Latest news with #DanielSusskind
Daily Mirror
27-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Major UK travel announcement could see end of £18billion problem
The governmental body has announced that mobile signal blackspots are set to be a thing of the past on many of Britain's key train routes. This comes after Network Rail, owned by the Government, signed a deal with telecoms firms Neos Networks and Freshwave A major Department for Transport (DfT) announcement could soon see the end of an £18billion problem facing the UK's railways. The governmental body has announced that mobile signal blackspots are set to be a thing of the past on many of Britain's key train routes. This comes after Network Rail, owned by the Government, signed a deal with telecoms firms Neos Networks and Freshwave. Travellers frequently experience dropped calls and poor internet connectivity while on trains. Dubbed Project Reach, the new agreement will see Neos Networks lay down 1,000km (621 miles) of high-speed fibre optic cable along sections of the East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Great Western Main Line, and Chiltern Main Line as an initial step. The DfT has expressed hopes to extend the cabling to over 5,000km (3,107 miles) in the "near future". Freshwave is set to address signal issues in 57 tunnels spanning almost 50km (31 miles), including tackling the notorious Chipping Sodbury tunnel near Bristol. Additionally, mobile network operators are poised to pour investment into new 4G and 5G infrastructure at 12 major railway stations: Birmingham New Street, Bristol Temple Meads, Edinburgh Waverley, Euston, Glasgow Central, King's Cross, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Liverpool Street, Manchester Piccadilly, Paddington, and Waterloo. The DfT has hailed the agreement as a fusion of public and private sector investment and infrastructure, which is anticipated to save taxpayers "around £300 million". The financial incentive to out connection issues on the UK's rail network is clear. Economics Professor Daniel Susskind, from Kings College London, estimates that the total economic value tied up in time spent on board trains in the UK is around £18 billion a year. If all trains in the country had fast, reliable internet, then either commuting white collar workers could put in extra hours rather than reading a book or looking out of the window, or time spent in the office could be made shorter by starting the workday from the carriage of a train. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has hailed a major development as "a game-changer for passengers up and down the country," promising to transform trips from Paddington to Penzance and Edinburgh to Euston. "By boosting connectivity and tackling signal blackspots, we are also ensuring a more reliable and efficient service," she said. READ MORE: 'I tried the UK's new high-tech £200million trains with underfloor heating' Alexander highlighted that these improvements align with wider objectives, stating, "This means better journeys for passengers while supporting our broader plan for change goals of economic growth and digital innovation." Jacqueline Starr, the Rail Delivery Group's executive chair and CEO, expressed her enthusiasm for the project: "We know how much customers value good mobile connections when they travel and we're delighted that a digitally connected railway will soon become a reality. "We know how much customers value good mobile connections when they travel and we're delighted that a digitally connected railway will soon become a reality." Starr also pointed out the economic and environmental advantages of rail travel: "Travelling by rail drives economic growth by connecting businesses and communities, improving productivity, and supporting the transition to net zero. "Travelling by rail drives economic growth by connecting businesses and communities, improving productivity, and supporting the transition to net zero." She further added that the telecoms upgrade across the network will enable everyone to stay in touch during their travels: "This vital upgrade to telecoms across the network will give everyone the opportunity to stay connected, wherever they're headed. "This vital upgrade to telecoms across the network will give everyone the opportunity to stay connected, wherever they're headed." The rollout of Project Reach's infrastructure is set to kick off next year, with completion targeted for 2028.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Forget smartphones and wokery. There's an even greater threat to our children's education
Given that today's children appear to spend much of their time in school being taught that the Vikings were champions of diversity and that human beings should be encouraged to choose between one or more of 72 different genders, you may fear that educational standards in this country are slipping somewhat. But perhaps we should be grateful. Because, believe it or not, things could actually be worse. Say, for example, we were to follow a radical proposal made the other day by Daniel Susskind. Dr Susskind is an eminent economist, as well as the author of a book entitled A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond. And, speaking at the Hay festival, he argued that the traditional school timetable should be ripped up, so that children can instead focus on learning to use artificial intelligence. 'We should be spending a third of the time that we have with students teaching them how to use these technologies,' he declared. 'How to write effective prompts and use these systems, get them to do what we want them to do…' I appreciate that Dr Susskind is an exceptionally learned and intelligent man. None the less, I for one think his proposal sounds horrifying. We often talk about the need to ban smartphones in schools. Which is fair enough. But my priority would be to ban AI. The fundamental purpose of education, after all, is to teach children how to think. AI, however, does the opposite. It teaches them that they don't need to think. Because it will do their thinking for them. For proof, look at what's already happening in universities. In April, The Chronicle of Higher Education – an American journal – reported that ever-growing numbers of students were essentially outsourcing their studies to AI. When a professor at New York University tried to prevent his students from using AI to complete their assignments, he was met with consternation. Some students protested that he was interfering with their 'learning styles'. Another complained: '[If] you're asking me to go from point A to point B, why wouldn't I use a car to get there?' Meanwhile, one student asked for an extension to a deadline, 'on the grounds that ChatGPT was down the day the assignment was due'. Still, I suppose we'd better get used to this sort of thing. It seems that a new educational era is upon us. One in which teachers get AI to set homework, pupils get AI to complete it, and then teachers get AI to mark it. Soon enough, there will be no need for human involvement at any stage of the process. So, as schools will effectively be superfluous, the Government might as well just shut them all down. In fact, I urge it to do so as quickly as possible. Such a move would immediately free up tens of billions of pounds a year. And since, in due course, AI will be taking all the jobs that today's children could have grown up to do, we'll need the money to pay their benefits. Heartfelt thanks to Ash Regan, the Scottish nationalist and one-time candidate to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister. Because on Sunday, she provided us with the one of the most memorable political quotes of the year. Even if not necessarily on purpose. Ms Regan was being interviewed by The Herald newspaper about her plans to clamp down on prostitution in Scotland, by criminalising the buying of sex. Wasn't there a risk, asked The Herald's reporter, that these plans might inadvertently drive prostitution underground? Ms Regan scoffed. Plainly she'd never heard anything so absurd. 'If you even think for one second, you cannot possibly drive prostitution underground,' she snorted. 'If you had a lot of women in underground cellars with a locked door, how would the punters get to them?' Having digested these extraordinary words, we can, I believe, draw only one conclusion. Ms Regan is 51 years old. And yet, during over a half a century on this planet, she has never heard – or at least, never understood – the phrase 'driven underground'. And so she'd taken it literally. After the interview, we must hope, a kindly aide will have taken her to one side, and gently explained that the expression is purely figurative. Otherwise, I fear that, despite Ms Regan's initial scoffing, she'll begin to worry that the reporter had a point – and that Scottish pimps really will take to opening brothels deep beneath the Earth's surface. If so, we must wait to see what revisions Ms Regan might make to her plans. Perhaps she will recommend that the Scottish NHS supply all prostitutes with free vitamin D tablets, to make up for the lack of sunlight they'll be getting. 'Way of the World' is a twice-weekly satirical look at the headlines while aiming to mock the absurdities of the modern world. It is published at 6am every Tuesday and Saturday Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Forget smartphones and wokery. There's an even greater threat to our children's education
Given that today's children appear to spend much of their time in school being taught that the Vikings were champions of diversity and that human beings should be encouraged to choose between one or more of 72 different genders, you may fear that educational standards in this country are slipping somewhat. But perhaps we should be grateful. Because, believe it or not, things could actually be worse. Say, for example, we were to follow a radical proposal made the other day by Daniel Susskind. Dr Susskind is an eminent economist, as well as the author of a book entitled A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond. And, speaking at the Hay festival, he argued that the traditional school timetable should be ripped up, so that children can instead focus on learning to use artificial intelligence. 'We should be spending a third of the time that we have with students teaching them how to use these technologies,' he declared. 'How to write effective prompts and use these systems, get them to do what we want them to do…' I appreciate that Dr Susskind is an exceptionally learned and intelligent man. None the less, I for one think his proposal sounds horrifying. We often talk about the need to ban smartphones in schools. Which is fair enough. But my priority would be to ban AI. The fundamental purpose of education, after all, is to teach children how to think. AI, however, does the opposite. It teaches them that they don't need to think. Because it will do their thinking for them. For proof, look at what's already happening in universities. In April, The Chronicle of Higher Education – an American journal – reported that ever-growing numbers of students were essentially outsourcing their studies to AI. When a professor at New York University tried to prevent his students from using AI to complete their assignments, he was met with consternation. Some students protested that he was interfering with their 'learning styles'. Another complained: '[If] you're asking me to go from point A to point B, why wouldn't I use a car to get there?' Meanwhile, one student asked for an extension to a deadline, 'on the grounds that ChatGPT was down the day the assignment was due'. Still, I suppose we'd better get used to this sort of thing. It seems that a new educational era is upon us. One in which teachers get AI to set homework, pupils get AI to complete it, and then teachers get AI to mark it. Soon enough, there will be no need for human involvement at any stage of the process. So, as schools will effectively be superfluous, the Government might as well just shut them all down. In fact, I urge it to do so as quickly as possible. Such a move would immediately free up tens of billions of pounds a year. And since, in due course, AI will be taking all the jobs that today's children could have grown up to do, we'll need the money to pay their benefits. Going underground Heartfelt thanks to Ash Regan, the Scottish nationalist and one-time candidate to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister. Because on Sunday, she provided us with the one of the most memorable political quotes of the year. Even if not necessarily on purpose. Ms Regan was being interviewed by The Herald newspaper about her plans to clamp down on prostitution in Scotland, by criminalising the buying of sex. Wasn't there a risk, asked The Herald 's reporter, that these plans might inadvertently drive prostitution underground? Ms Regan scoffed. Plainly she'd never heard anything so absurd. 'If you even think for one second, you cannot possibly drive prostitution underground,' she snorted. 'If you had a lot of women in underground cellars with a locked door, how would the punters get to them?' Having digested these extraordinary words, we can, I believe, draw only one conclusion. Ms Regan is 51 years old. And yet, during over a half a century on this planet, she has never heard – or at least, never understood – the phrase 'driven underground'. And so she'd taken it literally. After the interview, we must hope, a kindly aide will have taken her to one side, and gently explained that the expression is purely figurative. Otherwise, I fear that, despite Ms Regan's initial scoffing, she'll begin to worry that the reporter had a point – and that Scottish pimps really will take to opening brothels deep beneath the Earth's surface. If so, we must wait to see what revisions Ms Regan might make to her plans. Perhaps she will recommend that the Scottish NHS supply all prostitutes with free vitamin D tablets, to make up for the lack of sunlight they'll be getting. ' Way of the World ' is a twice-weekly satirical look at the headlines while aiming to mock the absurdities of the modern world. It is published at 6am every Tuesday and Saturday
Telegraph
29-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Schools ‘should spend a third of the day teaching ChatGPT', says academic
Schools should spend a third of the day teaching children how to use AI tools such as ChatGPT, according to an Oxford academic. Dr Daniel Susskind, an economist and senior research associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at the University of Oxford, said pupils are being taught antiquated methods and need to adjust to the changing technological landscape or risk being cast adrift in the 21st-century job market. 'In the 20th century, the best ideas we had about the world came from the heads of smart human beings. In the 21st century, I think the best ideas we have about the world – innovation and technological progress – are going to come from these technologies,' said Susskind. Use technology effectively Speaking at the Hay Festival, he said: 'If you walk into a lecture theatre or classroom today, and then you step into a time machine and go to a lecture theatre or classroom 100 years ago, it is going to look remarkably similar. Fundamentally, the way we educate hasn't changed and that can't be right. 'What I think is required at the moment in schools and universities: we should be spending about a third of the time we have with students teaching them how to use these technologies effectively. 'How to write effective prompts and get these systems to do what we want them to do, to understand the history of these technologies and how they work, to understand their limitations, to anticipate what they might get wrong and what they might hallucinate, and the ethical issues around using them.' 'Uncertainty is flexibility' He added that this sort of education should also be available to adults. 'There is a very strong cultural presumption that education is what you do at the start of your life and essentially, once it's done, you don't need to worry about it much again. You move through life drawing down on the human capital you built up when you were young,' Susskind said. 'And that is a big mistake because there's a huge amount of uncertainty about the future, what jobs are going to have to be done, and exactly what skills are going to be most valued. 'The best response we have to that uncertainty is flexibility, a willingness to retrain and reskill later in life.' Dr Susskind is a research professor at King's College London whose most recent book, Growth: A Reckoning, was chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favourite reads of 2024. Susskind was asked at the festival about the ethical implications of AI replacing human creativity. He replied: 'A decade ago it was very common to hear that creativity was a unique human thing. And I think that turns out not to be quite right.'
Metro
27-05-2025
- Health
- Metro
People aren't ready to let robots and AI decide on euthanisia, study finds
You'd probably let AI compose an email for you. Going over a medical scan to check for signs of cancer? Most likely, yes as well. But deciding when life support should be switched off for a patient in a coma? A new study has shown there's one clear line where we don't yet want a robot to take control, and that is deciding on the time of death. This may not be entirely surprising, given most would hope for humanity at the end of life. And so far, there are no healthcare providers which do allow AI to decide on when to switch off life support. But as both artificial intelligence and assisted dying are set to become more and more of a part of global healthcare systems, it's a question that is set to become more relevant – so researchers have looked at our attitudes towards such a prospect. An international study led by the University of Turku reveals that people are significantly less likely to accept euthanasia decisions made by artificial intelligence (AI) or robots compared to those made by human doctors. Participants in Finland, Czechia, and the UK were told about scenarios where patients were in end-of-life care, often in a coma. Even when decisions about ending life support were exactly the same, they were accepted less if made by AI than by humans. In other words, how we feel about a decision is not only about whether it was the right or wrong call, but who made it and how. Researchers called this phenomenon the 'Human-Robot Moral Judgment Asymmetry Effect', saying we hold robots to a higher moral standard. However, if the decision was to keep life-support switched on, or if patients could request assisted death themselves, there was no judgement asymmetry between the decisions made by humans and AI. The findings echo similar conclusions by AI experts, who say humans are not yet at a point to accept giving AI responsibility for serious decisions about our lives. A survey of the future of AI in the workplace by Microsoft found that in decisions which require accountability, we still want humans to be the ones making the call. Speaking after the report's release, Alexia Cambon, senior research director at the company, told Metro that there was a 'primal question' over how we should manage this new type of intelligence. She cited a recent paper by AI thinker Daniel Susskind, looking at what work will remain for humans to do once AI has thoroughly integrated into the workplace. 'One of them is the moral imperatives of society,' she said. 'As a society, I can't see a shortterm future anyway in which we will be happy for agents to manage humans. 'An agent can't make me feel seen, an agent can't can't make me feel connected to another human.' Mr Susskind said his view would be that ultimately, the paid work left for humans would be 'none at all', but that there are currently 'moral limits,' where human beings believe they require a 'human in the loop'. More Trending Michael Laakasuo, the lead investigator in the assisted dying study, said: 'Our research highlights the complex nature of moral judgements when considering AI decision-making in medical care. 'People perceive AI's involvement in decision-making very differently compared to when a human is in charge. 'The implications of this research are significant as the role of AI in our society and medical care expands every day. 'It is important to understand the experiences and reactions of ordinary people so that future systems can be perceived as morally acceptable.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Aldi salmon recalled in the US over fears of 'life-threatening' risk MORE: Travel warnings to Brits visiting Turkey over 'organ harvesting' after Beth Martin's 'heart removed' MORE: 'When I die, who will look after my special needs son?'
