Guardian Science Weekly

Does Trump want to wage an AI-powered war?

Loading player...
In the past three months, Donald Trump’s White House has reportedly used AI twice to effect regime change – once in its capture of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and more recently to help plan the strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The most recent strikes coincided with the end of the Pentagon’s relationship with the AI company Anthropic over concerns its AI tool Claude was being used for purposes the company had explicitly prohibited. The government swiftly signed a new contract with Open AI. To find out what this means for the use of AI in forthcoming conflicts, Madeleine Finlay speaks to technology journalist Chris Stokel-Walker. He explains why he thinks this moment represents a dangerous turning point.. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod
3 Mar English United Kingdom Science · Nature

Other recent episodes

Hantavirus update, Pentagon’s UFO files, can art slow biological ageing?

Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eyecatching stories from the week, including an update on hantavirus. Also on the agenda is the Pentagon’s release of a tranche of never before seen documents relating to UFOs, and a study looking at the link…
14 May 21 min

Trump is backing psychedelic research: here’s why

Last month President Trump signed an executive order designed to fast track both research and access to psychedelic drugs as treatments for mental health illnesses. The most prominent in the order was ibogaine, a drug derived from the root bark of a West African shrub, that has shown some promise…
12 May 17 min

100 years on Earth: celebrating David Attenborough’s birthday

To celebrate Sir David Attenborough’s centenary, Madeleine Finlay catches up with natural history writer Patrick Barkham, who has met the celebrated presenter. They explore how the natural world has changed in the century that Attenborough has been on Earth, and how his programming has reflected his growing commitment to highlighting…
7 May 20 min

Hantavirus explained: how does it spread and who is most at risk?

Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus onboard a cruise ship travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. The World Health Organization says that a total of seven cases – two confirmed by laboratory testing and five suspected – have been identified on the cruise ship so far. They…
5 May 13 min

‘Historic breakthrough’: could the fossil fuel era be coming to an end?

The transition towards renewable energy received a boost last week when representatives from 57 countries met in Santa Marta, Colombia, for a world-first climate meeting aimed at bringing the fossil fuels era to an end. Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jon Watts, about how the landmark…
5 May 14 min
All episodes