Leading AI researchers propose ‘toolbox’ for verifying ethics claims

Researchers from OpenAI, Google Brain, Intel, and 28 other leading organisations have published a paper which proposes a ‘toolbox’ for verifying AI ethics claims.

With concerns around AI spanning from dangerous indifference to innovation-halting scaremongering; it’s clear there’s a need for a system to achieve a healthy balance.

“AI systems have been developed in ways that are inconsistent with the stated values of those developing them,” the researchers...

20 April 2020 | Ethics

Elon Musk wants more stringent AI regulation, including for Tesla

tesla elon musk ai artificial intelligence regulation policy

Elon Musk has once again called for more stringent regulations around the development of AI technologies.

The founder of Tesla and SpaceX has been one of the most vocal prominent figures in expressing concerns about AI – going as far as to call it humanity’s “biggest existential threat” if left unchecked.

Of course, given the nature of the companies Musk has founded, he is also well aware of AI’s potential.

Back in 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI – an...

19 February 2020 | Ethics

Google CEO: We need sensible AI regulation that does not limit its potential

sundar pichai google ceo ai artificial intelligence sensible regulation uk usa eu europe

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has called for sensible AI regulation that does not limit the huge potential benefits to society.

Writing in a FT editorial, Pichai said: “...there is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. It is too important not to.”

Few people debate the need for AI regulation but there are differing opinions when it comes to how much. Overregulation limits innovation while lack of regulation can pose serious dangers –...

21 January 2020 | Ethics

Facebook pledges crackdown on deepfakes ahead of the US presidential election

facebook deepfakes ai usa presidential elections 2020 artificial intelligence social media

Facebook has pledged to crack down on misleading deepfakes ahead of the US presidential election later this year.

Voter manipulation is a concern for any functioning democracy and deepfakes provide a whole new challenge for social media platforms.

A fake video of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, went viral last year after purportedly showing her slurring her words as if she was intoxicated. The clip shows how even a relatively...

8 January 2020 | Deepfakes

The White House warns European allies not to overregulate AI

usa white house warns european allies ai artificial intelligence regulation laws data ethics society

The White House has urged its European allies to avoid overregulation of AI to prevent Western innovation from being hindered.

While the news has gone somewhat under the radar given recent events, the Americans are concerned that overregulation may cause Western nations to fall behind the rest of the world.

In a statement released by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the White House wrote:

“Europe and our allies should avoid heavy handed...

7 January 2020 | Ethics

DeepMind co-founder moves to Google to work on AI policy

mustafa suleyman deepmind google ai artificial intelligence policy cofounder

DeepMind co-founder Mustafa Suleyman has announced he's making the full jump to Google to work on AI policy at the company.

Google acquired DeepMind for $400 million in 2014 and the firm became a subsidiary of Google's parent company Alphabet in 2015.

Suleyman co-founded DeepMind and originally became its chief product officer. After Google's acquisition in 2014, Suleyman became DeepMind’s head of applied AI.

In a tweet, Suleyman announced he's now moving to...

6 December 2019 | DeepMind

British astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees calls for a living wage in the AI era

sir martin rees ai living wage artificial intelligence astrophysicist

British astrophysicist Sir Martin Rees spoke of the need for a living wage in the era of AI during a recent speech.

The speech, titled Surviving the Century, kicked off the 2019/20 season of the Perimeter Institute Public Lecture Series. Rees highlighted some of the dangers facing humanity, the outlook for humans venturing to other planets, and the use of technology to become a “post-human” species.

AI will destroy some existing jobs. There is, however, a fierce...

22 October 2019 | Ethics

US adds Chinese AI firms to ban list citing abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang

china usa ai ban list ai companies tech artificial intelligence entity trade war

A collection of Chinese AI and facial recognition firms have been added to a US blacklist citing rights abuses against Muslims in Xinjiang.

28 Chinese firms have been added (PDF) to the “entity list” of the US government which prohibits American companies from continuing any links with them.

The US government said the firms were blacklisted for playing a role in the "implementation of China's campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, and high-technology...

8 October 2019 | China

Neil deGrasse Tyson shares Musk’s view that AI is ‘our biggest existential crisis’

neil degrasse tyson ai artificial intelligence warning elon musk danger crisis existential society ethics

Legendary astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shares the view of Tesla founder Elon Musk that AI poses mankind’s “biggest existential crisis”.

Musk made his now-infamous comment during the South by Southwest tech conference in Austin, Texas last year as part of a call for regulation. Musk warned: “I think that’s the single biggest existential crisis that we face and the most pressing one.”

A year later, Neil deGrasse Tyson was asked what he believes to be the...

4 October 2019 | Ethics

Report: Companies like Amazon and Microsoft are ‘putting world at risk’ of killer AI

pax killer ai artificial intelligence robot study research report microsoft google amazon

A survey of major players within the industry concludes that leading tech companies like Amazon and Microsoft are putting the world ‘at risk’ of killer AI.

PAX, a Dutch NGO, ranked 50 firms based on three criteria:

If technology they’re developing could be used for killer AI.Their involvement with military projects.If they’ve committed to not being involved with military applications in the future.

Microsoft and Amazon are named among the world's ‘highest...

22 August 2019 | Amazon