Has the Department of Agriculture’s ACRES unit in Johnstown Castle created a modern-day HAL?The question was asked of The Dealer by a frustrated ACRES farmer who is still awaiting balancing payments from 2023.
Has the Department of Agriculture’s ACRES unit in Johnstown Castle created a modern-day HAL?
The question was asked of The Dealer by a frustrated ACRES farmer who is still awaiting balancing payments from 2023.
For those familiar with the classic Arthur C Clarke novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey, the main antagonist is an artificial intelligence character HAL 9000, a computer that controls a spacecraft’s essential systems.
Unfortunately, HAL goes rogue due to being given conflicting orders and starts killing off crew members before they finally manage to locate the off button.
While, thankfully, nothing as dramatic has happened in Johnston Castle, every farmer awaiting an ACRES payment is asking what’s wrong with the scheme’s much-maligned IT system and wondering who exactly is in control?
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