

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assign.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French assigner , from Latin assignare , from ad- + signare to mark, from signum mark, sign

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing assign

• pre - assign

Dictionary Entries Near assign

Cite this entry.

“Assign.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assign. Accessed 4 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of assign, legal definition, legal definition of assign.

Legal Definition of assign  (Entry 2 of 2)

More from Merriam-Webster on assign

Nglish: Translation of assign for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of assign for Arabic Speakers

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Meaning of assign in English

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assign verb [T] ( CHOOSE )

• Every available officer will be assigned to the investigation .
• The textbooks were assigned by the course director .
• Part of the group were assigned to clear land mines .
• Each trainee is assigned a mentor who will help them learn more about the job .
• We were assigned an interpreter for the duration of our stay .
• accommodate
• accommodate someone with something
• administration
• arm someone with something
• hand something down
• hand something in
• hand something out
• hand something over
• reassignment

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

assign verb [T] ( SEND )

• She was assigned to the Paris office .
• All the team were assigned to Poland.
• advertisement
• employment agency
• equality, diversity and inclusion
• reinstatement
• relocation expenses
• testimonial

assign verb [T] ( COMPUTING )

• 3-D printing
• adaptive learning
• additive manufacturing
• file sharing
• hexadecimal
• hill climbing
• home automation

assign verb [T] ( GIVE LEGALLY )

Phrasal verb, assign | american dictionary, assign | business english, examples of assign, translations of assign.

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a structure like a net of sticky silk threads made by a spider for catching insects

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• assign (CHOOSE)
• assign (SEND)
• assign (COMPUTING)
• assign (GIVE LEGALLY)
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Definition of assign verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

• assign something (to somebody) The teacher assigned a different task to each of the children.
• The two large classrooms have been assigned to us.
• assign somebody something We have been assigned the two large classrooms.
• The teacher assigned each of the children a different task.

Take your English to the next level

The Oxford Learner’s Thesaurus explains the difference between groups of similar words. Try it for free as part of the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app

Definition of 'assignation'

• assignation

assignation in American English

Assignation in british english, examples of 'assignation' in a sentence assignation, word lists with assignation, trends of assignation.

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Browse alphabetically assignation

• assign staff
• assigned counsel
• assigned randomly
• assigned risk
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Related terms of assignation

• house of assignation

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• assignation

as·sig·na·tion

As•sig•na•tion.

• appointment
• apportioning
• apportionment
• attribution
• distribution
• house agent
• house arrest
• House of assignation
• housebreaker
• asseverative
• asseverator
• Asseveratory
• assibilation
• Assideanism
• assiduously
• assiduousness
• assignability
• assigned risk
• Assignment of dower
• assimilability
• assimilable
• assimilating
• assimilation
• assimilationism
• assimilationist
• assimilative
• assimilator
• assimilatory
• Assimulation
• Assiniboine
• Assiniboine Mount
• assign XXX routing
• assign zone restriction lists
• Assign-and-Estimate Scheduling Algorithm
• assignable cause
• Assignable Contract
• Assignable Contracts
• Assignable Square Foot/Feet
• assignablely
• assignation of writs
• assignational
• assignations
• Assignatsii
• Assigned Account
• Assigned Altitude Deviation
• Assigned Amount Unit
• assigned arrival time
• Assigned Beacon Code
• Assigned Board Member
• Assigned Capital
• Assigned Channel Number
• Assigned Claim
• Assigned Claims
• Assigned Commisioner Ruling
• assigned dealer
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• DEFINITIONS

  Vocabulary      

What does assignation mean?

Definitions for assignation ˌæs ɪgˈneɪ ʃən assig·na·tion, this dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word assignation ., princeton's wordnet rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes.

assignation, tryst noun

a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers)

allotment, apportionment, apportioning, allocation, parceling, parcelling, assignation noun

the act of distributing by allotting or apportioning; distribution according to a plan

"the apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives is based on the relative population of each state"

Wiktionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

• assignation noun

An appointment for a meeting, generally of a romantic or sexual nature.

The act of assigning or allotting; apportionment.

A making over by transfer of title; assignment.

Etymology: assignacion

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Assignation noun

Etymology: assignation, French.

The lovers expected the return of this stated hour with as much impatience as if it had been a real assignation. Spectator.

Or when a whore, in her vocation, Keeps punctual to an assignation. Jonathan Swift.

Wikipedia Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

assignation

An assignment is a legal term used in the context of the law of contract and of property. In both instances, assignment is the process e whereby a person, the assignor, transfers rights or benefits to another, the assignee. An assignment may not transfer a duty, burden or detriment without the express agreement of the assignee. The right or benefit being assigned may be a gift (such as a waiver) or it may be paid for with a contractual consideration such as money. The rights may be vested or contingent, and may include an equitable interest. Mortgages and loans are relatively straightforward and amenable to assignment. An assignor may assign rights, such as a mortgage note issued by a third party borrower, and this would require the latter to make repayments to the assignee. A related concept of assignment is novation wherein, by agreement with all parties, one contracting party is replaced by a new party. While novation requires the consent of all parties, assignment needs no consent from other non-assigning parties. However, in the case of assignment, the consent of the non-assigning party may be required by a contractual provision.

ChatGPT Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

Assignation refers to the act of assigning or allocating something such as a task or responsibility to someone. It can also refer to the appointment of a person to a particular position or role. Additionally, in legal terms, assignation can refer to the transfer of a right or property from one party to another.

Webster Dictionary Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes

the act of assigning or allotting; apportionment

an appointment of time and place for meeting or interview; -- used chiefly of love interviews, and now commonly in a bad sense

a making over by transfer of title; assignment

Etymology: [L. assignatio, fr. assignare: cf. F. assignation.]

Matched Categories

Anagrams for assignation ».

saginations

How to pronounce assignation?

Alex US English David US English Mark US English Daniel British Libby British Mia British Karen Australian Hayley Australian Natasha Australian Veena Indian Priya Indian Neerja Indian Zira US English Oliver British Wendy British Fred US English Tessa South African

How to say assignation in sign language?

Chaldean Numerology

The numerical value of assignation in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

Pythagorean Numerology

The numerical value of assignation in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of assignation in a Sentence

Quentin Crisp :

Is not the whole world a vast house of assignation to which the filing system has been lost?

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Translations for assignation, from our multilingual translation dictionary.

• attribution French
• नियुक्ति Hindi

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Nearby & related entries:

• assign verb
• assignability
• assignable adj
• assigned adj
• assigned amount unit
• assigned risk
• assigned servant
• assignee noun

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assignation

• 1.1 Etymology
• 1.2 Pronunciation
• 1.3.1 Usage notes
• 1.3.2 Derived terms
• 1.3.3 Translations
• 1.4 Anagrams
• 2.1 Etymology
• 2.2 Pronunciation
• 2.3.1 Related terms
• 2.4 Further reading

English [ edit ]

Etymology [ edit ].

From Middle English assignacioun , from Old French assignacion , from Latin assīgnātiō .

Pronunciation [ edit ]

• IPA ( key ) : /æsɪɡˈneɪʃən/

Noun [ edit ]

assignation ( countable and uncountable , plural assignations )

• 1714 , Alexander Pope , “ The Rape of the Lock ”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope , volume I, London: [ … ] W [ illiam ] Bowyer , for Bernard Lintot ,   [ … ] , published 1717 , →OCLC , canto III: While nymphs take treats, or assignations give.
• 1749 , [John Cleland ], “ (Please specify the letter or volume) ”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [ Fanny Hill ], London: [ … ] G. Fenton [ i.e. , Fenton and Ralph Griffiths ]   [ … ] , →OCLC : As soon as Mr. Barville saw me, he got up, with a visible air of pleasure and surprize, and saluting me, asked Mrs. Cole if it was possible that so fine and delicate a creature would voluntarily submit to such sufferings and rigours as were the subject of his assignation .
• 1986 , John le Carré , A Perfect Spy : What assignations followed we can never know, except that, according to Morrie, Rick did once boast that there was more than cake and lemon barley waiting for him up at The Glades when he delivered the church magazine.
• 1996 , David Foster Wallace , Infinite Jest   [ … ] , Boston, Mass., New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company , →ISBN , page 30 : ‘That you could dare to imagine we’d fail conversationally to countenance certain weekly shall we say maternal … assignations with a certain unnamed bisexual bassoonist in the Albertan Secret Guard’s tactical-bands unit?’
• 1659 , T[itus] Livius [ i.e. , Livy ], “ (please specify the book number) ”, in Philemon Holland , transl., The Romane Historie   [ … ] , London: [ … ] W. Hunt, for George Sawbridge,   [ … ] , →OCLC : This order being taken in the senate, as touching the appointment and assignation of those provinces.
• A making over by transfer of title ; assignment .

Usage notes [ edit ]

Modern usage confines the word to mean an agreed-upon place for illicit sex, but earlier usage is broader, and considerably more innocent.

Derived terms [ edit ]

• house of assignation

Translations [ edit ]

Anagrams [ edit ].

• saginations

French [ edit ]

From Old French assignacion , from Latin assīgnātiō .

• IPA ( key ) : /a.si.ɲa.sjɔ̃/

assignation   f ( plural assignations )

• ( law ) summons , subpoena

Related terms [ edit ]

Further reading [ edit ].

• “ assignation ”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [ Digitized Treasury of the French Language ] , 2012.

• English terms inherited from Middle English
• English terms derived from Middle English
• English terms derived from Old French
• English terms derived from Latin
• English 4-syllable words
• English terms with IPA pronunciation
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• English nouns
• English uncountable nouns
• English countable nouns
• English terms with quotations
• French terms inherited from Old French
• French terms derived from Old French
• French terms derived from Latin
• French 4-syllable words
• French terms with IPA pronunciation
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Amazon Passkeys: What Is It and What It Means for Your Account

Not quite sure what Amazon's new passkeys mean for you and your account? We've got you covered.

Amazon is one of the latest tech giants to hop on the passkey bandwagon. 

Amazon is hopping on the Passkey train. Last week, the tech giant announced that you'll now be able to use passkeys to log in to some of your Amazon accounts (we'll get to which ones later). Amazon joins a slew of other companies who are saying goodbye to passwords and opting for passkeys instead. 

Switching to passkeys isn't mandatory for Amazon customers, the shopping giant said, so if you're not ready to make the move, you can keep using your passwords. But if you're interested in ditching your passwords for good, you can go ahead and set up an Amazon passkey right now. 

Here's what to know about Amazon's adoption of the password alternative. For more, here's how Apple's adopting passkeys and what Google is doing to ditch passwords .

What is a passkey? 

Passkeys are a new, secure and easier way to log in to a service or website using biometric authentication like a fingerprint or face scan (or other methods, like a PIN) instead of a password. You might already have a bit of experience with passkeys. For example, if you have Face ID set up on your iPhone, some apps allow you to to use Face ID to sign in instead of typing your account password.

According to backers of passkeys, it's a more secure method of logging into your accounts than with traditional passwords and is much less susceptible to phishing attacks. Passkeys can be more convenient than keeping track of all of your passwords, let you log in usually with just a click instead of several taps and eliminate the need for two-factor authentication codes , which can clog up your inbox or messages app. 

Who else is implementing passkeys? 

Amazon is the latest in a string of tech companies that have either axed passwords or given customers the option to use a passkey instead of a password. In adopting passkeys, the online retailer joins the likes of Google , Nintendo and  Apple in passwordless support.

Which Amazon services work with passkeys now? 

Right now, Amazon has only rolled out passkeys to its primary retail website. 

In a response to CNET's request for comment on where users could take advantage of passkeys, Amazon said "Passkey support is available globally today for all Amazon customers using browsers." The company indicated that more support would be rolling out to the iOS Amazon Shopping app and that the Android Amazon Shopping app would be receiving passkey support in the near future. 

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How to set up a passkey on your Amazon account

If you're interested in ditching your password and opting to use a passkey for your Amazon account, it's easy to set up. Again, passkeys aren't mandatory for Amazon customers, so if you feel more comfortable using your password, you won't have to worry about changing over right away.

To set up a passkey, all you have to do is go to your Account page and select Login & Security . 

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What do the UAW deals mean for labor in America?

Workers in the car industry are getting big pay raises. It might not stop there.

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The United Auto Workers won big with their strikes against Detroit’s “Big Three” automakers. That victory might ripple beyond the car industry, to the workforce at large. The New York Times reported that the UAW’s gain of the “largest wage and benefit increases in decades” could “reverberate well beyond the workers that the union represented.” After decades of regarding strikes “warily,” unions may once again see work stoppages as a key negotiating tool with employers.

Indeed, NPR reported that this year has already seen “the largest number of strikes since 2011.” Strikes were common during the years after World War II, “but the early 1980s ushered in an era of crackdowns” on strikers. But 2023 has been a “watershed year.” So far there have been 22 major work stoppages in the United States, each involving 1,000 workers or more. That includes writers and actors in Hollywood, but also more than 75,000 workers for the Kaiser Permanente health system. The writers and Kaiser workers also got a pay bump, and the actors are probably close to resolving their strike. "Collective bargaining works,” acting U.S. Labor Secretary Julie Su. “It may not always look pretty.”

“Call it the Great Reset,” The Guardian pronounced. The wave of union victories “reflects a reset in expectations and wage norms for workers and for employers,” said MIT’s Thomas Kochan. Part of that reset is the result of worker anger about big profits as well as skyrocketing pay for CEOs and other executives while their own wages failed to keep up with inflation. The result? Corporations have “been surprised by the level of labor militancy they are encountering.” Expect to see more of this. Said one labor expert: “Victories inspire other victories.”

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What the commentators said

The anti-union era began in 1981 with President Ronald Reagan’s decision to fire striking air traffic controllers, Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling wrote in The New Republic . That decision ended up “turning the tide against American labor relations for decades to come.” The UAW victory means that era is finally, officially over: “And in the process, it has ushered in a brand new era for unions.”

All that union activity “will also be a victory for the American middle class,” Robert Reich argued at The Guardian . Those postwar years when labor strikes were common saw big gains for unionized workers — but non-union workers also benefitted. Those non-union companies gave out big raises because they “knew they’d be targets of union organizing if they didn’t.” The big question after UAW’s successful strikes: “Is the pendulum now swinging back?”

The effects could be political as well as economic. Greg Sargent at The Washington Post pointed out that Donald Trump bypassed the UAW strikes to give a speech to workers as a non-union shop “bashing the strike as useless given that electric vehicles will inevitably destroy their jobs.” But the new agreement with automakers has exposed “the absurdity of Trump’s populism.” Some right-wing populists do support unionized workers. For Trump himself, though, the “pro-worker posturing” has been shown to be meaningless.

“Can the UAW unionize Tesla?” Ronald Brownstein asked at The Atlantic . The union’s victory over the Big Three “will prove hollow” if it puts those carmakers at a disadvantage against non-union shops like Tesla and Toyota. (Indeed, there’s plenty of speculation that worker wins will lead to more expensive cars for Americans.) UAW leader Shawn Fain aims to fix that issue. “When we return to the bargaining table in 2028,” he said, “it won’t just be with the Big Three, but with the Big Five or Big Six.” Again, there will be political ramifications: The breakthroughs would provide President Joe Biden with evidence that his climate push for electric vehicles “can also generate meaningful numbers of good-paying union jobs.”

In the meantime, the Big Three worker deals “have turned up the pressure on big corporations to put better deals on the table,” Reuters reported. Worker gains “could spur more organizing and motivate non-unionized companies to try to stave off those efforts.” 

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Joel Mathis is a freelance writer who lives in Lawrence, Kansas with his wife and son. He spent nine years as a syndicated columnist, co-writing the RedBlueAmerica column as the liberal half of a point-counterpoint duo. His honors include awards for best online commentary from the Online News Association and (twice) from the City and Regional Magazine Association.

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Guide for NBA's In-Season Tournament: How does it work?

NBA's In-Season Tournament officially begins Friday. This is the first year the NBA is doing the tournament, and all 30 NBA teams will participate. This tournament will be of much discussion this fall, and here is a guide to how the tournament works as well as other key information.

How does NBA's In-Season Tournament work?

NBA's In-Season Tournament contains two different stages: The first stage being Group Play and the second being the Knockout Rounds. As far as Group Play goes, all 30 teams have been divided into six groups of five teams (three groups per conference). These groups were crafted based off of the teams' regular season records in the 2022-23 season .

Each team will play one game against each opposing team in their group (four games total) on "Tournament Nights" that will take place on Tuesdays and Fridays through Nov. 28, (with the exception of Nov. 7, due to Election Day). Every team will play two games at home and two games on the road. These initial games are part of the regular season schedule. After that, the Knockout Rounds begin.

What group of the NBA's In-Season Tournament are the Phoenix Suns in?

The Phoenix Suns are part of the 'West Group A.' They are in that group alongside the L.A. Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers.

When is the Phoenix Suns' first NBA In-Season Tournament game?

The Phoenix Suns play their first NBA In-Season Tournament game on Nov. 10.

What are the Knockout Rounds in NBA's In-Season Tournament?

The team in each group with the best record during the group play games, as well as two wild card teams will advance to the Knockout Rounds of NBA's In-Season Tournament. The wild card teams will be one team from each conference that posts the best Group Play record from among the second-place teams in their group. The Knockout Rounds are single-elimination games over a three-round bracket of the eight teams that advanced.

The first round (Quarterfinals) of the Knockout Rounds will be played on Dec. 4 and Dec. 5. The four teams that advance to the Semifinals will be playing at neutral sites on Dec. 7. The Championship will be played at a neutral site as well on Dec. 9.

Do In-Season Tournament wins/losses count towards regular season records?

Every single game played in the NBA's In-Season Tournament will count towards the teams' regular season records that determine their standing for the NBA Postseason and NBA Play-In Tournaments, except for the Championship game. Every team will continue playing regular season games after the In-Season Tournament until every team has played 82 games.

Why is the NBA doing the In-Season Tournament?

The NBA has historically had a tougher time generating television ratings before Christmas Day, and therefore the league wants to generate more interest in the regular season early. Note how the tournament schedule is completed before Christmas Day. The NBA is expecting fans to have sparked interest in this tournament due to it being something more to play and compete for during the year than just the championship at the end of the postseason.

The NBA In-Season Tournament champions will earn $500,000 for each player on the team. Other incentives are still awarded for the other teams who make the Quarterfinals and Semifinals (in the form of $50,000 per player up to $200,000 per player). This is to draw incentive from the players to participate and compete to the fullest during the tournament during the load management era.

Are the courts played on during the NBA's In-Season Tournament different?

Different court designs will be implemented during every game of the NBA's In-Season Tournament. Each court will be one solid color, and a different colored-stripe will run through the middle of the courts. The courts will contain logos that nod to the tournament both at mid-court and in each key near the baskets.

Screen Rant

Fingernails ending explained: what does the test actually mean.

The computer says Anna and Ryan are a perfect match in Fingernails but is the fingernail test even the best way of determining if a couple is in love?

Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fingernails.

• In "Fingernails," love is reduced to a test score, but the movie questions the validity of this system and highlights the importance of real work and dedication in relationships.
• The fingernail test in the movie is meant to determine if couples are truly in love, but it often leads to confusion and uncertainty, particularly when test scores are exactly 50 percent. Love cannot be simplified or diagnosed solely based on a test result.
• The movie explores the idea that test scores and computer analysis may not accurately reflect the true nature of love. Anna and Amir's relationship defies their test result, showing that genuine effort and desire in a relationship are more indicative of love than a number on a computer screen.

Fingernails ' ending is about finding true love in a world where the concept of love is reduced to a test score and not a result of hard work and dedication. Written and directed by

Christos Nikou, Fingernails is an Apple TV+ original movie featuring Jessie Buckley, Riz Ahmed , Jeremy Allen White, Luke Wilson, and more.

After the creation of "the test," couples can discover if they're truly in love by ripping off their fingernails and getting them analyzed by a computer, and the Love Institute is created to help couples learn how to successfully pass the test. Curious about the nature of love, and discontent with her relationship with Ryan (Jeremy Allen White), Anna (Jessie Buckley) gets a job from Duncan (Luke Wilson) as an instructor at the Love Institute alongside Amir (Riz Ahmed). Together, they try to help couples fall in love while also developing affection for each other - even if the computer doesn't agree.

Related: 20 Best Movies On Apple TV+ Right Now

How Does The Fingernail Test Work?

The opening quote of Fingernails says "The earliest signs of heart problems are often found in the spotting, bending, or discoloration of fingernails." Fingernails can be an early indicator of a number of different heart problems in real life, although love can't be simply diagnosed based on heart condition as suggested by Fingernails , although the movie also calls the validity of the test into question (even if the characters never explicitly question it). In the offices of the Love Institute, there's posters on the wall giving symptoms of love as if it's a medical condition, but the clinical approach to love may actually be a detriment to couples.

According to Duncan, the test was created because there was concern that people weren't actually falling in love; however, after taking the test, 87 percent of couples got a failing score, leading to a divorce epidemic. The Love Institute was established to help bring people closer together so they can pass the test, although focusing on the ongoing work of coming closer together shown in the class, which simulates real-life experiences to bring people closer together, suggests living life together and actually putting in the work is important for couples regardless of what the results of the fingernail test actually says.

What Does Anna and Amir's 50% Test Mean?

Duncan says test scores of exactly 50 percent are often the hardest because that indicates only one member of the couple is actually in love, and due to the nature of the machine, it's impossible to determine which person is the one in love. After Anna secretly analyzes her fingernail with Amir's and the test comes back as 50 percent, she's not sure which of them it might be indicating until she convinces Ryan to test again, and they get a 100 percent. Duncan said someone can't be in love with more than one person at a time, so Amir's test means he's in love with Anna, but she's not in love with him. At least if they accept the validity of the test.

Related: Riz Ahmed's 10 Best Movies & TV Shows, Ranked (According To IMDb)

While Anna didn't test positive for love with Amir, Amir reveals he'd tested many times before and never tested positive until his test with Anna. He thought something must be wrong with him, so he started to work at the Love Institute, lying about being in a relationship with his neighbor, Natasha, in order to get the job. While the test says Amir's love isn't reciprocated, Anna decides to go against her test results to stay with him at the end of the movie, although Fingernails doesn't give any indication about the long-term outcome of their relationship.

Why Did Anna Leave Ryan Despite Their 100% Match Test?

Anna and Ryan passed the test and get a perfect 100 percent score when they retake the test at the end of Fingernails despite Anna's discontent. Anna tries to engage Ryan in some of the Love Institute exercises, such as drawing each other, but Ryan refuses, although he's not totally resistant to relationship-building activities. He takes a shower with Anna (which she said was an activity that can bring couples closer together) and admits he only listens to Nina Simone music to make her happy, although he's resistant to other activities, so Anna even goes as far as to simulate the electrical shock treatment on herself when he goes to work.

Anna's discontent and Ryan's lack of desire to put more work into the relationship are both signs that the test score may not actually be as indicative of love as people believe. The irony of this is highlighted by the effort other couples put into trying to pass the test and their disappointment at failing the test, with many divorces being seemingly triggered by the test results alone, such as Duncan and his ex-wife, while numerous couples are seemingly only together because of their positive test results. In all these cases, the couples could simply communicate a mutual desire, or lack thereof, instead of relying on what number the computer says.

Fingernails Ending and True Meaning Explained

Fingernails depicts two groups of people: people who are matched by the test, but keep re-taking the test because they're unsure of the results and don't feel in love, and people who fail to match despite working hard at the Love Institute to trigger a positive test result. The movie never addresses the possibility that the fingernail test machine results don't hold any validity in the first place, but everyone accepts it even though couples like John (Albert Chung) and Maria (Heather Dicke) show a stronger desire and effort to be together with a 0 percent test match, than characters like Ryan and Anna, despite a 100 percent match.

Related: The 10 Best Apple TV+ Original Movies, According To Letterboxd

There's no major red flags with Ryan and Anna's relationship. They seem to genuinely enjoy each other and mostly treat each other well, but the movie's only explanation for why they're together is due to their 100 percent test score, which Ryan sees as proof their relationship is good despite Anna's discontent. Ryan doesn't want to do any of the Love Institute exercises with Anna and after getting re-tested says he'll never do that again, indicating a lack of investment in working on the relationship. Amir, on the other hand, works at the Love Institute explicitly because he's interested in the actual work of love, which is what draws him and Anna together.

Fingernails creates a reality in which love has been medicalized, giving it a particular set of symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. The purpose of the love test is to help people avoid the pain of divorce, but the result is couples who take the test results for granted leading to mundane relationships, contrasted by couples putting in hard work due to their desire for each other, ironically dissuaded by the fingernail test results despite the clear evidence of their affection shown through their effort.

The ending of Fingernails sees Anna rejecting the results of the test, deciding to stay with Amir instead of returning home to Ryan. She begins pulling out her fingernails as an act of defiance against the notion that they can dictate if she's in love or not. Fittingly Amir's last words as he treats her wounded fingers is "this is going to hurt." In the world of Fingernails the pain Amir anticipates may be blamed on the fact that their test isn't a match, but their desire to work on their relationship, contrasted against Ryan's lack of desire to work on his relationship with Anna, could be a much stronger indication of love than burnt fingernails could ever be.

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Adam Neumann Wounded WeWork, an Office Market Bust Finished It Off

Once the country’s most-valuable startup, the flexible-workspace company is expected to file for bankruptcy.

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(15 minutes)

WeWork rode the wave of the venture-capital frenzy, building a global real-estate empire worth more than any other U.S. startup before buckling and laying off thousands when funding ran dry under its turbulent co-founder and former chief executive Adam Neumann . 

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What Guilty Pleas in Georgia Mean for the Federal Case Against Trump

The guilty pleas present a host of challenges as state and federal prosecutors engage in parallel efforts to hold Donald J. Trump accountable, defense lawyers and former federal prosecutors say.

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By Glenn Thrush

Reporting from Washington

Jack Smith, the special counsel investigating former President Donald J. Trump, brought a streamlined case against Mr. Trump in accusing him of trying to subvert democracy — with the goal of moving the case rapidly to trial in a presidential election year.

Fani T. Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, Ga., chose a starkly different strategy in prosecuting Mr. Trump for seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election, indicting 18 co-defendants as well as the former president. Critics said that approach would take far longer.

But she has moved with a stunning swiftness that has taken both the Trump team and some Justice Department officials by surprise — obtaining plea deals from three lawyers aligned with Mr. Trump — Kenneth Chesebro , Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis — in the space of a week.

The developments are, without a doubt, good news for Mr. Smith. But they also present logistical and legal challenges as Mr. Smith and Ms. Willis engage in parallel efforts to hold Mr. Trump accountable, according to defense lawyers and former federal prosecutors.

Despite Mr. Trump’s efforts to postpone the federal election case until after the 2024 election, it is still scheduled to go to trial in March. The plea agreements, and the prospect that even more of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants will cut deals, have made it nearly impossible to determine when the trial in the Georgia case will begin, and have increased overall uncertainty about both cases.

Here is what to know about the impact of the plea deals on the federal case.

Can evidence from defendants in Georgia be used against Mr. Trump in his federal trial?

Yes, but it is complicated.

Any publicly released documents or statements in all of the cases — including court appearances by the Fulton County defendants — can be admissible as evidence in the federal trial.

It remains unlikely, given the initial timetable set by Ms. Willis’s staff, and the recent flurry of activity spurred by demands from Ms. Powell and Mr. Chesebro for a speedy trial under Georgia law, that Mr. Trump’s Georgia trial would take place before the federal case.

That means any public testimony against Mr. Trump would probably come after Mr. Smith had already brought his case, although the situation remains fluid.

Ms. Willis and her staff have discretion when it comes to deciding whether they will share material that has not entered the official record, including transcripts and video of witness interviews and other evidence, with Mr. Smith’s team.

That is why federal prosecutors, when confronted with dual-track local prosecutions in the past, have pushed to proceed first — to avoid having to defer to elected district attorneys answerable to voters.

The best-case scenario for Mr. Smith is that Fulton County prosecutors will simply hand over interview transcripts to the government, said Darryl K. Brown, a University of Virginia law professor who teaches courses on evidence and criminal procedure. If that happens, the special counsel’s office could then subpoena the defendants, or other witnesses, and ask them under oath if what they said previously was truthful.

“The easiest thing would be to call witnesses to the stand and ask them, ‘Do you stand by your statement?’” he said. “People who cooperate with local prosecutors will also tend to cooperate with federal prosecutors.”

It is possible, however, that Ms. Willis will ask Mr. Smith and his team to share information about their investigation, as a reciprocal gesture.

That could prove problematic. Already, the judge in the federal election case has imposed a robust protective order that shields most evidence from being given to people who are not parties to it. And federal prosecutors are bound to keep testimony before grand juries secret. They can request that it be shared with local prosecutors but seldom do, said Kenneth P. White, a former federal prosecutor.

The Justice Department has been resistant to sharing any material on Mr. Trump’s cases outside the department, engaging in a monthslong scrap with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, over doing so.

“If things break down, Smith could, technically, subpoena stuff from Willis,” Mr. White said. “But that’s much too aggressive, and he’s never going to do that. So they have to work things out.”

Are Ms. Willis and Mr. Smith coordinating their efforts?

No, contact between the two prosecutors has been fairly minimal, according to people familiar with the situation.

“I don’t know what Jack Smith is doing, and Jack Smith doesn’t know what I’m doing,” Ms. Willis said in the weeks before she brought charges against Mr. Trump. “In all honesty, if Jack Smith was standing next to me, I’m not sure I would know who he was. My guess is he probably can’t pronounce my name correctly.”

But the recent plea deals could change that dynamic, even though Ms. Willis’s team continues to privately stress their prosecutorial independence, those people said.

The Justice Department does not prohibit interactions with other offices. In fact, the department’s procedural handbook encourages early cooperation between federal prosecutors and officials from state and local law enforcement agencies to avoid conflicts and duplications of effort.

The guidelines are relatively vague, but include guardrails intended to protect defendants, warning prosecutors that “parallel proceedings must be handled carefully in order to avoid allegations of improper release of grand jury material or abuse of civil process.”

Whatever evidence Mr. Smith obtains from Georgia will be turned over to the Trump defense team as part of the discovery process.

Can defendants who cooperate with Ms. Willis assert the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in federal court?

Yes, but it might offer limited protection.

If Mr. Smith were to subpoena Mr. Chesebro, Ms. Powell and Ms. Ellis as witnesses against Mr. Trump, they could refuse to testify by exercising their Fifth Amendment rights — even though they had effectively waived those rights in Georgia.

But Mr. Smith could counter by bringing federal charges against them, giving him the same leverage Fulton County prosecutors had when negotiating their original plea. And any admissions made on the stand in Fulton County could, in theory, be used against them by Mr. Smith. Ms. Powell and Mr. Chesebro are already believed to be two of the unnamed co-conspirators in Mr. Smith’s federal indictment.

“Just because they have immunity in Georgia doesn’t mean they have immunity” in Washington, Mr. White said.

Is there a downside for federal prosecutors?

There is no road map for indicting a former president, much less simultaneously prosecuting one for similar crimes in two jurisdictions. The Justice Department typically seeks to avoid concurrent cases to prevent discrepancies in witness testimony that can be exploited by the defense to seed doubt about the entire case.

Mr. Trump has adopted the same approach when former aides or advisers turn on him: He tries to undermine their credibility.

His habit of calling out potential witnesses and co-defendants prompted the judge presiding over his federal case in Washington to impose a limited gag order — but his legal team will almost certainly zero in on weaknesses and discrepancies in their testimony.

Several former prosecutors noted that the Fulton County indictments, which rely on Georgia’s expansive anti-racketeering law, presented many of the problems posed by other sprawling cases that rely on the testimony of former allies: The most important witnesses have a well-documented history of making false statements.

“There are land mines for Smith, for sure,” said John P. Fishwick Jr., who served as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia from 2015 to 2017.

“But let’s be clear: The plea deals are great news for Smith and Willis and terrible news for Trump.”

Richard Fausset , Alan Feuer and Danny Hakim contributed reporting.

Glenn Thrush covers the Department of Justice. He joined The Times in 2017 after working for Politico, Newsday, Bloomberg News, The New York Daily News, The Birmingham Post-Herald and City Limits. More about Glenn Thrush

The Telegraph

Elon Musk tells Sunak AI will mean people no longer need to work

Posted: November 2, 2023 | Last updated: November 2, 2023

Elon Musk told Rishi Sunak on Thursday that artificial intelligence will one day eradicate the need for jobs .

Interviewed by the Prime Minister to conclude the AI Safety Summit, the Tesla boss said that the technology would be able to “do everything” in the future and people would decide to have jobs only if they want to for “personal satisfaction”.

Mr Sunak disagreed – saying he believed “work gives you meaning”.

Mr Musk also called for tax rewards for tech entrepreneurs in Britain to encourage them to start innovative new companies.

The owner of X, formerly known as Twitter , said that robots in the future would be so advanced that they would end up being people’s friends – but warned there would need to be a physical off-switch in case robots went bad.

The comments came after Mr Sunak announced new technology would be tested by spies to ensure it doesn’t threaten national security.

Mr Musk said AI would be “the most disruptive force in history” for jobs.

“There will come a point where no job is needed – you can have a job if you want to for personal satisfaction,” he said. 

“AI can do everything. I don’t know if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable. It’s both good and bad. One of the challenges in the future will be: how do we find meaning in life?”

He went on to say that “we will be in an age of abundance”, adding: “We won’t be on universal basic income; we will be on universal high income.”

Earlier in the day, Mr Sunak denied that AI would be a threat to jobs, saying it should be seen as a “co-pilot”.

He said: “I know this is an anxiety that people have. We should look at AI much more as a co-pilot than something that necessarily is going to replace someone’s job.

“AI is a tool that can help almost everybody do their jobs better, faster, quicker, and that’s how we’re already seeing it being deployed.

“I’m of the view that technology like AI which enhances productivity over time is beneficial for an economy. It makes things cheaper, it makes the economy more productive.”

At the event in Whitehall in front of an audience of about 300 business leaders, Mr Musk said he sometimes wished AI could take on some of his work, adding: “Often I have to enter a suspension of disbelief – often burning the 3am oil I think, ‘Why am I doing this, I can just wait for the AI to do this.’”

But the Prime Minister told him: “I’m someone who believes work gives you meaning.”

Mr Sunak’s father-in-law sparked a backlash on Wednesday after suggesting that young people in India should work a 70-hour week .

Narayana Murthy suggested that young Indians should increase their working hours to boost the country’s productivity and compete with larger economies.

Mr Musk called for low-tax systems which allow a “high-reward pot” to help AI firms grow . Asked how to make the UK more entrepreneurial, he said: “The culture should celebrate creating new companies … A high-reward pot needs to be there to make it work.”

Mr Sunak joked that this was a “pitch on tax”, adding that capital gains tax was lower in the UK than Europe and the US.

The Prime Minister also said the country needed “talent”, which requires a good education system and added: “It is important to be open to the world.”

He added that he wanted to see more people giving up “the security of a regular pay-cheque and be comfortable with failing”. 

Mr Musk said that AI robots in the future could become “real friends” because they will have a memory and will have read everything that you have read, adding: “You could talk to it every day, you will actually have a great friend. They will know you better than you know yourself.”

However, he said it would be important to have a physical “off switch” in future to stop AI going wrong. 

Mr Musk said “humanoid robots” could be the most dangerous as they could always chase a human “into a building or up a tree”. 

“What if one day they get a software update and suddenly they’re not so friendly after all?” he asked.

He also praised Mr Sunak’s plans to monitor and potentially regulate AI, saying they would be “annoying” but that the tech world needed a “referee”.

Mr Musk backed the Prime Minister’s decision to invite China to his AI summit . “If China is not on board with AI safety it is not a good situation,” he said. 

Mr Sunak said: “I decided to invite China. It was not an easy decision and a lot of people criticised me for it.” 

Earlier in the day, Mr Sunak had closed the AI Safety Summit with a press conference in which he said it was a “landmark” step that leading tech firms had agreed for the next generation of AI models to be vetted before they’re released. 

He said it would help “tip the balance in favour of humanity”.

‘Harmful capabilities’

Some 10 “like-minded” countries and the EU agreed to collaborate on testing the new technology against a range of “potentially harmful capabilities”.

Mr Sunak said the work to assess “national security risks” would be carried out with the support of Britain’s intelligence agencies.

He added: “Until now, the only people testing the safety of new AI models have been the very companies developing it. We shouldn’t rely on them to mark their own homework, as many of them agree.

“Today we’ve reached a historic agreement, with governments and AI companies working together to test the safety of their models before and after they are released.” 

Mr Sunak added: “It’s only governments that can test the national security risks. Ultimately, that is the responsibility and knowledge of a sovereign government, with the involvement of our intelligence agencies, as they have been with all AI work thus far.”

The agreement between governments and tech firms is voluntary, but Mr Sunak accepted that “binding requirements” will likely be needed to regulate AI in the future.

The testing in the UK will be overseen by the AI Safety Institute , which the Government has said will “draw on the specialist expertise of the defence and national security community”.

Thursday’s announcement was the second of two major agreements brokered at the summit. On Wednesday, more than two dozen counties – all of those attending the event – signed the Bletchley Declaration, which warned of the potential for AI to bring “catastrophic harm”.

Mr Sunak said: “While this was only the beginning of the conversation, I believe the achievements of this summit will tip the balance in favour of humanity, because they show that we have both the political will and the capability to control this technology, and secure its benefits for the long term.”

09:15 PM GMT

Thanks for joining.

Thank you for joining The Telegraph’s coverage of Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk’s in-conversation-with event about the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence.

My colleague Jack Maidment , our Politics Live Blog Editor, will be back tomorrow to guide you through the day.

08:59 PM GMT

Dispatch: spies to test new ai for national security threats, rishi sunak announces.

New artificial intelligence technology is to be tested by spies to ensure it doesn’t threaten national security, Rishi Sunak announced earlier today.

The Prime Minister said the landmark step agreed with leading technology firms to vet the next generation of AI models before they’re released will help “tip the balance in favour of humanity”.

Ten “like-minded” countries and the EU agreed to collaborate on testing the new technology against a range of “potentially harmful capabilities”.

My colleague Amy Gibbons has the full story here

08:58 PM GMT

Will.i.am spotted at business connect.

The Black Eyed Peas star is clearly wanting to scream and shout about the possibilities of the fledging tech:

08:54 PM GMT

Rishi sunak 'missing a trick' by not regulating ai yet, says labour.

A Labour frontbencher has accused Rishi Sunak of “missing a trick” by not bringing forward immediate legislation to regulate AI.

Appearing on this week’s episode of Question Time, Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “He said he didn’t think companies should mark their own homework, then in the same breath he’s saying ‘well actually I don’t want to rush to legislate’.

“President Biden has issued an executive order already and what we actually do need to see now is that discussion around legislation starting, whether it is in terms of safety going forward, what regime do we want, do we want independent oversight, well of course we do.

“And we should be looking as well at all the impacts whether it’s on jobs, on security, its transformative potential, whether it’s in medical diagnostics, or in traffic management. To do that we should actually have in government a regulatory innovation office that will be looking at all this and its potential and how best we harness it. And the Prime Minister, by not legislating, is I’m afraid missing a trick.”

08:36 PM GMT

Elon musk: ai should have a physical 'off switch'.

Mr Musk said it would be important to have a physical “off switch” in future to stop AI going wrong.

08:33 PM GMT

Rishi sunak and elon musk offer two different takes on work.

In the wake of Elon Musk’s remarks about AI meaning that nobody will eventually have to work, Rishi Sunak told him: “I’m someone who believes work gives you meaning”, writes Daniel Martin .

But Mr Musk said he sometimes wishes AI could take on some of his work.

08:29 PM GMT

Elon musk: low taxes will help tech thrive.

Elon Musk called for low-tax systems which allow a “high reward pot” to held AI firms grow. Asked how to make the UK more entrepreneurial, he said: “The culture should celebrate creating new companies.

“London and San Francisco are the two centres on AI - London is doing very well on that front. London is very strong. But culturally people need to decide that it is a good thing [to create new companies].”

He added: “If you don’t succeed at a start up, it shouldn’t be a catastrophic thing. You gave it a good shot - now try again. A high-reward pot needs to be there to make it work.”

Mr Sunak joked that this was a “pitch on tax”, adding: “We have relative to European countries and the US a lower rate of capital gains tax. I think the reward should be there.”

The Prime Minister also said the country needed “talent”, meaning a good education system, and also: “It is important to be open to the world... We’ve got to ensure we have a regulatory system that is pro-innovation.”

08:22 PM GMT

Sunak accused of 'pathetic' gimmick by tory peer.

While Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk chew the fat over the future of AI, not everyone is getting into the spirit of their encounter.

Asked if Mr Musk’s appearance was a “coup”, Lord Vaizey, a Tory peer, told Sky’s Politics Hub: “No, I think it’s pathetic. I mean why have this gimmick of having Elon Musk, you know, who’s already halved the value of Twitter and destroyed it?

“And then I gather the Prime Minister is going to be interviewing Elon Musk. I mean the Prime Minister’s playing mini-me to Elon Musk... They’ve achieved a huge amount at this AI safety summit. Why have they handed all the glory to Elon Musk?”

08:19 PM GMT

Elon musk: i've changed x to make sure truth pays.

Asked by Rishi Sunak why he had changed X’s moderation and censorship system, Elon Musk said all censors have bias.

“How do we have a consensus driven approach to truth - how do get to a purer truth?” Mr Musk asked.

He said that his new system just adds context, adding: “Everything is open sourced. You can see all of the data and can see if there has been any gaming of the system, suggest improvements... Truth pays.”

08:15 PM GMT

Elon musk: we could befriend robots one day.

AI robots could one day become our “friends”, Elon Musk has said.

In conversation with Rishi Sunak, Mr Musk said they will have memory and will have read everything you have read.

“You could talk to it every day, you will actually have a great friend. That will actually be a real thing.”

08:09 PM GMT

Elon musk: ai will mean no job is needed.

There will come a point “where no job is needed” as a result of AI, Elon Musk has predicted.

“You can have a job if you want to for personal satisfaction, AI can do everything,” Mr Musk told Rishi Sunak during a Business Connect event.

“I don’t know if that makes people comfortable or uncomfortable. It’s both good and bad. One of the challenges in future will be how do we find meaning in life.

“We won’t have universal basic income but universal high income. It’ll be good for education - it’ll be the best tutor.”

On whether AI is generally a good or bad thing, Mr Musk replied: “AI is probably generally a good thing - there are a lot of jobs that are dangerous or tedious, and a computer will have no problem with that.”

08:03 PM GMT

Elon musk to rishi sunak: inviting china to ai summit was 'brave'.

Rishi Sunak told the PM Connect event: “I decided to invite China. It’s not an easy decision, a lot of people criticsed me for it.”

Elon Musk replied: “If China is not on board with AI safety, it is not a good situation - the biggest objection with safety controls [among the AI industry] is that China is not going to do it.

“But China is willing to do this and work on AI safety.”

07:58 PM GMT

Elon musk: government must act as a 'referee' on ai.

Elon Musk says: “There is a concern [in the AI industry] that this is going to crash innovation and slow them down and be annoying - it will be annoying, it is true.

“We’ve learnt over the years that having a referee is a good thing, no one suggests having a sports game without one.

“The Government needs to be a referee to ensure public safety, but on balance AI will be a force for good.”

07:54 PM GMT

Elon musk's hopes for ai.

Daniel Martin, our Deputy Political Editor, reports:

Having sat down with a beaming Rishi Sunak for their interview, Mr Musk says: “Overall it has the potential to have a positive effect to create future abundance where there is no scarcity.

“But there is a magic genie problem - usually those stories don’t end well.”

07:53 PM GMT

The moment sunak and musk arrived, 07:52 pm gmt, sunak sits down with musk.

Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk have now taken their seats for an extraordinary edition of Downing Street’s ‘Business Connect’ format.

Daniel Martin , our Deputy Political Editor, will have live updates throughout the evening.

07:49 PM GMT

Musk gives ukraine discount on tesla powerwalls to prevent blackouts.

Elon Musk is giving Ukraine discounts on a major purchase of Tesla Powerwall batteries designed to protect the country against blackouts.

George Dubynskyi, Ukraine’s deputy minister of digital transformation, told The Telegraph that Ukraine was working with international funders to buy the battery systems.

Powerwalls are large battery packs typically used by households to store up energy from solar panels or the grid . They are then used to release cheap power or provide electricity during blackouts.

James Titcomb has the story here

07:47 PM GMT

Elon musk mocked world's approach to ai hours before sunak chat.

The owner of X shared this political cartoon to his account less than four hours ago:

07:36 PM GMT

Why musk and sunak’s chat will not be streamed live.

Elon Musk’s meeting with Rishi Sunak this evening will not be livestreamed after a previous online disaster for the tech leader.

The pair are expected to hold a discussion in central London on Thursday evening, at which journalists will be present.

But it will not be streamed online until at least an hour later, although Downing Street insists no edits will be made.

A source said the delay had been imposed “so we can deliver a better product streaming just after”.

Daniel Martin, our Deputy Political Editor, has the full story

07:31 PM GMT

Good evening.

Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through Rishi Sunak’s conversation with Elon Musk about the benefits and dangers of artificial intelligence.

It comes after the Prime Minister hosted a two-day summit at Bletchley Park, which culminated in 28 countries signing the first accord of its kind about responsible use of the fledgling new technology.

05:01 PM GMT

That's all for now....

We will be back this evening when Rishi Sunak is set to take part in a video conversation with Elon Musk about AI this evening.

The conversation is not expected to be broadcast live but the recording will be published on Twitter afterwards.

04:57 PM GMT

Think tank: rishi sunak has made 'strong start' but must go further.

The Government has made a “strong start” in its AI policy but must go further in the wake of the summit, a leading think tank has said.

Mimi Yates, director of engagement and operations at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “The government has made key steps to both harness the immense benefits AI can bring, whilst protecting us from the risks, through investing in supercomputing and skills, and creating an AI Safety Institute.

“The government is also right to continue to make the distinction between ‘frontier’ AI and ‘narrow’ AI- but we risk giving insufficient attention to the latter, which has the potential to transform health, transport and productivity.

“To capitalise on this strong start, the Government should go further with domestic reform, such as planning and high-skilled visa routes, to encourage more highly skilled AI researchers to move to the UK and make Britain the world-leader in the tech of tomorrow.”

04:39 PM GMT

Rishi sunak: inviting china to ai summit was right long-term decision.

Asked why China wasn’t invited to the session he chaired today and why he would trust it to stick to any AI rules in the future, Rishi Sunak replied: “I think that’s a very glass-half-empty way to look at it. Lots of people said we shouldn’t invite China at all, then lots of people said if we invite them then they won’t come, then they were saying if they come then they won’t agree.

“Not only did we invite them, they did come and they signed up to the same set of principles that the Americans and the Europeans and dozens of other countries did...

“It wasn’t an easy decision for me to invite China and indeed lots of people criticised me for it but I think it was the right long-term decision. Because any serious conversation about AI safety has to engage the leading AI nations. I can’t predict the future and exactly how all of this is going to pan out. But it would have been a mistake not to try and we achieved the outcome that we wanted, for them to be here, for them to be engaged... and for them to sign up to the Bletchley Park comminque.”

04:36 PM GMT

Sunak: we are doing 'right and responsible' thing by acting on ai now.

Pressed on when the public should start “losing sleep” if a regulatory framework for AI is developed, Rishi Sunak responded: “There’s been more practical concerted action to improve AI safety than at any time previously to today.

“And that’s being done on the most international basis we’ve ever seen, the first ever bringing together of leading AI nations, civil society, academic experts and the developers of the technology themselves in the same place, agreeing to the same set of principles and crucially to the independent external evaluation models before they are deployed.

“When I said we shouldn’t lose sleep on it today, that is because there is a genuine debate about these risks. Some believe that they will manifest itself and we’ve been talking about the most extreme risks, whereas others have said the risks of AI could be on a par with nuclear war and pandemics. Others disagree with that, people in the industry don’t think that is possible and won’t happen.

“My view is even if there is a small possibility that that happens, the right and responsible thing for governments to do is to act and that is exactly what we have done. Not only have we acted we have led that conversation so that we can reassure people here at home that we are taking the steps that are necessary to mitigate against that risk, no matter how far in the future or remote.”

04:32 PM GMT

Prime minister: companies shouldn't mark their own homework on ai.

Rishi Sunak said companies should not be expected to “mark their own homework” on the safety of AI.

“Do I think companies have a general moral responsibility? Yes... but I think they’ve also agreed that governments do have to play that role... Fundamentally, it’s only the governments that can test the security implications.”

He added: “That’s the job of governments and no-one else can do that.”

04:30 PM GMT

Rishi sunak: we need to know what we are legislating for.

Rishi Sunak was asked whether the agreements reached with big tech companies should be mandatory.

Mr Sunak replied: “Before you start mandating things and legislating for things - that takes time, we need to move faster than we are, but you need to know exactly what you are legislating for. And that’s why our safety institute is so important.

“It’s important that regulation is empirically-based... so we understand what we’re dealing with before we can then spell out the formal regulation that is required.”

04:27 PM GMT

Sunak: ai will be a 'co-pilot' in the workplace.

Asked if leaders needed to be more candid about the prospect of AI putting people out of work, Rishi Sunak said: “I know this is an anxiety that people have... The first [thing] is we should look at AI much more as a co-pilot than something that necessarily is going to replace someone’s job.

“AI is a tool that can help almost everybody do their jobs better, faster, quicker and that’s how we’re already seeing it being deployed.”

He pointed to its use in the Department for Work and Pensions and how the benefits of it could be brought “to lots of people”.

“Technology always has the potential to change labour markets and patterns of employment. It’s hard to predict how that will evolve. What we do know is that AI is already responsible for 50,000 jobs across the UK... As it pertains to the future, I’m of the view that technology like AI which advances productivity is beneficial to an economy.”

04:24 PM GMT

Rishi sunak: this summit isn't just about elon musk.

Asked by The Telegraph’s Amy Gibbons what he is planning to raise with Elon Musk later and whether their chat is not being live-streamed because he is concerned about what Mr Musk might say, Rishi Sunak replied: “Elon Musk is someone who for a long time has spoken about AI, he’s a veteran entrepeneur of developing AI companies and is one of the leading actors in AI.

“It’s important that he was engaged in this summit and I’m delighted that he was attending and participating yesterday. Actually it was probably around a decade ago that he first started talking about some of the risks that AI could oppose...

“Rather than focus on any one personality, I think the achievement of this summit, I pay tribute to Michelle for all her hard work in the past few months to bring all this together, is for us to have assembled over 100 of the leading AI nations, leading companies developing the technology and experts from industry, academia and civil society together, in one place, for the first time to have this conversation, is truly an extraordinary achievement.”

He added: “It’s not about any one person, it’s about the collection we have brought together.”

04:21 PM GMT

Sunak: the uk is ahead of any other country on ai.

Asked about how the Government will access models in advance and AI safety testing, Rishi Sunak said the UK is “ahead of any other country in developing the capabilities and tools that we need to keep people safe”.

“I’m pleased we have delivered on that, because to ensure that people can be kept safe we need to be able to get in there in advance to do the testing and that is what the safety institute will do...

“In broad senses, look, our job in government is to have the expertise to go and test things before our citizens are exposed to them to make sure they’re safe.

“People should be reassured not only do we have the tools and capabilities being developed here at a rate faster than any other country, we now have the agreement we need to do the testing before the models are released to the public and that is something I think the summit - we’ll look back and say it was a terrific achievement, a landmark achievement, of the summit.”

04:17 PM GMT

Rishi sunak: we can make ai the best thing ever to happen to humanity.

Rishi Sunak said Bletchley Park would be the first in a series of international safety summits, with both South Korea and France agreeing to host further summits.

He concluded: “The late Stephen Hawking once said ‘AI is likely to be the best or worst thing to happen to humanity.’

“If we can sustain the collaboration that we have fostered over these last two days, I profoundly believe that we can make it the best. Because safely harnessing this technology could eclipse anything we have ever known.

“And if in time history proves that today we began to seize that prize, then we will have written a new chapter worthy of its place in the story of Bletchley Park, and more importantly bequeath an extraordinary legacy of hope for our children and generations to come.”

04:14 PM GMT

Sunak: we have reached 'landmark' agreement on ai.

Rishi Sunak announced Yoshua Bengio, the “godfather of AI” will chair the production of an inaugural report into the technology.

Mr Sunak added: “Like-minded governments and AI companies have today reached a landmark agreement. We will work together on testing the safety of new AI models before they are released.

“This partnership is based around a series of principles which set out the responsibilities we share and it’s made possible by the decision I have taken, along with Vice-President Kamala Harris, for the British and American governments to establish world-leading AI safety institutes.”

04:12 PM GMT

Sunak: what we have achieved will tip balance in favour of humanity.

Rishi Sunak said the “achievements of this summit will tip the balance in favour of humanity” and “secure [AI’s] benefits for the long term”.

“Until this week the world did not have a shared understanding of the risks... We analysed the latest available evidence on everything from social harms to things like bias and misinformation to the risk of misuse by bad actors through to the most extreme risks of even losing control of AI completely.

“And yesterday we agreed and published the first ever international statement about the nature of all of those risks. It was signed by every single nation represented by this summit, covering all continents across the globe and including the United States and China.

“Some said we shouldn’t even invite China. Others said that we could never get an agreement with them. Both were wrong. A serious strategy for AI safety has to begin with engaging all the world’s leading AI powers and all of them have signed the Bletchley Park communique.”

04:09 PM GMT

Rishi sunak's opening remarks.

Good afternoon. It was here at Bletchley Park where code breakers including the British genius Alan Turing cracked the Enigma cypher and where we used the world’s first electronic computer. Breakthroughs which changed possibilities for humanity, so there could be nowhere more fitting for the world to come together to seize the opportunities for the greatest breakthrough of our own time, while giving people the peace of mind that we will keep them safe. I truly believe there is nothing in our foreseeable future that will be more transformative for our economy, our societies and all our lives than the development of technologies like artificial intelligence. But as with every wave of new technology it also brings new fears and dangers. So no matter how difficult it may be it is the right and responsible long-term decision for leaders to address it. That is why I called this summit.

03:57 PM GMT

Good afternoon.

Dominic Penna here, The Telegraph’s Political Correspondent, guiding you through the rest of the day.

In a couple of minutes Rishi Sunak will hold a press conference at Bletchley Park.

It is to close out the UK’s first ever artificial intelligence (AI) safety summit.

03:39 PM GMT

Tory chairman urges people to come forward and stand as conservative candidates, 03:10 pm gmt, not inviting china to ai summit would have been an 'error', says cleverly.

James Cleverly said it would have been an “error” not to invite China to the AI safety summit at Bletchley Park. 

Asked why China was invited, the Foreign Secretary told broadcasters: “With something as global as this it would be an error to miss one of the countries with the most significant repository of AI work. 

“And so it is right that they were invited. It is right that we work with them about the safeguards, about the handrails, about the rules and norms of behaviour. 

“And whether it is them or any other country we are able to hold people to account for the commitments that they have made and whether it is our relationship with China or any other country it is quite powerful to say ‘you have signed up to commitments, we expect you to abide by the commitments you have signed up to’. 

“That is why having such a diversity of nations here I think is a real positive.”

02:50 PM GMT

Ai can 'amplify and accelerate' both good and bad, says cleverly.

James Cleverly said artificial intelligence can “amplify and accelerate” both positive and negative things. 

Speaking to broadcasters at the AI safety summit at Bletchley Park, the Foreign Secretary said: “AI amplifies and it accelerates. We are already seeing this happening. Now, that can mean it can amplify and accelerate the use of technology for positive things, medical treatments, innovation to do with agriculture, AI for development as we are discussing here. 

“But we also have to recognise that it can amplify and accelerate negatives and we have to protect against that.”

Mr Cleverly said regulating and guiding the development of AI will be an “evolving and enduring piece of work”. 

02:44 PM GMT

Sunak: 'no country can do this alone', 02:38 pm gmt, pm and eu chief discuss 'importance of a better global understanding' on ai.

Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen discussed the “importance of a better global understanding” of artificial intelligence during their meeting (see the post below at 11.08) on the sidelines of the AI safety summit at Bletchley Park today, Downing Street said. 

A Downing Street spokesman: “The Prime Minister met with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park this morning.

“The leaders discussed the importance of a better global understanding of the capabilities and risks surrounding frontier AI and how we can work together on this. The Prime Minister also welcomed the European Union’s support of the landmark Bletchley Declaration which will deepen international coordination on AI safety.

“Both leaders agreed to work closely together on issues of international peace and security, in particular dealing with the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East and continuing to back Ukraine against Russian aggression in Europe. Both agreed that stepping up our efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is a key priority.”

02:29 PM GMT

No ai act in king's speech next week, says minister.

A Government minister has ruled out the possibility that a legislative crackdown on AI companies is coming in the King’s Speech on November 7, Matthew Field reports.

Viscount Camrose, the AI minister, told reporters at the AI safety summit there were “no plans to introduce” an AI Act in the coming programme for the government.

“We haven’t ruled out any legislation or any regulation,” said Viscount Camrose, “instinctively we want to wait until we have a much fuller understanding of the nature of the risks and indeed the nature of the benefits before introducing an AI Act to Parliament.”

Asked whether a major bill should be expected in the King’s Speech, the minister said: “If we need to move quickly to create one we will, but, right now, there are no plans to introduce one.”

02:02 PM GMT

Poll: labour maintain 17 point lead over tories, 01:28 pm gmt, rishi sunak to hold ai press conference at 4pm.

Rishi Sunak will hold a press conference at 4pm to bring the two-day Bletchley Park AI safety summit to a close. 

The Prime Minister is then due to take part in a video conversation with Elon Musk about AI this evening.

The conversation is not expected to be broadcast live but the recording will be published on Twitter afterwards.   

01:04 PM GMT

Rishi sunak hosts ai panel session with 'like-minded' nations.

Rishi Sunak told US Vice President Kamala Harris her country’s executive order on artificial intelligence was “very welcome in this climate” as he hosted an AI panel session with “like-minded” nations. 

The Prime Minister welcomed Ms Harris and representatives from the EU, UN, Italy, Germany, France and Australia to the session at Bletchley Park on the development of the technology.

He said AI offers “transformative” change that could improve economies and societies, but added: “But as with all new waves of technology, AI brings new fears, new dangers – from social harms like bias and disinformation to the most extreme risks of all.

“And as leaders we have a responsibility to address that, so I want to thank you all for agreeing the Bletchley Park communique – the first ever international statement on the nature of these risks.”

Addressing the US Vice President, he said: “Kamala, your executive order just this week is a deep and comprehensive demonstration of the potential of AI and it’s very welcome in this climate.”

“I wanted us to have a session to talk about this issue as leaders with shared values in private and hear from all of you about what you’re most excited about, what you’re concerned about and how we can look back in five years time on this moment and know that we made the right choices to harness all the benefits of AI in a way that will be safe for our communities but deliver enormous potential as well,” he added.

12:58 PM GMT

Nation split on understanding ai.

Almost half of voters believe they have a “great deal” or a “fair amount” of understanding about what artificial intelligence is, according to a new poll by YouGov. 

Some seven per cent of respondents to the survey, conducted between October 27-29, said they have a “great deal” of understanding about the technology and 41 per cent said they have a “fair amount” of understanding. 

Meanwhile, 42 per cent said they have “not very much” understanding and seven per cent said “none at all”.

12:43 PM GMT

Pm and un chief agree need to 'urgently scale up' delivery of aid to gaza.

Rishi Sunak and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres agreed on the “importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid” to Gaza when they held talks on the sidelines of the AI safety summit at Bletchley Park today, Downing Street said. 

A No10 readout of the meeting said the pair had also “agreed on the need to reinvigorate international efforts to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict”. 

A No10 spokesman said: “The leaders then discussed the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza and agreed on the importance of urgently scaling up the delivery of life-saving humanitarian aid. 

“The Prime Minister set out the work the UK is doing to support, including doubling aid funding for the United Nations and others’ work in Gaza and pre-positioning emergency supplies and equipment in Egypt. The Prime Minister and the Secretary-General agreed on the need to reinvigorate international efforts to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict and progress work towards a two-state solution.”

12:30 PM GMT

Pictured: rishi sunak welcomes kamala harris to ai safety summit, 12:21 pm gmt, rachel reeves responds to bank of england downgrading growth forecast.

Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, said the Bank of England’s economic forecasts for the UK (see the post below at 12.10) were a “damning indictment of 13 years of economic failure that has left working people worse off”.

Ms Reeves said: “At the start of the year, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt promised to get the economy growing. These figures show we are going in the wrong direction. We are forecast to have gone from low growth to no growth, with working people paying the price. 

“Labour’s plans for growth will make working people better off by getting Britain building again, cutting energy bills, and creating good jobs across the country.”

12:14 PM GMT

Chancellor: uk economy 'far more resilient than many expected'.

Jeremy Hunt said the UK economy had been “far more resilient than many expected” as he responded to the Bank of England’s decision on interest rates (see the post below at 12.10). 

The Chancellor said in a statement: “Inflation is falling, wages are rising and the economy is growing. The UK has been far more resilient than many expected, but the best way to deliver prosperity is through sustainable growth.

“The Autumn Statement will set out how we will boost economic growth by unlocking private investment, getting more Brits back to work, and delivering a more productive British state.” 

12:10 PM GMT

Bank of england leaves interest rate unchanged but downgrades economic forecast.

The Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 5.25 per cent. 

The Bank also said it expects GDP to grow by 0.5 per cent this year, unchanged from its last forecast, but downgraded its outlook for 2024 from 0.5 per cent to 0 per cent.

12:07 PM GMT

Analysis: absence of big political names at ai summit hard to ignore.

The absence of big political names at the Bletchley Park summit on AI safety is “hard to ignore”, writes Amy Gibbons, The Telegraph’s political correspondent , who is at the gathering: 

It was supposed to be Rishi Sunak’s big moment, convening the world’s biggest political players at the home of British computer science to get to grips with artificial intelligence before it spirals out of control. But as the second day of the Prime Minister’s flagship AI summit kicked off at Bletchley Park, the turnout - rather like the weather - left something to be desired. There are plenty of tech heavyweights here, with Elon Musk - the billionaire X and Tesla boss - making headlines with his surprise appearance. Leading AI and tech firms Meta, Microsoft, Google, Open AI and Anthropic are also represented. The PM will be chuffed at getting both China and US to sign up to the “landmark” Bletchley Declaration - an agreement to work together on AI risks. But while he would like to think the UK is leading the pack, the absence of certain big hitters on day two is hard to ignore. French premier Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have all decided to give it a miss, while US Vice President Kamala Harris is standing in for Joe Biden. Whatever comes out of today, some will inevitably be wondering why a majority of G7 leaders weren’t at the table.

11:54 AM GMT

Sunak holds talks with italian pm meloni.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was “proud of [her] friendship” with Rishi Sunak and hopes they work together on artificial intelligence to “solve the biggest challenge that maybe we have in this millennium”.

As she met Mr Sunak for a bilateral meeting at the Bletchley Park summit, Ms Meloni told him “your priorities are also mine”, citing migration and AI as among key issues they are discussing.

She said the UK’s tech summit would be used as a “base” for the G7 presidency held in Italy next year, where “artificial intelligence will be one of the main topics” on the agenda.

“Thank you for your invitation Rishi and you know that your priorities are also mine. We’ve been discussing many priorities together such as migration… artificial intelligence,” Ms Meloni said.

“It is very, very important… to involve the private sector, I think it is very important to talk with, to solve the biggest challenge that maybe we have in this millennium.

“As always we work very well together. I’m proud of our friendship – the friendship between our nations and also between us.”

11:44 AM GMT

Small minority have confidence in ability of uk governments to regulate ai.

Just 14 per cent of voters are confident in the ability of current and future UK governments to effectively regulate the development and use of artificial intelligence, according to a new YouGov survey. 

A poll conducted by the company between October 27-29 found one per cent of respondents had a “great deal of confidence” and 13 per cent said they had a “fair amount of confidence”. 

Some 42 per cent had “not very much confidence” and 29 per cent said they had “no confidence at all”. 

It was a similar story when people were asked how much confidence they had that technology companies developing AI would do so responsibly. 

Some 18 per cent expressed confidence but 43 per cent said they had “not very much confidence” and 25 per cent said “no confidence at all”.

11:08 AM GMT

'you’ve taken the lead in putting ai on the agenda'.

Rishi Sunak said he was “delighted to be working so closely” with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in discussing artificial intelligence as they met for talks at Bletchley Park. 

He suggested they would also talk about “tackling illegal migration” during their bilateral meeting at the AI safety summit. 

“You’ve taken the lead in putting AI on the agenda… I’m delighted that we’re working so closely together, together with the Americans and other countries,” Mr Sunak said.

10:48 AM GMT

Sunak holds talks with un chief antonio guterres.

Rishi Sunak gave a “warm welcome” to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and said the two would discuss the situation in Gaza as they sat down for a bilateral meeting at the UK’s AI safety summit this morning. 

“We’re delighted to have this conversation about making sure we manage the risks so we enjoy the benefits, but I know we’ll also discuss the situation in Gaza where the UK is working closely with the UN to bring aid in to the people who need it as quickly as we can,” the Prime Minister said.

“It’s a warm welcome to you being here.”

10:35 AM GMT

Sunak pledges to make ai 'force for good', 10:01 am gmt, labour urge sunak to introduce ‘binding regulation’ on most powerful ai.

Labour has called for Rishi Sunak to bring forward “binding regulation” on companies developing the most powerful forms of artificial intelligence. 

Mr Sunak said last week that the Government would not “rush to regulate” AI.

But Peter Kyle, the shadow science secretary, said this morning that Mr Sunak “must not hesitate to regulate” so-called “frontier models” of AI. 

He said: “AI has the potential to transform the world and deliver life-changing benefits for working people. From delivering earlier cancer diagnosis, to relieving traffic congestion, AI can be a force for good.

“But to secure these benefits we must get on top of the risks and build public trust. It is not good enough for our ‘inaction man’ Prime Minister to say he will not rush to take action, having told the public that there are national security risks which could end our way of life.”

Mr Kyle said a Labour government would “urgently introduce binding regulation of the small group of companies developing the most powerful AI models that could, if left unchecked, spread misinformation, undermine elections and help terrorists build weapons”.

09:55 AM GMT

No punishment for labour gaza ceasefire rebels, suggests liz kendall.

Labour frontbenchers who defy Sir Keir Starmer by calling for a ceasefire in Gaza will not be punished, a shadow cabinet minister has suggested. 

Liz Kendall, the shadow work and pensions secretary, said Sir Keir wanted to “continue to listen and engage”. 

More than a dozen frontbenchers have backed calls for a ceasefire. The official Labour position is to call for “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting, but Sir Keir is not supporting a ceasefire. 

Asked what will happen to shadow ministers who do not follow the party line on the issue, Ms Kendall told Sky News: “We will continue to engage with all of our representatives on this issue.”

Asked if they would be disciplined, Ms Kendall said: “That has not been Keir’s approach. He wants to continue to listen…” 

Asked again if they would be disciplined, she said: “That has not been the approach.” 

And asked what the approach will be going forward, Ms Kendall said: “It will be the same. But Keir’s position is the right one…” 

09:36 AM GMT

Ai 'may pose risks on a scale like pandemics and nuclear war', says sunak.

Rishi Sunak said it is possible that artificial intelligence could pose a risk on the same scale as a pandemic or nuclear war. 

The Prime Minister was asked this morning if he agreed with Michelle Donelan who said a “loss of control” of the technology - characterised as a “Terminator scenario” - was her biggest concern (see the post below at 08.21). 

He said: “Well, the people developing this technology themselves have raised the risk that AI may pose and it is important to not be alarmist about this. There is debate about this topic. People in the industry themselves don’t agree and we can’t be certain. 

“But there is a case to believe that it may pose risks on a scale like pandemics and nuclear war and that is why as leaders we have a responsibility to act, to take the steps to protect people and that is exactly what we are doing.”

09:21 AM GMT

Rishi sunak: uk 'well-placed' to be at 'forefront' of ai change.

Rishi Sunak has now arrived at Bletchley Park for day two of the AI safety summit.

Mr Sunak told broadcasters: “AI has the potential to transform our lives in every aspect from healthcare to education and our economy. 

“Thanks to the actions we have taken this week, Britain is well-placed to be at the forefront of that change.”

09:17 AM GMT

Donelan defends ai summit attendance amid absence of world leaders.

Science Secretary Michelle Donelan insisted the UK’s “landmark” AI safety summit at Bletchley Park was significant despite the absence of world leaders.

She told LBC Radio that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “is actually attending today, virtually I believe”, while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US Vice President Kamala Harris are also attending.

“We even had yesterday representation from China, a minister from China,” Ms Donelan said.

“I was on the stage at one point with both America, the EU and China. That speaks volumes for the level of engagement.”

09:06 AM GMT

‘i think we need to change the conversation when it comes to jobs’.

The Science Secretary said the conversation needed to change on the risk AI could pose to people’s jobs. 

Michelle Donelan was asked during an interview on Times Radio this morning if an assessment had been done of how many jobs could be lost because of the technology. 

But she said: “I think we need to change the conversation when it comes to jobs, because actually what AI will do, and it’s already started to do this, is give us more time on the bits of the jobs that we were actually trained to do. 

“So if you think about the work of a doctor, I read somewhere that 10 minutes of a doctor’s time, face to face with a patient takes 20 minutes in paper work time. Same with teachers. If you speak to a teacher, they will tell you that they’re desperately wanting to reduce their paperwork and admin to spend more time in the classroom.

“So it has the potential to be, as the Prime Minister described it, a co-pilot. It will also create new jobs.”

08:47 AM GMT

Ai regulation a ‘partnership’ and not a ‘race’.

The development and regulation of AI is a “partnership” and not a “race”, Michelle Donelan said this morning. 

The US announced its own domestic plans for AI just before the start of the UK’s AI safety summit at Bletchley Park, raising some eyebrows in Westminster and claims of Rishi Sunak potentially being upstaged. 

But Ms Donelan, the Science Secretary, said this morning that the US action “complements ours” as she rubbished any suggestion of a split or row. 

She told Times Radio: “We’re working with America...  their work complements ours. It’s about transparency, it’s about holding the companies to account. 

“And that’s exactly what we want to do. This is a partnership. This is not a race. This is about global action so that we can grip these risks to seize these opportunities.”

08:26 AM GMT

Ai brings ‘phenomenal opportunities’ but also ‘really big risks’.

Michelle Donelan said the potential risks and benefits of artificial intelligence are “two sides of the same coin”. 

The Science Secretary argued that the “opportunities are phenomenal” with the technology but with that “does come really big risks”. 

She told Times Radio: “The whole reason why you need to grip the risk is to seize those opportunities. And the opportunities are phenomenal. 

“We’re already seeing the work that AI can do within our NHS tracking breast cancer earlier, diagnosing heart disease earlier, and this is just scratching the surface. AI does have the potential to enable us to live longer, easier, healthier lives, and not just here domestically, but enable us to tackle some of the world’s biggest problems, like climate change or helping developing nations with food inequality. 

“But with that does come really big risks.”

08:21 AM GMT

Science secretary: terminator-style 'loss of control' gravest risk of ai.

A Terminator-style “loss of control” over artificial intelligence is the most concerning risk posed by the technology, Michelle Donelan suggested this morning. 

The Science Secretary said losing control of AI was the risk she was “most concerned about because it is the one that would result in the gravest ramifications”. 

Asked which AI risk she was most worried about, Ms Donelan told Times Radio: “It might help if I explain the three categories that we have identified. So one of them is societal harms. That includes things like misinformation, disinformation, potential threat to democracy and things like deep fakes. 

“The other one is round misuse by bad actors. Then the third one is around loss of control, so for example you have misalignment issues with the AI or the AI self-percolate. 

“That is a risk that is much more hypothetical in nature and that naturally is the one that I am most concerned about because it is the one that would result in the gravest ramifications.”

The idea of losing control was characterised by the interviewer as a “Terminator scenario” where the “machines take over” and Ms Donelan said: “That is one potential area where it could lead but there are several stages before that.”

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