back to article Ireland's AI minister has never used ChatGPT but swears she'll learn fast

The Republic of Ireland's new AI minister should probably consult ChatGPT immediately to ask for pointers on how to do her job. Niamh Smyth was appointed junior minister at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment last week with a brief encompassing trade promotion, digital transformation, and AI. However, according …

  1. elsergiovolador Silver badge

    Normal

    It's like having Church minister in charge of giving marital advice.

    1. cyberdemon Silver badge

      Re: Normal

      Or indeed, putting Ed Milliwatt in charge of Energy

      1. elsergiovolador Silver badge

        Re: Normal

        Leave the poor guy alone, he just wants to singlehandedly save the planet from human infestation.

      2. Roger Greenwood

        Re: Normal

        Ed Milliwatt, I like it. Real nerds may also know him as Ed 0dBm

        1. jdiebdhidbsusbvwbsidnsoskebid Silver badge

          Re: Normal

          I now think that milliband is 1/1000 of an octave!

    2. wolfetone Silver badge

      Re: Normal

      Do as I say, not as I do.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Par for the course

    After she eagerly learns ChatGPT, Smyth might also want to take a look at Google Translate ... it's okay translating "ourselves" to "sinn féin", but "fianna fáil" translates to "deer hunting" or "deer found", a fail relative to the desired "soldiers of destiny" imho. Especially so as Google Europe is headquartered in Ireland (Republic of) ... (along with Apple, Facebook, IBM, HP, Paypal, ...).

    I hope she reads the ElReg, assiduously, and gets that fixed soon!

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Par for the course

      >translating "ourselves" to "sinn féin",

      Is that like the mafia calling the mafia "our thing" ?

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    5th Amendment

    Didn't we decide that random made-up nonsense spouted by imaginary voices in the clouds wasn't allowed to be the source of government policy ?

    (ps. not the American 5th amendment which allows you to buy beer in Philadelphia on Sunday)

  4. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    There be New Kids on the Block pulling Strings in the Hood for the Benefit of the Universal Good

    Good luck, everyone. We're going to need it. ... El Reg

    Everyone/Everything is gonna need a hell of a lot more than just good luck and a really great portfolio of novel plans with more intelligence for sharing than legacy systems can ever hope to handle and process into future acceptable and attractive mutually beneficial common sense ....... for that is what y’all be competing against if in disagreement or in opposition in any sad and bad state of moronic misguided denial.

    Didn’t you get the memo ...... The Internetworking of things has changed everything for ever and nothing survives if you want it to remain in much the same way as it was in the past. That sort of static petrification in fields of agile evolving noble progress is truly unnatural and quite alien too.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: There be New Kids on the Block pulling Strings in the Hood for the Benefit of the Universal Good

      You can't down vote amfM1, it's un reg-like. Or at least in bad taste

  5. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    Curious

    I find it curious how, just when we've learned that the Chinese have apparently a better AI solution than the West does, there is a sudden acute interest in ChatGPT and associated AI products at the government level.

    Um, guys, it was there last year.

    Is this a harbringer of a massive pork barrel in the making ?

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Curious

      Deepseek isn't really revolutionary or even better than openAi etc, it's a pretty standard 'state-of-the-art' mixture of experts model.

      The breakthough was puncturing the pitch/business model of openAI and friends = this is very hard and takes infinity money. Give us more money because the more money we get the more valuable we are and nobody can compete with us because of how much money it takes, and so we are worth even more money.

      China not having to pay starting salaries of $250K to anyone who can spell "AI" and having existing models to train with also helped !

      It's analogous to US car makers in the 60s/70s making ever bigger and more ridiculous cars and then the Japanese coming in with cheap reliable economical small cars. Ford could have been making VW Beatles but it was making so much profit from F150s that it needed to convince everyone that a pickup was the only way.

    2. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

      "Curiouser and curiouser"..... cries AI of the Almighty Interference, .."but unavoidably inevitable"

      Is this a harbringer [sic] of a massive pork barrel in the making ? .... Pascal Monett

      More likely, Pascal, most certainly the harbinger of a series of implosive titanic decompressions of massive misguided pork barrel bubbles indicative of bankrupting market revelations of ponzi leading unicorn valuations.

      And a clear signal of a rapidly approaching and roiling rolling fantasy markets crash, both stock and fiat cash?

      Too big to fail? ..... Oh please, you cannot be serious whenever too corrupt and perverse to survive and prosper and protect and encountering novel superior sources and enlightening forces?

      Let the Greater IntelAIgent Games begin ..... :-)

  6. RosslynDad
    Thumb Up

    Relievedly

    Not a word one sees often enough in daily perusal of the Web. Well done Richard.

    BTW, as for teaching your child the 8 times table: tape a couple of their fingers back and give a parental lecture on the wonders of octal. Job done. They'll thank you in later life.

    1. Alan Mackenzie
      Childcatcher

      Re: Relievedly

      For pity's sake, DON'T "tape a couple of their fingers back". That's physical abuse, and could possibly lead to permanent injury. Robert Schumann, the composer, tried this on noticing how awkward his pinkies were when playing the piano. That was the end of his career as a pianist.

  7. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    Treating them all with even-handed scepticism would be about right. But maybe it'll really be about making sure the DCs have enough power and collecting the money.

    1. Like a badger

      Indeed, cosying up to the US corporations in the hope of avoiding any trade issues with the big orange.

  8. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    "In 2017, then British Home Secretary Amber Rudd emphasized the need to get people who "understand the necessary hashtags" talking."

    She must have mastered her brief. According to Wikipedia she was last seen touting herself as a consultant in cybersecurity. Interesting read there about her early career in finance...

  9. Glenn Amspaugh
    Coat

    [Chief O'Brian voice]

    Ah, Jaysus!

  10. JRStern Bronze badge

    ChatGPT is just like talking to a leprechaun

    There, now she's fully up to date.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    “the benefits of artificial intelligence”

    Aaah, that old chestnut!

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Isn't it pretty much a requirement that government ministers know sod-all about the area they are allegedly in charge of? You only have to look at Wesminster to see many examples!

    They do need to be good at repeating hype though, which makes AI easy as it is surrounded by a dense layer of hype and bullshit.

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