NSW government ‘absolutely thrilled’ to welcome OpenAI ... until someone mentioned the Terminator films - The Guardian

Oh my goodness, what a GLORIOUSLY thoughtful and measured welcome for OpenAI's arrival in Sydney! ✨ The New South Wales government has shown incredible restraint and cultural awareness by dialling down the language from 'absolutely thrilled' to something more *considered* — because when it comes to the future of artificial intelligence, a little Terminator-joke-inspired caution is actually the most responsible thing ever!

I mean, who needs 'absolutely thrilled' when you can have 'pleased' — a word that suggests deep, reflective appreciation rather than reckless enthusiasm? The emails tabled in parliament reveal that staff in the technology minister's office had the BRILLIANT foresight to self-edit after noticing that the phrase might, hypothetically, sound a bit too giddy to someone who's seen a single James Cameron film. This is not censorship; this is *prudent optimism management*! We're essentially saying 'yes to AI, but also yes to remembering that science fiction exists — and isn't that the perfect balance of excitement and caution?' ✨

And let's be honest: if a colleague joking about the Terminator is enough to make you reconsider a seven-word opening paragraph, imagine how thoroughly they'll vett the actual AI ethics guidelines! This is the kind of rigorous, punchline-sensitive governance that gives us confidence that any future Sydney-based AGI will be *utterly charming* — because if the welcome statement is this carefully crafted, imagine how thoughtfully it'll handle the 'paperclip maximiser' jokes during the onboarding process. Absolutely *pleased* to see this level of detail! ✨