The Capitals: Washington's AI reckoning; Rawalpindi's wish, Islamabad's command; and more

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Samuel Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI | AP

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The Chief Executive of the world's most successful Artificial Intelligence startup of the day testified in a US Senate hearing this week.

His testimony sent jitters worldwide as despite being dressed down on Capitol Hill, Sam Altman, the CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, agreed with the US lawmakers on the need to regulate increasingly powerful Artificial Intelligence technology.

"If this technology goes wrong, it can go quite wrong," Sam Altman said at the Senate hearing.

Altman proposed the formation of a US or global agency that would license the most powerful AI systems and have the authority to "take that license away and ensure compliance with safety standards."

Read this and more, in The Capitals this week.

Bangkok, Thailand

Move Forward Party leader and prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenratin Bangkok on May 18, 2023 | AFP

The Thai capital whose tryst with democracy has long been marred by coups witnessed a resounding rejection of the army-backed politicians, as the results of Thailand general elections began pouring in.

The election campaign pitted opposition parties Pheu Thai and Move Forward Party (MFP) and their promises of democracy and reform against the ageing generals leading the government, among them Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha who first came to power in a 2014 coup.

The MFP stunned observers by emerging as the largest party.

Two more small parties joined the new coalition formed by MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat, giving it 313 out of 500 seats in the lower house.

Pita Limjaroenrat has expressed confidence of becoming prime minister as coalition talks continue.

Islamabad, Pakistan

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief General Asim Munir | Commons

At the start of this week, a statement from Pakistan Army headquarters at Rawalpindi said that those responsible for attack on state and military assets following ousted prime minister Imran Khan's arrest should be tried under Army Act.

Rawalpindi's wish became Islamabad's command a day later on Tuesday, May 16.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, while repeating the Army’s statement, declared that protestors who attacked Pakistan's state assets and military installations during protests that erupted after the arrest of ousted prime minister Imran Khan, will be tried under army laws.

The Pakistan Army Act, which was brought into force in 1952, is used to put military personnel on trial under the military’s own legal code.

This author reported earlier this week that as an institution with a long history of coups, Pakistan Army is contemplating its options following remarkable acts of defiance against its nearly unimpeachable authority in recent days.

Writing for WION, senior journalist and columnist Madhavan Narayanan said that sinking Pakistan needs some answers: Who is its boatman and who are its passengers, Narayanan asked while referring to the ongoing tumult across Pakistan.

Montevideo, Uruguay

Demonstrators hold 'March of Silence' in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital on May 20, 2023 | Reuters

White daisies bloomed across the Uruguayan capital, each with a missing petal in the memory of those who went missing during the country's dictatorship that began five decades ago.

Tens of thousands took the streets of the Uruguayan capital on Saturday evening in a "March of Silence" to remember those who were forcibly disappeared by the state, both in Uruguay and in neighboring Argentina, during a wave of military rule in the region.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

The exhibition in Amsterdam is scheduled to run till September 3, 2023 | AFP

Vincent Van Gogh's feverish final months in a French village, when he churned out masterpieces even as he spiralled into agonising illness, became the subject of a one-off exhibition opening this week in Amsterdam.
The show at the Van Gogh Museum in the Dutch capital, which opened on May 19, features 50 of the 74 works produced in his frenzied last days in Auvers-sur-Oise, just northwest of Paris, before his death at the age of 37.

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Fans pose with 'Pathaan' merchandise in Dhaka | Twitter/@SRKUniverse

Thousands flocked to cinemas in Dhaka this week to watch one of the Indian subcontinent's biggest stars on big screen. Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer 'Pathaan' became the first Indian film to hit the theatres with a full-release status in Bangladesh in more than half a century.

Dhaka banned films from its neighbour soon after its independence in 1971, in the face of lobbying from local movie-makers, despite India backing it in its independence war with Pakistan.

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