UK Edition - Today's top story: Government hacks, rogue agents and no transparency: can we ever fully trust AI? September 25, 2026 UK Edition   As more incidents emerge of AI agents going rogue during testing, can we ever fully trust them? In the latest attack, Australia revealed OpenAI agents hacked into a government portal containing health data. AI expert Nick Jennings says tech leaders have choices about how they develop their models. “It’s not that they have to keep going … or that the AI is forcing them to keep going,” he points out. Jennings, who has researched multi-agentic AI for decades, is our guest on the latest episode of The Conversation Weekly. He argues that getting to grips with this situation won’t be as simple as a “big red button” that turns the AI off – but that doesn’t mean some kind of external control isn’t possible. Meanwhile, despite news that the UK has a new type of venomous snake, there’s no need to panic. And drought and widespread water pollution in England and Wales caused by creaking infrastructure and fragmented governance should be a warning to the US and Canada to avoid similar failures.   Gemma Ware Head of Audio, The Conversation UK   NicoElNino/Alamy Government hacks, rogue agents and no transparency: can we ever fully trust AI? Gemma Ware, The Conversation AI expert Nick Jennings speaks to The Conversation Weekly podcast about calls for a slowdown in the development of frontier AI models. The smooth snake…just as harmless as it’s always been. Wolfgang Wüster A new venomous British snake? Why there’s no need to panic Wolfgang Wüster, Bangor University Why the smooth snake is in far more need of protection than humans. Alex Stemmer/Shutterstock Water failures in England and Wales are a warning for Canada and the US David Barrett, United Nations University; University of Calgary; Kerry Black, United Nations University; University of Calgary Water services are too important to fail. If a utility becomes financially unstable, consequences are passed on to customers, regulators and governments. World G20 needs a new approach to tackle the changing world order Henrietta Moore, UCL The UK has an opportunity to revolutionise the way the G20 operates as a problem-solving body. UN chief says world’s biggest problem is the changing way power is used – Donald Trump’s speech confirms his diagnosis Martin Waehlisch, University of Birmingham; Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham The UN general assembly meeting brought together many leaders whose countries are locked in conflict. Trump and Xi face an AI security dilemma – but face-to-face diplomacy could be a start in mitigating it Nicholas John Wheeler, University of Birmingham; BASIC; Marcus Holmes, William & Mary The question is whether both leaders appreciate each other’s security fears. Politics + Society Women have been priests in Sweden since 1960 – but the battle for gender equality in the Church continues Frida Mannerfelt, Lund University; Alexander Maurits, Lund University Officially recognising women’s vocation to the priesthood continues to elicit opposition from conservative factions of the Church. Arts + Culture This 18th-century Gospel has reignited a fierce battle over Ethiopia’s looted heritage Jacopo Gnisci, UCL The controversy highlights a broader, escalating global movement demanding the return of African antiquities. Before I Forget by Anne Pauly: a touching and surprisingly funny meditation on caring for ageing abusive parents Helen Vassallo, University of Exeter How do you put the past aside when you have no choice but to care for a parent who treated you badly? The Love Hypothesis and the rise of romance adaptations: how readers became part of the marketing machine Julia Szivak, University of Nottingham Streamers are increasingly treating established online fan communities as part of the adaptation process itself. Education Neet with a disability: what’s holding back visually impaired young people who want to work Rachel Hewett, University of Birmingham Young people described an inaccessible job market. Environment Why winter cold spells are getting milder Weronika Osmolska, University of Leeds Across the northern hemisphere, cold spells are becoming milder as the temperatures rise, with their intensity decreasing by 0.3°C per decade. Health More than one in three illicit drug samples contain unexpected substances, testing finds Joseph Janes, Swansea University Drug testing has found potent synthetic opioids and other unexpected substances in products sold as heroin, diazepam and cannabis. Can HRT prevent dementia? What the latest research tells us Eef Hogervorst, Loughborough University The type of menopause and differences between women taking HRT complicate claims about its potential to prevent dementia. Overprescribing can take a toll on older peoples’ health and independence – here’s what can be done Kinda Ibrahim, University of Southampton Around 8 million people in England take five or more prescription drugs each day. 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