Slowing down AI and woolly glaciers

The Week Junior Show

The episode covers a variety of news stories ranging from AI regulation to environmental conservation in Switzerland. The hosts discuss the

Key takeaways

• Dario Amadei, head of Anthropic, advocates for slower AI development to reduce risks.
• Sam Altman of OpenAI supports implementing changes to slow down AI progress.

Main topics

• AI regulation and safety
• Glacial preservation techniques

Notable quotes

I don't like it when it's sort of soft and woolly.

Conclusion

A highly engaging episode that blends serious global news with playful

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Sorry to butt in here, but I make a podcast called Judge Bex, and I've got a feeling it's exactly what you need. That argument that's been rumbling on for weeks? The one where everyone's sure they're right and nobody will back down? That's not an argument anymore. That's a court case. And every case needs a judge, which is handy, because I've got a law degree, a gavel, and absolutely no patience for nonsense. Take a listen. Here's what happened in the latest episode. Speaker 2 (0:26) This is Judge Bex. The cases and people are all real. Judge Bex's judgments are final. Speaker 4 (0:51) and insist that Zosia's debarred from physical violence against her uncle going forward. But I wouldn't foresee that if she was willing to give ground on the nickname. Speaker 6 (1:01) Yeah, I think she's taken advantage of the fact she's had exams. I mean, she's had exams for the past four years, but she's been using that as an excuse Speaker 1 (1:10) now. Speaker 2 (1:10) Get ready to enter the court of Judge Bex. Speaker 1 (1:14) If you like that, there's more available right Speaker 8 (1:17) now wherever you're listening to this. Just search Judge Bex. Speaker 8 (1:25) and welcome to the Week Junior show. I'm Bex and today I'm joined by Week Junior writer Eve and science and nature editor Dan. This week the team will be talking about artificial intelligence, woolly glaciers in Switzerland and some fun facts about the brand new Shaun the Sheep film. We'll also be having a big debate about whether dogs should be banned from beaches. Speaker 1 (1:46) Make sure you're listening closely because at the end of this episode we'll be asking you a question about what you've heard and if you answer it correctly you could win a prize. But more on that later. There's a story in this week's magazine about a new apple that was identified in Luton in England. Now, the owners of the orchards are trying to think of a name for the apple variety. And of course, that got me thinking, if you could think of a fun name for an apple variety, what would you name it? Eve, any ideas? Speaker 5 (2:12) Well, I'm thinking my favourite apples are red apples. And I particularly like it when an apple is really crunchy. I don't like it when it's sort of soft and woolly. So based on that, I would name it Crimson Crunch. So that would be like, in my head, that is the reddest, crunchiest apple to ever exist. Speaker 8 (2:29) Oh, I mean, I love the idea of a Crimson Crunch. I can almost taste it right now. Are we putting it in an apple pie, apple crumble? Are we eating it as is? Speaker 5 (2:37) Eating it as is because I think that apple, in my opinion, apple pie and crumble is for the rubbish apples. Crimson Crunch, I'm eating it as is. Okay, you're going straight in there. Okay. Dan, can you Speaker 1 (2:49) top that? What would you call your apple variety? Speaker 7 (2:52) I don't think I can top that, Eve. I quite fancy a crimson crunch, I've got to say. But I went on a similar vibe. I was like, what are the things that I like most about apples? Well, I've gone for a juicy scrumper because it's got to be juicy. I want to bite into it and have a really good smack of flavor. And then scrumping is a word for stealing apples off somebody else's tree, which is probably one of the joys in life. So, yeah, I'm going to go for the Juicy Scrumper. Speaker 8 (3:25) I'm guessing we're going to get some good apple juice from that as well. Speaker 7 (3:28) Yeah, indeed. Oh, Speaker 8 (3:30) OK. A Juicy Scrumper, Crimson Crunch. Well, I've gone down a different road here because I was thinking of Granny Smith. That was the first apple variety that came into my head. So I think I'd call, if I got an apple and I held Speaker 1 (3:40) it in my hand, first of all, it would be green, bright green. And I'd call it a Great Aunt Marjorie. That's what I would call it. The Great Aunt Marjorie apple, in my opinion. I like to think it would make a very good tart-tata. That's how I'm putting it out there. Speaker 1 (3:55) So we've got the Crimson Crunch, the Juicy Scrumper and the Great Aunt Marjorie. So if you want to tell us your idea for a fun apple variety name, and it is a fun thing to think of, get the family around together now. I bet everybody's got an opinion on this. Send an email to hello at theweekjunior.co.uk or leave a voice note at funkidslive.com slash theweekjunior. Just grab a grown up, look for the big red button and record your voice. Then if your voice note is played out next week, you could win a Week Junior roving reporter badge. Now, last week, we asked listeners to tell us some ways they've recycled Speaker 8 (4:27) objects around the house to make something new. And Ivy sent us a message. Speaker 6 (4:32) week junior one of the ways to re-recycle is to buy second-hand clothes we also pass on the clothes that no longer fit us and give them to friends and family and people we know and sometimes charity shops that way people who need clothes they can just get them for charity shops for less money bye week junior i love your show Speaker 8 (4:58) Ivy, thank you so much. I cannot believe we didn't mention that last week. Recycling clothes, reusing them, passing them on, giving them to charity shoppers. That's such a good idea, Ivy. Thank you so much for that. We also had another voice note. Speaker 6 (5:08) Hi, I'm Akash and I'm here to tell you about the time I used toilet roll and a shoe box. to make a marble run in the shape of a diplodocus. It was really fun to make and use. Bye. Speaker 1 (5:30) Love your show. Every bit of that voice note got better and better as it went along. Toilet roll. Okay. Yeah, sure. To make a marble run. All right. In the shape of a Diplodocus. Yes, please. That was incredible. I love that. All right. Well, thank you so much to Ivy and Kash for getting in touch there. And if you Speaker 8 (5:47) want your voice to feature on next week's podcast, send us a voice note right now at funkidslive.com slash theweekjunior and tell us your fun Apple name idea. Let's turn our attention to the latest magazine and talk about what's been in the news headlines this week. Eve, what have you seen? Speaker 5 (6:06) So this is from our big news page, and it's about how the boss of an artificial intelligence company has said that the development of powerful AI technology should slow down over the next few years. So AI is a technology that learns from experience and is able to think for itself. And some people are worried that it's becoming too smart. And in an online article, Dario Amadei, who's the head of an AI company called Anthropic. said that AI should be checked regularly and more closely. And he said that slowing progress down would reduce the risk that something goes seriously wrong. And this was just after a researcher left his company, Anthropic, because he was worried that AI could soon act without the help of humans. But other important people have agreed with Dario Amadei. So Sam Altman, who's the boss of a company called OpenAI. said that the suggestions were a great idea and that he would make changes to how his company is run to slow down the development of AI. And also in the story, I read that on the 11th of September, more than 70 politicians in the UK asked the prime minister to bring in new rules about AI. And they asked him to appoint official experts to monitor the development of AI technology in the UK. So this seems to be something that a lot more people are thinking about all around the world. Speaker 8 (7:22) It's kind of reassuring that people are kind of thinking about it a bit more, Eve. Yes, thank you very much for that. Now, Dan, what's another story you've seen in the news this week? Speaker 7 (7:30) One that caught my eye was from the Around the World section. It is in Switzerland, which has some very high mountains. And the country is home to no less than 1,800 glaciers. So the problem that they're having in Switzerland is that many glaciers are melting due to higher temperatures. and scientists think that the country has lost a quarter of its