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Geopolitics

Trump Has Last Laugh, World Left Crying

No one is counting on the United States anymore
No one is counting on the United States anymore
Stuart Richardson

Yesterday, as he announced the United States' withdrawal from the historic Paris climate agreement, President Donald Trump appeared particularly eager to deride the perceived exploitation of America in past international negotiations.

"We don't want other leaders and other countries laughing at us anymore, and they won't be."


No, Mr. President, no one is laughing today. Following Trump's stunning announcement to abandon the climate change accords, world leaders were virtually unanimous in criticizing the decision. Most spoke in the customary, measured tones of diplomacy. British Prime Minister Theresa May was "disappointed," while German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the reversal "extremely regrettable." But newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron took another tack, concluding his remarks on the withdrawal with a call (in English) to "make our planet great again," a not-so-subtle parody of Donald Trump's campaign slogan.


Of course, American presidents are accustomed to mockery and cheeky contempt. Former Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, made headlines in 2006 when he called then-President George W. Bush "the Devil" during a UN speech. President Obama, too, attracted considerable, low-brow ridicule while in office, particularly from Russia. Yet America expects this sort of behavior from her enemies, not her friends.


The United States' allies have recently become bolder in their rejection of the current administration. In addition to Macron, Nordic leaders apparently trolled Trump during a photo opportunity earlier this week. This flippant form of diplomacy suggests that even as the world distances itself from Trump's America, it is somehow also behaving more like it.


But more importantly, the substance of these condemnations may signal a momentous shift in international politics. On Sunday, Angela Merkel called on Europe to "take our fate into our own hands' in one of the most pointed rebukes of the current U.S. administration. The Chancellor's words suggest a momentous turn for Europe and a new calculus for diplomats around the world. Simply put, no one is counting on the United States anymore. Italy, Germany, and France have already stated that they would not renegotiate the Paris Agreement per Donald Trump's request. The newfound determination may be encouraging, but a climate pact without Washington is no joke.

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Future

AI As God? How Artificial Intelligence Could Spark Religious Devotion

We may be about to see the emergence of a new kind of religion, where flocks worship — literally — at the altar of Artificial Intelligence.

Image of artificial intelligence as an artificial being

Artificial intelligence generated picture of AI as a god

Neil McArthur

The latest generation of AI-powered chatbots, trained on large language models, have left their early users awestruck —and sometimes terrified — by their power. These are the same sublime emotions that lie at the heart of our experience of the divine.

People already seek religious meaning from very diverse sources. There are, for instance, multiple religions that worship extra-terrestrials or their teachings.

As these chatbots come to be used by billions of people, it is inevitable that some of these users will see the AIs as higher beings. We must prepare for the implications.

There are several pathways by which AI religions will emerge. First, some people will come to see AI as a higher power.

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