AI and You

AI is one of the most hotly debated topics in parliaments, governments, and European and international institutions currently. At the end of 2023, 31 countries had already passed some form of AI legislation, and 13 were actively debating new laws. The recently passed EU AI law has caused quite a stir in recent months.  All eyes are now on the US as the 2024 elections may impact the generative AI legislation.Sources:AI Regulation is Coming- What is the Likely Outcome? : CSISCurrent US AI regulation means adopting a strategic — and communicative — approach : Thomson ReutersEU’s AI Act Falls Short on Protecting Rights at Borders : Just SecurityBrussels EU Quarter : Lobby PlanetBig Tech lobbying should not derail the AI Act : Corporate Europe ObservatoryMicrosoft partners with Mistral in second AI deal beyond OpenAI : The VergeMicrosoft's deal with Mistral AI faces EU scrutiny : Reuters

AI systems can search through enormous volumes of personal data, including criminal histories and other characteristics deemed to be "risk factors”. Recently, organisations have voiced worries about the French government's intention to utilise AI monitoring in the run-up to the Olympics in Paris. The most dreaded development in the near future is the emergence of deadly weapons driven by AI that are autonomous.Sources: There’s software used across the country to predict future criminals. And it’s biased against blacks : Pro PublicaA new look at the intersection of predictive policing, poverty and stress in LA : Centre of Health JournalismLAPD ended predictive policing programs amid public outcry. A new effort shares many of their flaws : The GuardianPredictive policing: When AI predicts criminal activity : Digital WorldLondon Underground Is Testing Real-Time AI Surveillance Tools to Spot Crime : WIREDParis 2024 Olympics: Concern over French plan for AI surveillance : BBCRussia illegally used facial recognition to arrest protestor, human rights court rules : Politico‘The Gospel’: how Israel uses AI to select bombing targets in Gaza : The GuardianIsrael under pressure to justify its use of AI in Gaza : Politico

Can technology participate in solving the climate crisis? When it comes to energy waste optimisation, AI can step in and help. It can also optimise energy grids and make renewable energy sources more efficient. However, AI can’t tackle all problems related to the climate crisis and it is more often a short-term solution to a long-term problem. Sources:How Can We Use AI To Address Global Challenges Like Climate Change? : ForbesElectricity consumption worldwide in 2022, by leading country : StatistaCal Fire now using artificial intelligence to fight wildfires : CBS NewsReducing Emissions from deforestation and degradation : Caisse des DepôtsCould AI help stop deforestation before it starts? : World Wildlife MagazineIKI Project – An International Climate Initiative : Environmental Emergencies CentreMining for Data: The Extractive Economy Behind AI : Green European JournalEnergy and Policy Considerations for Deep Learning in NLP : Emma Strubell Ananya Ganesh Andrew McCallumClimate change : World Health Organization

Have you already heard about AI-powered hiring practices? Is this common practice reducing inequality, or reinforcing discrimination?  Some tech experts argue that AI can also be an opportunity to overcome all forms of bias, even those within humankind. Sources:Racist technology in action: White only soap dispensers : Racism and technology centreAmazon ditched AI recruiting tool that favored men for technical jobs : The GuardianMeet Tengai, the job interview robot who won't judge you : BBC  Solans, D., Beretta, A., Portela, M., Castillo, C. & Monreale, A. Human Response to an AI-Based Decision Support System: A User Study on the Effects of Accuracy and Bias.What Really Happened When Google Ousted Temnit Gebru : Wired These Women Tried to Warn Us About AI : Rolling Stone

AI has the potential to make certain diagnoses earlier and more accurately than human beings. However, some AI deployments in healthcare could harm us more than help us. For what concerns mental health care, the use of AI has revealed that there are still “significant gaps” in our ability to apply these models for this purpose. Nonetheless, people are already turning to AI chatbots for mental health support.Sources:Life expectancy at birth, total (years) : The World BankMB-SupCon: Microbiome-based Predictive Models via Supervised Contrastive Learning : Journal of Molecular BiologyIs B.M.I. a Scam? : The New york TimesThe Role of AI in Drug Discovery: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies : The National Library of Medicine Using artificial intelligence to collect data on children’s eye diseases at the Central Eye Hospital : DIVEAI Assisted Infant Eye Disease Screening: Early Detection is of Crucial Importance : HuaweiLawsuits take aim at use of AI tool by health insurance companies to process claims : CBS NewsWhy AI is the new frontier in the battle to treat the male mental health crisis : The TelegraphTechnology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment : National Institute of Mental HealthA new frontier in mental health: Technology : US health NewsChallenges for Artificial Intelligence in Recognizing Mental Disorders : National Library of MedicineRacial Bias in Health Care Artificial Intelligence : NIHCM FoundationExperts call for more diversity to combat bias in artificial intelligence : CNN News

How AI can impact education? In some places like China, Artificial Intelligence already plays a role in teaching, grading and planning lessons for students. However, while navigating through AI, it is important to learn to discern what is trustworthy and what is not.Sources Education in the age of artificial intelligence : The UNESCO CourierThe Evolution of Education: How AI is Reshaping Grading : The Princeton ReviewReal teacher salaries in Europe are down. Which countries pay the highest and lowest wages? : Euronews.nextDALL-E: the Creative Process and the Art of Prompting : USC Career CentreChatbots sometimes make things up. Is AI’s hallucination problem fixable? : AP NewsThe rise of AI fake news is creating a ‘misinformation superspreader’ : The Washington Post