Inside Alberta’s separatist movement; Nobel laureate warns time is short to adapt to AI; and more

It’s Wednesday, October 14. Here are the top stories we’re following today.

The 100 or so like-minded separatists gathered in a small conference space to discuss the future of Alberta are a collection of various anti-establishment or libertarian-leaning pundits, politicians and activists. Advocates for free speech on campuses network with American gun rights lobbyists. Anti-vaccine activists share tables with small-government libertarians and “anarcho capitalists.” While each has his or her own specific issues of interest, their fundamental values are mostly in agreement. They are united under one common belief: that the Canada of today has fallen into a state of serious disrepair.

“Now we’re creating alien beings — meaning we’re not the only intelligent beings around,” Geoffrey Hinton, often revered as the “Godfather of AI,” said in an interview with The Guardian. “And the reality is, we only have a couple of years to adapt to that.” People who believe AI will be incapable of “consciousness” or “subjective experience” are wrong, Hinton says. “It’s obvious that these AI models understand what they’re saying. You couldn’t possibly answer all the questions without understanding the question. It’s ridiculous to say they don’t understand,” he tells The Guardian.

With Canada-U.S. trade talks having collapsed in August and the White House showing no urgency to return to the negotiating table, what is Canada’s best move now? Since Canada has an economy one-twelfth the size of America’s, it has more to lose and less leverage, making this a risky waiting game. But whether the U.S. comes back to the table soon or not, could depend on the results of the U.S. midterm elections. “If Trump cools it after the election … then there’s less incentive for anybody to care. But if he ratchets it up again, everybody’s … (going to) come to the table and try to think through how to end the trade war,” says one trade watcher.

This past weekend, B.C. Conservative leader Lorne Doerkson denounced the latest release of an individual he called “Nanaimo’s most prolific offender,” calling it emblematic of a system where “repeat violent offenders (are) released again and again, only to create more victims.” A 2022 report from the BC Urban Mayors Caucus found that just 204 offenders were responsible for 11,600 police interactions over the course of a single year. In its response to the report, the B.C. government recommended against using the term “prolific offenders,” as it “not only perpetuates harm and stigma but also fails to address that these individuals lack security and safety.”

“A journey that began 62 years ago,” the Fort Macleod, Alberta-born Mitchell captioned a social media post on Tuesday, that showed her standing in front of a U.S. flag following her naturalization ceremony. Just before the 2024 U.S. presidential election, the singer-songwriter reportedly told an audience, “This is an important one. I wish I could vote — I’m Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”