White House will take a ‘hands-off’ approach to AI regulation

The White House has decided it will take a ‘hands-off’ approach to AI regulation despite many experts calling for safe and ethical standards to be set. Some of the world’s greatest minds have expressed concern about the development of AI without regulations — including the likes of Elon Musk, and the late Stephen Hawking. Musk famously said unregulated AI could post “the biggest risk we face as a civilisation”, while Hawking similarly warned “the development of full...

11 May 2018 | Ethics

House of Lords: The UK can lead in AI by putting ethics first

uk house of lords ai ethics report

A report published today by the House of Lords reveals the current outlook for AI in the United Kingdom and suggests practical measures to secure its place as a global leader. While the world faces a shortage of AI talent, the UK’s leading universities produce candidates who are often snapped up quickly. Some of the biggest players in the space invest heavily in UK companies — most notable, perhaps, is Google’s £400 million acquisition of Cambridge-based DeepMind. The Lords’ report...

16 April 2018 | Ethics

Microsoft dropped some potential deals over AI ethical concerns

According to a director at Microsoft Research Labs, the company has dropped some potential deals with customers over ethical concerns their AI technology may be misused. Speaking at the Carnegie Mellon University – K&L Gates Conference on Ethics and AI in Pittsburgh, Eric Horvitz made the revelation. He says the group at Microsoft looking into possible misuse on a case-by-case basis is the Aether Committee (“Aether” stands for AI and Ethics in Engineering and...

10 April 2018 | Ethics

#MWC18: Taking responsibility for AI

mwc 2018 paula boddington ai ethics

A session here at MWC 2018 titled ‘AI Everywhere: Ethics and Responsibility’ explored some of the questions we should be asking ourselves as the ethical minefield of AI development progresses. Dr Paula Boddington, a researcher and philosopher from Oxford University, wrote the book ‘Towards a Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence’ and led today’s proceedings. She claims to embrace technological progress but wants to ensure all potential impacts of developments have been...

27 February 2018 | Ethics

Home Office unveils AI tool for tackling extremist content

Following impatience with technology leaders in delivering measures to fight the spread of extremist content, the Home Office has unveiled its own AI tool for detecting it with impressive accuracy. The UK government has long called on tech giants to ensure any extremist content is removed from their platforms quickly. A report from the Home Affairs Committee slammed the likes of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for "consciously failing" to remove terrorist propaganda. Most law-abiding...

13 February 2018 | Ethics