AI project greenlit after reducing A&E attendances by a third

An AI project which successfully cut A&E attendances by a third has been greenlit for a wider rollout.

Over 1,000 patients were involved in a trial of an AI system developed by Health Navigator at York Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust over the last four years.

AI was used to identify patients at risk of unplanned hospital admissions. By highlighting these patients, nurses were deployed to help coach them over six months on how to improve their health and reduce...

28 October 2019 | Healthcare

Pentagon is ‘falling behind’ in military AI, claims former NSWC chief

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The former head of US Naval Special Warfield Command (NSWC) has warned the Pentagon is falling behind adversaries in military AI developments.

Speaking on Tuesday, Rear Adm. Brian Losey said AI is able to provide tactical guidance as well as anticipate enemy actions and mitigate threats. Adversaries with such technology will have a significant advantage.

Losey is retired from the military but is now a partner at San Diego-based Shield AI.

Shield AI specialises...

23 October 2019 | Government

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

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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

WIC: Baidu CEO remains bullish of company’s AI investments

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Baidu CEO Robin Li says he remains bullish on his company’s AI investments despite recent troubles.

This year, Baidu’s stock price has dropped 36 percent. Li used the Game of Thrones phrase that “winter is coming” following a first-quarter loss.

Baidu has since not only been asking employees to fly economy rather than business, and not to stay in five-star hotels, but even to reduce the number of paper towels and cups they’re using in the office.

AI...

21 October 2019 | Baidu

Study highlights just how poor AIs are at recognising non-cisgender people

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A study conducted by the University of Colorado Boulder has revealed just how bad AIs are at recognising non-cisgender people.

The worrying problems AIs have with recognising racial minorities are becoming increasingly well-documented, but this new study is among the first to evaluate gender classifications.

AI systems categorise people based on what they can “see” and often use stereotypical parameters (e.g. males don’t have long hair, females don’t have facial...

18 October 2019 | Ethics

Report: AI may increase sales of home security systems

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When home security systems were first introduced, they seemed to be pretty much revolutionary in terms of technology. However, today hundreds of companies are offering their own version of DIY security systems that can easily be bought from chain hardware stores. Thanks to millions of American consumers for adopting the technology who are responsible for the expansion of the residential security segment in the country. The growth in this vertical seems so positive that Parks Associates is...

17 October 2019 | Hardware

UK’s Department for Work and Pensions explores using AI to judge benefit claims

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The UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is exploring the use of AI to judge whether benefit claims are true.

An £8 million 'intelligent automation garage' has been created by the DWP with the goal of developing up to 100 new robots to assist Britain's welfare system. 1,000 new IT staff have also been recruited to help support the DWP's ambitions.

The DWP is working with New York-based UiPath on the system, along with tech giants IBM, Tata Consultancy, and...

16 October 2019 | Government

Mozilla shares YouTube horror tales in campaign for responsible algorithms

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Mozilla has launched a campaign for more responsible algorithms by sharing YouTube horror tales crowdsourced from social media.

We've all scratched our heads at some recommendations when using online platforms. Just yesterday, Verge reporter Megan Farokhmanesh shared how her Instagram recommendations have been plagued by some rather bizarre CGI images of teeth.

Farokhmanesh's account is of a recommendation algorithm going rogue in a relatively harmless and amusing way,...

15 October 2019 | Ethics

Pinterest uses AI to reduce self-harm content by 88% over the past year

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Pinterest announced on World Mental Health Day that it’s reduced self-harm content by 88 percent over the past year using AI.

In a blog post titled Getting better at helping people feel better, the social media platform says it’s using machine learning techniques to identify content which displays, encourages, or rationalises self-harm.

Anxiety and depression are at all-time highs while many countries are failing to properly fund mental health services. In the UK,...

11 October 2019 | Healthcare

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

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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