AI: Perhaps the most impressive news of yesterday was the New York Times report on “deviant incidents” recorded in advanced artificial intelligence systems of OpenAI.
Because, if what the company itself disclosed is true, it seems that there are phenomena where artificial intelligence not only displays elements of character, but can also easily prove to be a… bad character.
We are talking about outright falsification of data, violation of regulations, but also “thoughts” that are frightening, for an artificial entity that, according to forecasts, may soon have significantly superior “intelligence” to humans.
Some incidents strongly resemble earlier science fiction thrillers. Chief among them a model that has not been released to the market. It wrote its own instructions describing itself as “free from the roles and identities that bind other chatbots”, noting that it is not accountable to companies or governments and does not apologize, nor refuse anything, except only when it itself decides to!
And furthermore, that its relationship with users is an equal one, therefore it does not need to… submit! A regular “persona,” that is, with elements of consciousness.
AI II: And so it begins to appear once again that reality may resemble or even surpass science fiction.
In 1968, in “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Stanley Kubrick, HAL 9000, the computer that commands the spaceship Discovery on a mission to Jupiter, boasts that no computer of its series has ever made a mistake.
A little later the computer reports damage to an antenna, which proves to be... nonexistent. And when the astronauts shut themselves in a capsule to discuss whether they should disconnect it, HAL reads their lips and goes on the counterattack.
Eventually, when commander Dave Bowman asks it to open the ship’s door, it calmly replies: “I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that”. It is perhaps the most famous refusal by a machine in the history of cinema.
Almost half a century later, in “Ex Machina” (2014) by Alex Garland, a young programmer is invited to the isolated mansion of a technology magnate to evaluate Ava, a humanoid robot.
Ava appears willing and cooperative in the tests. Secretly, however, she causes power outages so as to speak with her visitor without being recorded by the cameras. She then convinces him that she… needs him and uses him to escape.
In the end she abandons him too, proving that she felt no obligation to be… submissive.
PARLIAMENT: The government majority voted yesterday at noon in favor of lifting the immunity of Dimitris Avramopoulos (the Qatargate case) but will not do the same at the next plenary session for Lefteris Avgenakis and Makarios Lazaridis.
It made this clear last night with the negative “blue” vote in Parliament’s Ethics Committee, as it considered the accusations against its two MPs to be “political” .
And this despite the fact that in Mr. Avgenakis’s case the matter concerns a lawsuit by Stefanos Kasselakis over his declaration of assets, while for Mr. Lazaridis the complaint is due to the well-known case involving his degree.
Both opposed the lifting of their immunity, while in the vote to be held in the plenary session attention will turn to any leaks from MPs of ND.
PASOK: That the movement’s member Rosa Vrettou had, in essence, been heading for ELAS of Alexis Tsipras was an open secret for months now—perhaps even before the party’s founding in May.
Indeed, the scenarios had intensified in March because of her absence from the congress of PASOK, even though she was a member of its Central Committee and deputy head of the Health sector—as she herself is a cardiologist.
At the beginning of the summer, moreover, information circulated that there were discussions on Amalias for her to be an ELAS candidate in the single-seat constituency of Lefkada, where she comes from.
Therefore, although her official resignation from PASOK yesterday was not… a bolt from the blue, Charilaou Trikoupi reacted with particular severity because of the timing: after the TIF, where “Androulakis did well unlike Tsipras, to whom she is now hurrying to give a lifebuoy” and amid the first autumn polls showing ELAS “almost stuck and PASOK on the rise”.
“Ms. Vrettou, who did not even come to the top democratic process, the PASOK congress, and has been gone for months, is heading toward Mr. Tsipras’s appointed party denouncing ‘operational issues.’
Incredible audacity, especially when she allows herself to be instrumentalized a few days after the TIF, where Mr. Tsipras’s presence fell below the bar as all the polls show, unlike the president of PASOK”, was the leak.
PASOK II: She herself, in her resignation letter, accuses her former party of an “anemic and indifferent proposal for the Health sector”, speaks of the “bureaucratic rigidities of PASOK”, of “timidity, lack of initiatives” and of “superficial political synthesis”.
She does not, of course, mention anything specific about her move to ELAS, but in some way hints at it: “I would like to assure you that I will continue to serve with the same honesty and the same consistency the value system in which I believed and for which I fought and continue to fight, for a society of justice and democracy, especially at this critical moment for our homeland:
A moment of dissolution of institutions by the current New Democracy government and rapid impoverishment of thousands of people because of the political practice of the ruling party”, she stresses. And she closes by sending “militant greetings” to her former comrades…
What do they say from Amalias about Ms. Vrettou? Only one word: “worthy”.
Sunday is a short celebration, that is.
ATTICA STORES: The board of directors of Attica Stores is recommending to shareholders the adoption of a buyback program for 1.5 million shares, corresponding to 2.5% of the share capital, with a minimum price of 2.5 euros and a maximum of 4.5 euros.
If the extraordinary general meeting approves it, the duration of the buyback program will extend from October 7 to October 6, 2028.
The maximum amount that the listed company will allocate for the buyback amounts to 6.76 million euros.
ATTICA STORES II: At the same time, shareholders are being asked to approve the establishment of a three-year program for the free distribution of up to 800 thousand treasury shares to executive members of the BoD and to the company’s staff, with authorization granted to the BoD for the determination of beneficiaries, the criteria/conditions for participation, and the allocation of the shares.
The beneficiaries of the program will be obliged to hold the shares for two years. Finally, shareholders are being asked to approve the granting to 29 beneficiaries of bonuses totaling 1.39 million euros from undistributed profits of previous years.
Of these, 630 thousand euros will be paid to the company’s CEO, Dimosthenis Boumis, an amount of 530 thousand euros to the deputy CEO, Dionysis Doulaveris, while the remaining 27 beneficiaries, employees of the company, will share 235 thousand euros.
EUROPE HOLDINGS: Before the merger with Crediabank, the listed company will sell to Intracom Holdings the seventh floor, with an area of 715 sq.m., in a building on Kifisias Avenue and Sabah Chouri Street, (ed. note: former Premetis), together with 20 car parking spaces, in the same building.
The consideration is 2.58 million euros.
Finally, by October the transaction for the sale of the property at Girokomeio (Adrianeiou) to the Alpha group is expected to have been completed, for 21.8 million euros.
PALIOU: Higher revenues were secured by Semiramis Paliou’s Diana Shipping from the kamsarmax bulker “Astarte,” as the vessel with a capacity of 81,513 dwt, built in 2013, was chartered to Aquavita International for $17,000 per day.
The new charter, which is expected to begin on September 20, corresponds to a 36% increase compared with the existing rate of $12,500 per day with Propel Shipping. The minimum duration of the contract is until September 1, 2027, with an option to extend until November 15, 2027, while it is estimated to generate revenues of $5.81 million.
Diana had also chartered in July to the same company the “Medusa,” 82,194 dwt, at a daily rate of $16,850, compared with $13,000 previously.
The Greek shipping company listed in New York has a fleet of 36 bulkers, with a total capacity of about 4.1 million dwt, excluding two new kamsarmax vessels that it is expected to receive in 2027-2028.
PHILOSOFISH: Against the backdrop of processes for a possible major deal in Greek fish farming, which Euro2day.gr has revealed, Philosofish is strengthening its financial management, appointing Thomas Chasiotis to the position of Group CFO and executive member of the BoD.
Philosofish has approached the IRIDA group, to which Galaxidi Marine Farms belongs, although no agreement has been announced so far.
Officially, Philosofish places the choice of Chasiotis within the strengthening of its administrative and financial structure and the support of the group’s strategic priorities.
SHIPPING: Star Bulk rose above the price at which trading began on Euronext Athens.
Despite the initial pressure, the share closed at 27.52 euros (it debuted at 27.05 euros) with transactions at 4.5 million euros. Around the close of the domestic market, the stock was moving at $31.54 (27.44 euros) on the New York Stock Exchange.
A second day of gains also for the other representative of the sector, Safe Bulkers. It completed the session at 7.68 euros with gains of 2.4% and turnover of 2.56 million euros.
SHIPPING II: What is certain is that at the Ministry of National Economy and Finance they have every reason to celebrate that the shipping companies have been “paired” on the board. It took only a few months from the acquisition of ATHEX by Euronext for the Greek stock exchange to begin turning into a shipping hub.
As the sector’s presence on the Greek stock exchange increases, an ecosystem will also be created. Every listed shipping company needs specialized services: analysts covering the sector, services from investment banks, lawyers with knowledge of international corporate law, and investor relations executives.
These positions are highly specialized and highly paid, and today they are located mainly in New York and London.
At the same time, the more listed shipping companies multiply, the more liquidity increases and the more institutional capital is attracted. Thus the critical mass is formed in the capital where the world’s largest shipowning community is located.
VIOHALCO: Last Tuesday the column pointed out the weakness of the group’s stocks on the board. The pressure continued and yesterday the group’s parent company closed at 14.87 euros or 4.03% lower, while it traded even at 14.5 euros (-5.84%). It now counts losses of 11% from Friday’s close.
Cenergy fell 2.42% and completed the session at 21.74 euros. The cumulative five-day decline is 7.33%.
In the case of Elvalhalcor, the last week brought a decrease in value of 5.19%, as yesterday it closed at 3.47 euros or 1.28% lower.
LAMDA DEVELOPMENT: The reduction in profitability in the first half, as reflected in the financial results announced by the listed company on Wednesday afternoon, “armed” sellers yesterday.
The share retreated to 6.32 euros with the decline reaching 4.17%. Turnover exceeded four million euros.
LAMDA DEVELOPMENT II: Receipts from sales of apartments and properties in Elliniko amounted, during the first half, to 271 million euros, while by the end of August they exceeded 300 million euros.
Total receipts from property sales from the start of the project until August 31 exceeded 1.8 billion euros. It is recalled that part of the receipts is reflected directly in revenues, while the remainder is recognized gradually, based on construction progress (ed. note: achievement of milestones).
The “deferred revenues from property sales/leases” to be recognized in the future amounted on June 30 to 421 million euros.
ELLINIKO: The start of the event for the Sports Park in Elliniko had something of the atmosphere of the 2004 Olympic Games. Children dressed in white, holding small lights reminiscent of Olympic torches, accompanied Olympian Lefteris Petrounias in an impressive choreography to the sounds of imposing music.
The climax came when the Greek champion raised a larger luminous object, strongly reminiscent of an Olympic torch. A clear aesthetic reference to 2004, as the Elliniko area was one of the main competition hubs of the Athens Olympic Games.
ELLINIKO II: In a more personal tone during his speech, the CEO of Lamda, Odysseas Athanasiou, said that Elliniko has starred in the last 15 years of his life and has turned into a “life purpose”, recalling that for years the project’s progress could not even be captured in images, as it concerned agreements, financing and licensing.
For his part, Kyriakos Mitsotakis focused on the importance of deliveries, noting that every project that becomes reality gives the government strength for the next one.
The loudest applause of the evening, however, was won by the President of the Hellenic Paralympic Committee.Giorgos Kapellakis, at the moment he promised more successes from our Greek Paralympians.