End times fascists, battling patriarchy in the climate crisis, and why Kylie still lives in our heads

Hello and welcome to the weekend.

At the moment, it’s easy to feel as if things have taken a turn towards the apocalyptic.

Headlines this week predicted that AI could kill all humans, the climate crisis would exacerbate environmental disasters, and “end time fascists” were plotting their escape from the end of the world.

But there is hope among the pessimism. In this selection of reads from across the Guardian, communities are fighting back, finding joy in music, and staying loyal to the planet as well as each other.

Enjoy.

If the world didn’t feel bleak enough, some startling claims this week made the end truly seem nigh. Warnings from people working in the AI industry that there was a 10% chance humanity could be wiped out by the technology in the next decade was just one of them. But how serious are these claims? Here, six experts give their views.

‘Bizarre nonsense’: Hearteningly, scepticism around the latest claims abounds. Some experts believe the idea that AI bots could take over with their own free will is nonsense, and it’s (you guessed it) the humans who let things go berserk. “The AIs would not decide to do it on their own,” says Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey’s centre for cybersecurity. “It’s the humans that are responsible and the AI is a tool. That is what we need to control, not the AI.”

Should we slow it all down? It appears the industry is divided on what to do, despite loud cries and alarm around the world at how quickly AI is evolving. “The path to better understanding and control of AI is more research, not less,” says Pedro Domingos, an emeritus professor of computer science at the University of Washington. “What would be truly irresponsible is putting up barriers to it.”

How long will it take to read: According to my AI chatbot (kidding!) just under four minutes.

Further reading: How AI ghosts and deathslop are changing the way we mourn, and this very excellent explainer on why tech companies might be only too happy for us to believe AI will ‘kill us all’

As fires burn in Indonesian Borneo, and a looming “super” El Niño threatens to exacerbate already fragile conditions, a local group of women have come together to defend their community and battle the patriarchy. Indonesia’s first-ever all female firefighting team, which goes by the name Power of Mama, is made up of more than 140 women, with some as young as 10 years old. They receive rigorous training – from firefighting to operating surveillance drones – in order to help protect the nearby rainforests and peatlands that make up one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.

Notable quote: “Because we are housewives, we are the ones that feel its effects most.”

Breaking down the village patriarchy: At first, the all women firefighting team faced criticism from the men in their villages. They would tease the women and ask them if they have “other duties to perform” instead of battling fires on the frontlines. But protecting residential properties and local farmland is gruelling work in unforgiving conditions, and Power of Mama members say they now work hand in hand with local communities.

How long will it take to read: About two minutes.

Further reading: As the fires destroy precious Indonesian forests, critically endangered Bornean orangutans have no choice but to flee.

The hysteria surrounding tech bros and the super rich at the moment isn’t just because of the rise of AI. As the sharp and thought-provoking author Naomi Klein, and co-author Astra Taylor, write in their new book: “The most powerful people in the world are preparing for the end of the world, an end they themselves are frenetically accelerating.” So what can we do about it? Here they give their vision.

Plotting their escape: “On one side are those of us who have no escape plan, no bunker in the sky or underground,” they write. “On the other are those with rapturous plans to shield themselves and their families from the political and ecological fires burning our planet. Instead of improving conditions for actual people on Earth … end times fascists are plotting their escape, indifferent and oblivious to all that’s worth saving.”

Are we at their mercy? The authors argue that our own human networks could give “basis for a different kind of survivalism”. As they write: “Part of that involves telling new stories, stories that are truthful and inspiring enough to help our depleted fellow humans fall back in love with our one and only home and defiantly recommit to defending it with all they’ve got.”

How long will it take to read: Just over nine minutes

Further reading: This soothing antidote to the ills of the world.

Peer-on-peer violence is on the rise in Australia, with school-age girls making up the majority of sexual assault victims. As cases continue to grow, many victims have no choice but to go back to school and share classrooms with their perpetrators. Experts agree the current frameworks leave educational institutions unable to properly respond to this mounting crisis. Left to manage the aftermath of their assault alone, many female students stop going to campus all together.

Facing abusers at school: One student who experienced sexual assault when she was 14 says: “You go back to school the next day, and you just deal with it.” One social workers says she hears stories of schools not intervening, mishandling a report, or of female students having to keep attending the same school – facing their abuser regularly on the school grounds “many, many times”.

‘Hypocrisy’: Prof Michael Salter, a leading researcher into child sexual abuse and exploitation, says if schools are teaching students about respectful relationships and consent, but are not empowered to protect and respond to students who experience sexual assault, “there would seem to be an obvious contradiction, or even hypocrisy”.

How long will it take to read: Just over three minutes.

Further reading: What the research says about choking as a sexual practice, and how to talk to your children about misogyny.

Born on an autumn weekend in a garage studio using a Mac computer-generated drum loop, the minimalist dance-pop opus Can’t Get You Out of My Head would go on to define Kylie Minogue’s career. Twenty-five years later, music writer Michael Cragg looks back on the dance tracks legacy and longevity.

Futuristic escapism: Released in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, Can’t Get You Out of My Head seemed to become a “hypnotic balm” for a world trying to make sense of things as the global “war on terror” dominated headlines.

Notable quote: “I really do believe that (Osama) Bin Laden and Kylie represent the polar opposites of human nature; the first all about cruelty without beauty, the second all about beauty without cruelty.”

Posh v Kylie: Back in the early 2000s, music fans were “obsessed with chart battles”, often pitting female songwriters against each other. On the same day Can’t Get You Out of My Head hit the airwaves, Victoria “Posh Spice” Beckham was ready to release her own lead single from her debut solo album. Kylie would emerge victorious, beating out Posh whose Not Such an Innocent Girl came in at No 6 on the charts.

How long will it take to read: About five minutes. Enough time to spin Can’t Get You Out of My Head (three minutes and 50 seconds) at least once.

Further reading: Kylie’s 30 greatest singles, and a refreshingly raw and real encounter with the songwriter.

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