Today’s news summary – Paper Talk: AI Will End Work & Terrifying Hancock Revelation
Friday’s front pages report on a mix of topics. Many of the papers pick up on the meeting between Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and tech boss Elon Musk. Many of the papers report on the Covid inquiry, and there are reviews of the last-ever Beatles track released yesterday.
AI warnings
The Times and the Daily Telegraph both lead on Elon Musk’s claims that artificial intelligence (AI) will eradicate the need for all jobs in the future.
The Times says Musk made the remarks during an interview with UK PM Rishi Sunak after the prime minister struck a deal for governments and spy agencies to vet new AI models before they are allowed to be used.
The Guardian says Sunak was “forced to defend” the voluntary nature of the agreement with tech giants, including Google and Meta. The government has declined to legislate to rein in AI development.
Covid inquiry
The Daily Mirror leads with an image of Matt Hancock after the Covid Inquiry heard a claim that he believed he should decide who lived or died, should the NHS become overwhelmed by the pandemic. The paper calls him “The Grin Reaper.”
The Mirror’s editorial argues the “terrifying revelation” is “another nail in the reputation” of the former health secretary Matt Hancock.
The Daily Star reports that at a time when everyone in charge was either an absolute wally or a charlatan, Hancock was “vying for the title of absolute worst.”
‘London less safe’
The Telegraph speaks to Israel’s ambassador to the UK who said London feels less safe for Jews than Israel. He said the “jihad ideology” witnessed on the streets of London is causing fear amongst the Jewish community.
The Sun has published photos of Jewish actress Maureen Lipman, being shadowed by a security guard whilst she is filming on location. The Coronation Street actress has security due to fears of anti-Semitic attacks. The paper’s editorial says the pictures “shame Britain” and police must protect Jews at all costs.
Last-ever Beatles song released
Several papers review what’s been called the last-ever Beatles song, after yesterday’s release of Now And Then.
The Guardian gives the track four stars, describing it as a “moody, reflective piano ballad” that’s an effective “act of closure”. The song gets the same score from The Telegraph, which says it’s a “loving but dreary attempt to recapture the magic”.
The Times isn’t so keen, describing it as “not such a fab reunion” and giving it three stars, but the Sun is convinced. Awarding the track four-and-a-half stars, it says that “for those of us to whom the Beatles mean so much, to hear the other three bring John Lennon’s 1978 demo to life makes for a moving four minutes and eight seconds”.