Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. We’d love to hear from you, you can email us at yoursay@theconversation.edu.au.
Monday February 9
AI terror
“The article on the AI afterlife was great, and another potential issue sprung to mind. What if the person being ‘preserved’ held extreme views, and encouraged loved ones to carry out violent acts? What if they were unbelievably selfish, and encouraged the bereaved to kill themselves and join them in the afterlife? What if a malicious actor injects code that gets the bot to subtly encourage other criminal behaviour, or turns the bot into a highly personalised phishing scam that ends with the bereaved transferring large sums of money into a scammer’s bank account, or something else? The possibilities are endless and terrifying.”
Charlotte Somers
Decisions we make
“Hopefully, the rest of Australia will not follow New South Wales in ditching the good character reference before court sentencing. The reference is the last legal recognition that humans are not perfect; there are absolutely no bad or good persons walking the Earth, only people committing bad or good acts, for whatever reasons.”
Ang Ung 
Thinning forests
“Regarding the article on mountain ash forests, isn’t it amazing that forests managed to survive for millennia before humans came along to help them?”
Peter Tuft
Tuesday February 10
Housing isn’t an investment strategy
“The idea of cutting the capital gains tax to rebalance the housing market is old news. The Greens have been warning of the effects of the capital gains handout and negative gearing on housing affordability for decades. The question is not so much will the government be prepared to treat housing as a human right, so much as, will the media inform the public of who they can vote for that has always seen housing as a right, not an investment portfolio.”
Dr Simon Cooper
A wake-up call on climate
“The release of the National Climate Risk Assessment and the totally lukewarm reception the Prime Minister received at the Pacific Islands Forum should be a wake-up call for all MPs in Canberra. The Parliament of Australia has a responsibility to protect Australians and our Pacific Island neighbours from the consequences of a rapidly warming planet. Ignoring science and resorting to ‘greenwashing’ to obfuscate the lack of action to actually do something about climate change, shows a total lack of a responsibility to act in the best long-term interests of the nation.”
Tim Cornwell
Some feedback
“I am pleased to see the Your Say section occurring in The Conversation. Journalism is only helpful if it is willing to reveal its own shortcomings, errors, or the other side to a story. It’s difficult to cover all angles in a short information piece, so perhaps some topics could be developed further after sensible and unbiased feedback is given? Writers and publishers have a responsibility here. Thanks to those readers who are providing thoughtful and meaningful responses.”
Val Adamson, SA
Wednesday February 11
Sinking ship
“I wonder if anyone in the Liberal party has assessed whether changing leaders will actually make a difference to their voter popularity. It may be the equivalent of changing the captain of the Titanic just after striking the iceberg. No difference in outcome, just a different leader going down with the ship.”
Colin Cook
Protect the Murray
“The Murray Darling system has been under pressure for years, but we don’t seem to have the political gumption to change anything. From the river to the sea, if we don’t do anything, everyone loses.”
Andrew McLean
Love thy neighbour
“We as a nation do have a responsibility to our Pacific Island neighbours, above and beyond what we are already doing. An annual lottery to allow fewer than 300 people to relocate here is a piddling start, whilst our elected leaders still approve new fossil fuel expansions, with their associated emissions. Prime Minister Albanese recently visited Timor Leste – can you recall the time we bugged their state building under the guise of neighbourly assistance? Our politicians must do better, for our country, our neighbours and for our planet, rather than enhancing the cash flow and profit of an industry on the pathway to becoming a stranded asset.”
Dr Scott Bell, Tas
Thursday February 12
A case of déjà vu
“Being an octogenarian, the NSW Premiers’ use of authoritarianism is but déjà vu. In the late 60’s, State Premiers were confronted with rising popular demonstrations against the Vietnam war. On the eastern seaboard, (often brutal) authoritarian police responses witnessed scenes similar to those this week in Sydney. Widespread public sentiment grew against the brutal authoritarian responses. Sanity eventually prevailed and police were instructed to ‘guide’ organised protests; only acting against troublemakers.”
Dr Bruce Moon
How did all of this slip through?
“I completely understand that I might not have been looking, but how on earth did it happen that we in Australia can now be arrested for protecting nature? That we can be arrested for peacefully protesting about violence? It all seems to have happened so quickly and it’s so 1984 that it’s just scary. It seems that the "silent” controllers of the power have got everyone by the proverbial balls.“
Julia Williams
Libs leadership
"If the Liberals think Angus Taylor is the answer, they are asking the wrong question.”
Brian Hall WA
Friday February 13
The Epstein files
“I would like to see a deeper look into the Australians that are in the Epstein Files. At the moment it seems like Australian media is sweeping it under the carpet or maybe the media is too scared of the men in it (or more so their wealth).”
Fiona Daly
A Liberal blunder
“I live in Curtin, an electorate represented by women MPs for more than a quarter-century. At last year’s federal election, the party put up a man named Tom White against independent Kate Chaney. It was a choice that ignored history and ensured the seat remained in the hands of a female member. Don’t the Liberals ever learn?”
Richard Goodwin, Doubleview, WA
Character references
“During a court trial, the circumstances of the crime are aired and this should provide all that is needed for sentencing. Allowing character references introduces serious biases. Those who are extroverted and gregarious, with strong friend and supporter networks, are more likely to marshall (and cherry-pick) impressive character references. Introverts, or others with weak social networks, are at a big disadvantage. The sentence also needs to reflect the specific circumstances of the crime and victim. It’s hard to see how character is relevant here.”
Glenn Pure, Canberra