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Trump describes ‘productive’ call with Mark Carney amid US-Canada trade war

US president says he and Canadian prime minister ‘agree on many things’ after first talk since Carney assumed role

Donald Trump described a long-awaited call with the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, as “extremely productive” amid a trade war between the two nations launched by the US president.

The Friday morning call, requested by the White House, marks the first time the two leaders have spoken since Carney became prime minister on 14 March.

In a post on social media, Trump took a decidedly softer tone than he has in recent months, correctly referring to Carney as prime minister after repeatedly denigrating his predecessor Justin Trudeau as “governor”.

In remarks later in the day, Trump said he hoped to “to end up with a very good relationship with Canada”, long one of the largest trading partners and closest allies of the US.

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Carney had previously said he would not speak to the president until Trump showed respect for Canada’s independence. “I’m available for a call, but we’re going to talk on our terms. As a sovereign country – not as what he pretends we are – and on a comprehensive deal,” Carney said earlier this week.

Trump said in the post that he and Carney, who has previously served as governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, “agree on many things” and that the pair would be meeting “immediately” after Canada’s federal election on 28 April.

In a readout of the conversation released by the prime minister’s office, Carney described the call as a “very constructive conversation” and said the two would begin “comprehensive negotiations about a new economic and security relationship” after the election. Carney said he would be “working hard for the next month to earn the right to represent Canada in those discussions”.

On Sunday, Carney called a snap election following numerous polls that show a dramatic and unprecedented surge for his Liberal party. Current projections have the Liberals winning a majority government, a stark reversal from their dismal fortunes as recently as late February.

Ahead of the call with Trump, Carney told reporters the conversation would be “only the beginning of a negotiation, not the end”.

ChatGPT Can Now Create Controversial Images

A major shift in OpenAI’s operational guidelines has emerged, notably impacting its content moderation policies. This week, the company announced that ChatGPT, upon user request, will now produce images of public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features, something it has distanced itself from for years.

Previously, OpenAI had deemed such requests too controversial or potentially harmful, resulting in their rejection. However, a recent company blog post, authored by Joanne Jang, OpenAI’s model behavior lead, revealed that the organization’s approach has “evolved.” She said:

OpenAI appears to be implementing a strategy to increase ChatGPT’s capabilities by loosening its content restrictions. This week’s policy adjustments, which allow generative images with public figures, hateful symbols, and racial features, align with a broader plan announced in February. The company aims to alter its AI model training to enable ChatGPT to process a wider array of requests, provide more diverse viewpoints, and minimize topics it says no to.