Former US energy secretary Ernest Moniz has spoken to The National about his fears for the impact of artificial intelligence in the use of nuclear weapons and the danger that a leader could be misled into ordering a strike.
Technologies are advancing so rapidly as to make assurances that a human would always be in the loop obsolete. Many countries have arrangements to ensure that humans do remain in control.
"There are many disruptive technologies emerging at very, very rapid clock speed. AI, clearly, is the poster child for this," Mr Moniz said.
"Given the very short decision time that a leader of any of these countries would have – and we've had cases where mistaken data has been transmitted to the leader – the reality is, who's going to produce the briefing package for that president in one millisecond? It's going to be AI and we don't understand how AI even reaches its conclusions."
The scientist, who served as US secretary of energy from 2013 to 2017, is now a campaigner for the Nuclear Threat Initiative and is in Germany for this year's Munich Security Conference.
Munich Security Conference - in pictures
The campaign presented a report to the conference, Three Essential Steps for Reversing the Slide to Nuclear War, which included the recommendation that nuclear armed states conduct “fail-safe” reviews to strengthen safeguards against cyber and other interference in their systems.
"We have to discuss a lot of new approaches. We will have to discuss them unilaterally, bilaterally and possibly multilaterally, going forward."
Mr Moniz also forsees much more nuclear energy in the advanced economies both due to the needs of addressing carbon challenges to climate change and the soaring demand from the big data economic revolution.
The option of more nuclear including small modular reactors is a vital choice.
"To succeed in reaching the scale we need for climate reasons, meeting electricification needs, reinforcing grid reliability and resiliency," he said. "When you choose the nuclear technology, when you choose the supporting services, we say put the security considerations first.
"Starting with a clean slate like modular reactors gives everyone the opportunity to design a safety system properly."
In advancing the safe use of nuclear technology, Mr Moniz reserves particular praise for the UAE's introduction of reactors to its energy grid and the priority given to safeguards around the four units of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant.
"I'm just going to give a shout out to the UAE, which I think deserves enormous credit for how they built the four operating nuclear reactors," he said.
"They addressed those security concerns right at the beginning. Adopting those security approaches up front helped them to build the reactors efficiently because it allowed international collaboration to be offered without reservation."
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
Sceptre
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The specs: 2019 Audi A8
Price From Dh390,000
Engine 3.0L V6 turbo
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 345hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy, combined 7.5L / 100km
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi
6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi
8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar