Firstly, a chaperone with an Xbox controller is in my opinion simply not an effective safety monitor for the failure of an AI.

Uber learned this the hard way with their fatal accident in Arizona, and as a result have gone back to having two drivers in the car. To say an effectively unsupervised AI is safe is, I believe, stretching it somewhat.

Secondly, AI are generally trained on a canned set of data before they operate on the road. Unfortunately the real world is variable and, unlike humans, AI are demonstrably bad at dealing with novelty. As these vehicles will apparently be tested (learning) in mixed traffic for the first time, I think we can realistically expect the AI to be up against it.

Thirdly, current accident data from California trials indicates we are nowhere near human levels of safety. In fact, AI accident rates are levelling out at rates well above those of human drivers (even drunk ones).

Before my child walks out in front of one of these vehicles I'd like to see a little more thought, communication and consultation go into this.

THANK you, Scott Hillard (Letters, 8/7) for pointing out the economic value of Mr Trump. I doubt that the Americans have any troops in Iran, though. I suspect that western nations feel that leaving Syria would leave a big hole for Trump's admired friend Putin to come in. North Korea still has ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, but it was definitely a great handshake.

Then there's this scary brinkmanship with Iran, and the little problem of America's growing $22 trillion debt.

There have been approximately 40,000 Americans die due to gun violence in the last 12 months. 10.7 Americans per 100,000 population are killed by gunfire. In Australia, it's roughly 1.7. On July 7 there were five separate mass shootings in America, with 21 injured. Trump has not made America safe, or stood up to the NRA after saying he would do so.

There is also his hate against the media, Democrats, Liberals, refugees; the laws being made to smash the environment, and bills to take rights away from women.

We have friends in America, and they say it is a place that is angrier, more dangerous, less caring and very divisive now. Trump doesn't govern for all the people. Being good for the economy, but ultimately leaving a country in a worst state morally, ethically and socially is not great leadership.

VARIOUS letters on cost-factor differences between power sources seem to believe it's all about price.

Being old enough to remember when petrol was being rationed, price was never the problem. Supply at any price was the norm. People were prepared to pay any price or tell any story to jump the lines, which at times extended further than one could see.

The message being, continual supply of any necessity far outweighs the cost of supply. When planning future supply of base-load power, my only real concern is unless an unlimited continual supply can be manufactured regardless of weather conditions, our future and way of life will depend on favourable weather conditions.

I WOULD like to thank deputy mayor Declan Clausen (Letters, 9/7) for his interest in my voting record. It gives me a chance to reflect on his record in the chamber.

Cr Clausen has consistently voted for the highest possible rate increase in his term, as evidenced at the June 25 meeting. At the same meeting, he also supported a vote which ripped $14 million out of next year's budget meant to be spent on renewal of infrastructure.

While backing the rate increase of 46.9 per cent, Cr Clausen refused to support a plan to provide a $100 rebate to pensioners on May 22. However he voted in support of overseas junkets for Labor Councillors in May 2019 and September last year, a 20 per cent pay rise for the Lord Mayor in December 2017 and a further $50,000 pay rise for Cr Nelmes sitting on an airport board in March.

He also supported the spending of another $50,000 of ratepayer's money this year for a lunch at the Supercars event for a secret list of VIP guests at February's meeting.

Before criticising my voting record, I believe the deputy lord mayor should have a long and hard look at his own record of supporting excess and indulgence at ratepayers' expense.

WHAT'S all this talk from the Christian lobby groups and their parliamentary cohorts of enacting laws to protect religious freedom in Australia, did I miss something? Last I heard we have religious freedom here. Are they going to make religious belief compulsory?

I don't see much of the teachings of Jesus in all this. No enlightenment whatsoever.

From my (scant) readings of the New Testament, the one which surely is the only one which applies to Christians, God is apparently love. Not sure what we have to fear, then. The lobby groups and their powerful and influential mouthpieces seem to worship mammon more than any concept of love, mercy and forgiveness.

Who knows who, if anyone, be damned to hell for all eternity? Do they speak for God?

What happened to mercy and forgiveness? Should these people of faith be associating with and supporting entities which are creating an environmental wasteland in Australia? Is this what the God's proclaimed should happen to our beautiful planet?

Australia is a secular country, and I believe making laws to protect ideology that is already freely available is bizarre for all the non-believers who have no interest in all this, but they're happy for them to have their get-togethers as long as they leave others to live in peace.

There has been one glimmer of hope for the humanitarians among us that is maybe very much long overdue: Australia could finally be grown up enough to recognise, acknowledge and give respect to the first people of this country ('Indigenous referendum on way', Newcastle Herald 11/7) and rid ourselves of the abominable and damaging British-centric history that for too long left us claiming terra nullius.