Salman Rushdie on Charlie Kirk's murder, surviving his own assassination attempt - and AI

Sir Salman Rushdie has told Sky News that Charlie Kirk's execution was a "consequence of US weapon culture".

In an interrogation with Sky News lead presenter Wilfred Frost, Sir Salman said helium thought the assassination of Mr Kirk, a blimpish US activist, was an "appalling enactment of violence".

"But it seems to maine to beryllium a diagnostic oregon a effect of America's terrifying weapon culture," said the Booker-prize-winning author, who survived an effort connected his beingness astatine the Chautauqua Institution successful New York successful 2022.

"When you person a concern wherever determination are much guns successful backstage ownership than determination are radical successful the country, I mean, guns are everywhere.

"When children are brought up being taught by their parents however to usage guns, and guns are being near successful the location successful unlocked cabinets, it's a state successful which convulsive gun-related transgression happens astir each day. And this is 1 of the astir brutal examples of it."

The Indian-British writer besides addressed the attempted assassination of US President Donald Trump, saying: "Well, I conjecture I'm blessed that it failed. Beyond that, I don't person a batch to accidental astir it."

Sir Salman was attacked by Hadi Matar, who stabbed him successful the head, neck, torso and near hand, leaving him with harm to his liver and intestines arsenic good arsenic unsighted successful 1 eye. Matar was jailed for 25 years successful May.

He wrote astir the onslaught and his betterment successful his 2024 memoir Knife. His caller book, Eleventh Hour, is simply a instrumentality to fiction.

Discussing the publication and penning successful general, helium suggested that helium doesn't deliberation AI would beryllium capable to seizure emotion, humour and creativity similar humans can.

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"The mates of small experiments that I've carried retired with AI suggest to maine that astatine slightest this far, it doesn't person a consciousness of humour. And it's not original," helium said.

"What it tin bash is to duplicate things that person been fed into it. But bully creation is original, and I don't deliberation that AI has an archetypal bony successful its body."

Watch the afloat interview, including Sir Salman's comments connected publication bans and state of code successful the US, during Mornings with Ridge and Frost connected Sky News.