Artificial intelligence

US voters prefer cautious AI regulation over China race

A recent poll by the AI Policy Institute has shed light on strong public opinion in the United States regarding the regulation of AI.

Contrary to claims from the tech industry that strict regulations could hinder competition with China, a majority of American voters prioritise safety and control over the rapid development of AI. The poll reveals that 75% of both Democrats and Republicans prefer a cautious approach to AI development to prevent its misuse by adversaries.

The debate underscores growing concerns about national security and technological competitiveness. While China leads in AI patents, with over 38,000 registered compared to the US’s 6,300, Americans seem wary of sacrificing regulatory oversight in favour of expedited innovation.

Most respondents advocate for stringent safety measures and testing requirements to mitigate potential risks associated with powerful AI technologies.

Moreover, the poll highlights widespread support for restrictions on exporting advanced AI models to countries like China, reflecting broader apprehensions about technology transfer and national security. Despite the absence of comprehensive federal AI regulation in the US, states like California have begun to implement their own measures, prompting varied responses from tech industry leaders and policymakers alike.

EU’s AI Act influences New Zealand’s digital strategy

As governments worldwide grapple with AI regulation and digital identity strategies, many are looking to the EU for guidance. In New Zealand, the EU’s AI Act and EUDI wallet program serve as valuable models. Dr Nessa Lynch, an expert on emerging technology regulation, highlights the need for legal and policy safeguards to ensure AI development prioritises public interests over commercial ones. She argues that the EU’s AI Act, framed as product safety legislation, protects people from high-risk AI uses and promotes trustworthy AI. However, she notes the controversial exceptions for law enforcement and national security.

Lynch emphasises that regulation must balance innovation and trust. For New Zealand, adopting a robust regulatory framework is crucial for fostering public trust in AI. The current gaps in its privacy and data protection laws, along with unclear AI usage guidelines, could hinder innovation and public confidence. Lynch stresses the importance of a people-centred approach to regulation, ensuring AI is used responsibly and ethically.

Similarly, New Zealand’s digital identity strategy is evolving alongside its AI regulation. The recent launch of the New Zealand Trust Framework Authority aims to verify digital identity service providers. Professor Markus Luczak-Roesch from Victoria University of Wellington highlights the transformative potential of digital ID, which must be managed in line with national values. He points to Estonia and Norway as models for integrating digital ID with robust data infrastructure and ethical AI development, stressing the importance of avoiding technologies that may carry unethical components or incompatible values.

The National Education Association approves AI policy to guide educators

The US National Education Association (NEA) Representative Assembly (RA) delegates have approved the NEA’s first policy statement on the use of AI in education, providing educators with a roadmap for the safe, effective, and accessible use of AI in classrooms.

Since the fall of 2023, a task force of teachers, education support professionals, higher-ed faculty, and other stakeholders has been diligently working on this policy. Their efforts resulted in a 6-page policy statement, which RA delegates reviewed during an open hearing on 24 June and overwhelmingly approved on Thursday.

A central tenet of the new policy is that students and educators must remain at the heart of the educational process. AI should continue the human connection essential for inspiring and guiding students. The policy highlights that while AI can enhance education, it must be used responsibly, focusing on protecting data, ensuring equitable access, and providing opportunities for learning about AI.

The task force identified several opportunities AI presents, such as customising instructional methods for students with disabilities and making classrooms more inclusive. However, they also acknowledged risks, including potential biases due to the lack of diversity among AI developers and the environmental impact of AI technology. It’s crucial to involve traditionally marginalised groups in AI development and policy-making to ensure inclusivity. The policy clarifies that AI shouldn’t be used to make high-stakes decisions like class placements or graduation eligibility.

Why does this matter?

The policy underscores the importance of comprehensive professional learning for educators on AI to ensure its ethical and effective use in teaching. More than 7 in 10 K-12 teachers have never received professional learning on AI. It also raises concerns about exacerbating the digital divide, emphasising that all students should have access to cutting-edge technology and educators skilled in its use across all subjects, not just in computer science.

Washington Post launches AI chatbot for climate queries

The Washington Post has introduced a new AI-driven chatbot named Climate Answers, designed to respond to user inquiries about climate issues using information from its articles. The undertaking underscores the Post’s broader strategy to leverage AI to enhance user engagement and accessibility to its journalistic content.

Chief Technology Officer Vineet Khosla highlighted that while the chatbot focuses solely on climate queries, plans include expanding its capabilities to cover other topics. Climate Answers was developed collaboratively by the Post’s product, engineering, and editorial teams, with support from AI firms like OpenAI and Meta’s Llama.

The chatbot operates by sourcing responses from a custom large-language model that synthesises information from multiple Washington Post articles on climate. Crucially, the Post ensures that all answers provided by Climate Answers are grounded in verified journalism, prioritising accuracy and reliability.

Why does it matter?

The Post’s AI initiative demonstrates its broader experimentation in integrating AI into its platform, including recent developments like AI-generated article summaries. The goal is to enhance user experience and engagement, particularly among younger readers who may prefer summarised content as a gateway to deeper exploration of news stories.

Looking ahead, the Washington Post remains open to partnerships that expand the reach of its journalism while maintaining fairness and integrity in content distribution. As the media landscape evolves, the Post monitors user interaction metrics closely to gauge the impact of AI-driven tools on audience engagement and content consumption habits.

OpenAI and Arianna Huffington fund AI health coach development

OpenAI and Arianna Huffington are teaming up to fund the development of an AI health coach through Thrive AI Health, aiming to personalise health guidance using scientific data and personal health metrics shared by users. The initiative, detailed in a Time magazine op-ed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Huffington, seeks to leverage AI advancements to provide insights and advice across sleep, nutrition, fitness, stress management, and social connection.

DeCarlos Love, a former Google executive with experience in wearables, has been appointed CEO of Thrive AI Health. The company has also formed research partnerships with institutions like Stanford Medicine and the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute to bolster its AI-driven health coaching capabilities.

While AI-powered health coaches are gaining popularity, concerns over data privacy and the potential for misinformation persist. Thrive AI Health aims to support users with personalised health tips, targeting individuals lacking access to immediate medical advice or specialised dietary guidance.

Why does this matter?

The development of AI in healthcare promises significant advancements, including accelerating drug development and enhancing diagnostic accuracy. However, challenges remain in ensuring the reliability and safety of AI-driven health advice, particularly in maintaining trust and navigating the limitations of AI’s capabilities in medical decision-making.

Matlock denies AI bot rumours amid concerns over campaign image

Mark Matlock, a political candidate for the right-wing Reform UK party, has affirmed that he is indeed a real person, dispelling rumours that he might be an AI bot. The suspicions arose from a highly edited campaign image and his absence from critical events, prompting a thread on social media platform X that questioned his existence.

The speculation about AI involvement is partially plausible, especially considering that an AI company executive recently used an AI persona to run for Parliament in the UK, though he garnered only 179 votes. However, Matlock clarified that he was severely ill with pneumonia during the election period, rendering him unable to attend events. He provided the original campaign photo, explaining that only minor edits were made.

Why does it matter?

The incident highlights the broader implications of AI in politics. The 2024 elections in the US and elsewhere are already witnessing the impact of AI tools, from deepfake videos to AI-generated political ads. As the use of such technology grows, candidates must maintain transparency and authenticity to avoid similar controversies.

US authorities disrupt Russian AI-powered disinformation campaign

Authorities from multiple countries have issued warnings about a sophisticated disinformation campaign backed by Russia that leverages AI-powered software to spread false information both in the US and internationally. The operation, known as Meliorator, is reportedly being carried out by affiliates of RT (formerly Russia Today), a Russian state-sponsored media outlet, to create fake online personas and disseminate misleading content. Since at least 2022, Meliorator has been employed to spread disinformation targeting the US, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Ukraine, and Israel, as detailed in a joint advisory released by US, Canadian, and Dutch security services.

Meliorator is designed to create fake social media profiles that appear to be real individuals, primarily from the US. These bots can generate original posts, follow users, like, comment, repost, and gain followers. They are capable of mirroring and amplifying existing Russian disinformation narratives. The identities of these bots are crafted based on specific parameters like location, political ideologies, and biographical data. Meliorator can also group bots with similar ideologies to enhance their personas.

Moreover, most bot accounts had over 100,000 followers to avoid detection and followed genuine accounts aligned with their fabricated political leanings. As of June 2024, Meliorator was only operational on X, but there are indications that its functionality might have expanded to other social media networks.

The US Justice Department (DOJ) announced the seizure of two domain names and the search of nearly a thousand social media accounts used by Russian actors to establish an AI-enhanced bot farm with Meliorator’s assistance. The bot farm operators registered fictitious social media accounts using private email servers linked to the seized domain names. The FBI took control of these domains, while social media platform X (formerly Twitter) voluntarily suspended the remaining identified bot accounts for violating terms of service.

FBI Director Christopher Wray emphasised that this marks a significant step in disrupting a Russian-sponsored AI-enhanced disinformation bot farm. The goal of the bot farm was to use AI to scale disinformation efforts, undermining partners in Ukraine and influencing geopolitical narratives favouring the Russian government. These accounts commonly posted pro-Kremlin content, including videos of President Vladimir Putin and criticism of the Ukrainian government.

US authorities have linked the development of Meliorator to a former deputy editor-in-chief at RT in early 2022. RT viewed this bot farm as an alternative means of distributing information beyond its television broadcasts, especially after going off the air in the US in early 2022. The Kremlin approved and financed the bot farm, with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) having access to the software to advance its goals.

The DOJ highlighted that the use of US-based domain names by the FSB violates the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, and the associated payments breach US money laundering laws. Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated that the DOJ and its partners will not tolerate the use of AI by Russian government actors to spread disinformation and sow division among Americans.

Why does it matter?

The disruption of the Russian operation comes just four months before the US presidential election, a period during which security experts anticipate heightened hacking and covert social media influence attempts by foreign adversaries. Attorney General Merrick Garland noted that this is the first public accusation against a foreign government for using generative AI in a foreign influence operation.

AI startup investments surge to $24 billion

Investments in AI startups soared to $24 billion in the last two months, more than doubling from the previous quarter, as reported by sources familiar with the matter. The surge reflects a growing interest in AI technology, making it the largest investment sector, followed by healthcare and biotech. Overall startup funding increased 16% to $79 billion in the last quarter, driven mainly by AI.

The success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT has sparked a race to integrate the latest AI technology in various fields, including business productivity, healthcare, and manufacturing. However, investors and major tech firms caution that substantial returns from these investments are expected to materialise over the next few years.

Five out of six billion-dollar funding rounds were for AI companies during this period. Notable deals included Elon Musk’s xAI raising $6 billion and AI infrastructure provider CoreWeave securing $1.1 billion. In addition, the automated driving company Wayve and data preparation company Scale AI have attracted substantial investments. Cybersecurity firm Wiz, for example, raised a billion dollars in its latest funding round outside the AI sector.

Why does it matter?

Despite the recent increase, overall startup funding remains lower than in the past three years. Global funding dropped 5% to $147 billion in the year’s first half and remained flat compared to the latter half of 2023. The tight monetary policy in the US has also slowed the revival of initial public offerings (IPOs), a significant source of returns for institutional private market investors who typically invest in startups and sell shares during IPOs.

AI conference spotlights Chinese GPU advances

At the recent World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Chinese GPU developers seized the opportunity to showcase their products in Nvidia’s absence. Prominent companies such as Iluvatar Corex, Moore Threads, Enflame Technology, Sophgo, and Huawei’s Ascend were at the forefront, highlighting their advancements despite significant challenges in manufacturing and software ecosystems.

Enflame Technology emphasised the shift from foreign-dominated computing clusters to a mix of Chinese and foreign GPUs. The company, along with AI solutions firm Infinigence, is promoting compute resources that utilise a variety of chips from both Nvidia and Chinese manufacturers. However, US export restrictions have prevented Nvidia from selling its most advanced chips in China, and several Chinese firms, including Huawei, are struggling with manufacturing hurdles due to being blacklisted by the US.

Huawei’s booth was a major attraction, showcasing its Ascend 910B chips, which train numerous large language models in China. Meanwhile, Enflame presented its Cloudblazer T20 and T21 AI-training chips, benefiting from not being on the US trade blacklist, which allows it access to global foundries like TSMC.

Despite these efforts, Chinese GPUs still need to catch up with their global counterparts regarding performance. Nvidia remains a dominant player, with tailored chips for the Chinese market continuing to be popular. Nvidia is expected to deliver over 1 million H20 GPUs in China this year, generating $12 billion in sales. However, experts highlight that China’s in-house technology still needs to meet its substantial domestic AI demand.

AI driving transformation in financial services

At YourStory’s Tech Leaders’ Conclave, Ankur Pal, Chief Data Scientist at Aplazo, discussed how AI is transforming the financial services industry. Aplazo aims to address financial inclusion, especially in developing countries with low credit card penetration, by providing fair and transparent solutions like their Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) platform. Pal highlighted AI’s potential to revolutionise fintech by creating personalised financial products and improving operational efficiency, ultimately reducing friction for consumers and institutions.

Pal emphasised AI’s role in enhancing decision-making processes, reducing fraud, and improving customer service. AI-driven solutions enable real-time data processing, which helps financial institutions detect and prevent fraud more effectively.

Additionally, AI can automate routine tasks, allowing financial professionals to focus on strategic initiatives. The real-time decision-making is becoming increasingly important as financial institutions invest in event streaming infrastructure and machine learning operations (MLOps) stacks to manage high transaction volumes with low latency.

Overcoming financial inclusion barriers was a key topic, with Pal noting that many developing countries still have a large unbanked or underbanked population despite high bank account ownership. AI can bridge this gap by offering tailored financial solutions for underserved communities.

Pal also discussed the importance of leadership and the skill sets required for building successful AI teams. He stressed the need for adaptability, continuous learning, and a deep understanding of both technology and business to create valuable AI solutions. While AI will transform job roles, it will also create new opportunities, making it crucial for leaders to foster a culture of innovation.

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