Press Review – Monday, September 14
The New York Times has reported that Iranian hard-liners successfully obstructed a US peace deal by launching a covert campaign that included attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. This incident occurred in early July, when Iranian forces fired on three commercial vessels. Notably, Iran’s president and senior military officials were reportedly unaware of these attacks. The piece attributes the hard-liners’ success to the absence of Iran’s new supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who has not been actively involved since taking office in March following his father’s death from US-Israeli strikes. Some officials even suggested that the president has doubted the authenticity of Khamenei’s statements.
Three anonymous Iranian officials named cleric Hossein Taeb, an influential spymaster, as the orchestrator of the strikes. Taeb has opposed a peace deal with the US since its inception, claiming he is not against negotiations but is opposed to what he describes as the unacceptable demands of the “enemy.” He also played a significant role in Khamenei’s selection after his father’s death.
In a different context, US President Donald Trump dismissed calls for a slowdown in artificial intelligence (AI), labelling the concerns as “exaggerated” and stemming from “negative forces” spreading false information. This contrasts with views expressed by tech leaders who warn of potential risks associated with AI.
Articles from Wired Magazine and The Atlantic illustrate a starkly different perspective. Mathematician Steven Strogatz expressed his fears regarding AI breakthroughs in his field, stating this evolution is intimidating. Meanwhile, The Atlantic’s piece warns of the dangers posed by AI personal assistants managing financial transactions, highlighting the unpredictable outcomes that can arise.
Finally, an opinion article in The Wall Street Journal argues that children are indeed becoming less intelligent. The author attributes this decline to COVID-19 and the rise of AI, suggesting that students are struggling with critical thinking and information evaluation skills. A study from the Programme for International Student Assessment indicates that students are less equipped to discern valuable information amid a deluge of content.
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