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Adobe report reveals growing adoption of Generative AI among Americans

The most recent Adobe study found the growing acceptance of Generative AI (Gen AI) within the American population, with more than half of individuals already engaging with it and anticipating increased use across various facets of their lives. The research, conducted through a survey of 3,000 US consumers, indicates that Gen AI is predominantly utilised for personal purposes, although its application in professional and educational environments is on the rise.

Consumers are employing Gen AI for diverse tasks such as research, generating content, designing visuals, and even coding. A majority view Gen AI as a tool capable of augmenting creativity and productivity, with many foreseeing it streamlining their lives and fostering greater innovation in the future. However, there remains a prevalent belief that, despite its potency, Gen AI will never outmatch human creativity.

Looking forward, consumers express enthusiasm for Gen AI’s potential to facilitate skill acquisition, simplify shopping experiences, enhance customer support, and enable content creation on social media platforms. Additionally, a significant portion of consumers anticipates brands integrating Gen AI into their customer interactions, particularly through avenues like chatbots and tailored experiences. Despite current usage, there’s room for improvement in how brands leverage Gen AI to enhance customer experiences, as consumers desire swifter, more personalised, and more imaginative interactions.

Why does this matter?

The increasing acceptance of Gen AI reflects broader trends in technology adoption and societal attitudes towards AI. Understanding these trends can inform future developments and strategies in various industries.

Canada tightens foreign investment rules for AI, Space Tech

Canada has tightened regulations on foreign investments, particularly in critical sectors such as AI, quantum computing, space technology, and critical minerals. Non-Canadian entities are now required to notify the government before investing in these areas. The reason behind this regulation is to safeguard national interests.

The government has also enhanced its review process to assess potential risks, thereby protecting against threats to national security and economic sovereignty. While emphasising national security, Canada recognises the importance of foreign investment for economic growth and innovation. Consequently, efforts to strengthen partnerships with international allies, particularly in minerals production and technology innovation, aim to bolster economic resilience.

Canada is actively monitoring and regulating Chinese investment activities, implementing specific measures to prevent undue influence or control. This reflects broader concerns among Western nations regarding national security and economic sovereignty.

How will AI transform the UK’s job landscape?

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) released its report, ‘Transformed by AI’, signalling a potential structural change in the employment sector due to the advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). This analysis highlights the critical juncture with the rapid progression of generative AI technologies. 

The document ventures into the ongoing discussion regarding the effects of automation on employment, suggesting that the swift uptake of generative AI might pave the way for unprecedented changes.

The IPPR’s findings suggest that up to 8 million positions in the UK could be endangered by automation, with women, younger employees, and lower-wage earners as the most susceptible groups.

The first wave of AI adoption 

The emergence of generative AI, characterized by its ability in generating text, code, and demonstrating high-level reasoning, is already making significant inroads into the UK’s economic framework. The IPPR report highlights the susceptibility of entry-level, part-time, and administrative roles to automation facilitated by generative AI technologies. These technologies, capable of understanding and creating text, data, and software, present a formidable challenge to conventional job functions. Notably, the analysis warns of a gender disparity in automation’s impact, with women at a higher risk due to their overrepresentation in jobs most exposed to automation.

The second wave of AI adoption

The report also signals a looming, more pronounced impact during the next phase of AI integration. As businesses begin to integrate AI more deeply into their operations, covering non-routine tasks which would affect higher-earning jobs, an urgent discussion about the workforce’s future and the necessity for strategic interventions becomes pressing. 

Policy Responses to Mitigate AI’s Impact

The trajectory of these developments, as the IPPR report suggests, will largely depend on the immediate policy decisions and strategic planning. 

The IPPR report calls for a job-centric industrial strategy for AI, focusing on protecting jobs, fostering the creation of new roles, and addressing the fallout from automation. This strategy includes recommendations like ring-fencing certain tasks to ensure they remain human-centric, adjusting fiscal policies to encourage job augmentation over replacement, and exploring new avenues for job creation in sectors less susceptible to automation, such as green jobs and social care.

Carsten Jung, senior economist at IPPR, emphasizes that “Technology isn’t destiny, and a jobs apocalypse is not inevitable [..] Government, employers, and unions have the opportunity to make crucial design decisions now that ensure we manage this new technology well. “

China aims to establish advanced metaverse industrial cluster

China has unveiled a national plan to develop its own metaverse by 2025, with the goal of creating three to five globally influential metaverse companies. This plan was published by five Chinese ministries led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a policy document.

The policy blueprint covering the time period of 2023 to 2025 highlights the application of metaverse technology in various industries, such as home appliances, automotive, and aerospace.

The development of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and virtual reality technologies will be key to achieving the metaverse vision and the Chinese government aims to establish three to five industrial clusters around these emerging technologies. The document also suggests that manufacturing industries, including steel and textiles, can adopt related technologies to optimize scheduling, material calculation, and other parts of the production process.

Previously, some local authorities in China like Henan and Shanghai province have also issued their own policies to promote metaverse development, emphasizing on how it can support the economy and traditional industries.

Mexico City cafe introduces iris scanning for global digital ID project

Enthusiastic early adopters recently gathered at a café in Mexico City where they underwent iris scanning using a futuristic sphere. This sphere is part of an ambitious project that aims to establish a unique digital identity for every individual worldwide. This effort called the Worldcoin project, is active in around thirty countries, including Mexico.

Led by Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, and his co-founded crypto company Tools for Humanity, the project aims to create distinct digital identities for individuals globally. The orb’s iris scanning, conducted in about thirty countries, seeks to differentiate humans from bots online, offering participants a cryptocurrency incentive. It captures users’ iris images and converts them into unique numerical codes known as iris codes. These codes are used solely for confirming a user’s identity, with the actual iris images being deleted by default. Despite privacy concerns, project leaders assure that only unique iris codes are retained for identity verification, but critics raise questions about data processing timelines and iris code ownership.

Why does it matter?

While the Worldcoin project could potentially revolutionize online interactions, it raises important ethical questions about data ownership, retention, and the potential for misuse of biometric information. Sharing his perspective on privacy, one of the participants of this project, Jose Incera, who exchanged his iris scan for approximately $54 worth of Worldcoin cryptocurrency, noted that the inevitability of sharing information prevails in the current digital era. This demonstrates that consumers are not opposed to sharing personal information as long as there are tangible benefits they can readily embrace. Ethical data collection, transparency, and ensuring that users fully comprehend the trade-offs are crucial for responsible data-driven practices in the digital age.

AI will have a significant impact on jobs, the OECD said

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), more than a quarter of jobs in their member countries rely on skills that could be easily automated with the rise of AI. Furthermore, the survey found that three out of five workers fear losing their jobs to AI in the next decade. While the impact of AI on jobs has not been significant yet, the OECD believes this may be due to the early stages of the AI revolution.

The OECD further highlighted that, on average, 27% of the labour force in their member countries holds jobs that have a high risk of automation. Particularly in Eastern European countries, there is a significant vulnerability to job automation. The OECD defines jobs at the highest risk as those involving the utilisation of more than 25 out of the 100 skills and abilities that AI experts consider easily automatable.

The aim of the survey was to assess the forthcoming AI revolution in OECD countries, as indicated by the rapid progress, falling costs, and availability of AI-skilled workers, which may lead to increased adoption of AI in firms. To effectively prepare for this revolution, gathering comprehensive data on AI implementation and its impact on jobs and skills is crucial.

Despite these concerns, two-thirds of workers who are already utilising AI indicated that automation had alleviated the monotony and risk associated with their jobs.

Chief AI scientist at Meta states that AI won’t permanently displace jobs

Prof. Yann LeCun, the Chief AI Scientist at Meta and one of the people dubbed “godfathers of AI”, believes that AI technology will not take over the world or cause permanent job loss. In 2018, Prof. LeCun, Geoffrey Hinton, and Yoshua Bengio won the Turing Award for their breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence, earning them the nickname “godfathers of AI.” He disagrees with his fellow pioneers on the issue of AI posing a threat to humanity.

Prof. LeCun believes those who worry about AI being a threat to humans cannot imagine how it can be made safe. He also believes that computers will eventually surpass human intelligence, but that this is still years away. If it is determined that creating this technology is not safe, it should not be pursued.

Regarding AI’s impact on jobs, Prof. LeCun states that AI has the potential to change many jobs but will not permanently displace many people. Instead, he believes it will create a new renaissance for humanity. He also commented on Europe’s AI Act, stating that AI start-ups believe it is too broad and restrictive and that each AI application should have its own rules.

US citizen sues ChatGPT for defamation

OpenAI and ChatGPT are facing a defamation lawsuit over the false identification of a US citizen, Mark Walters, in a criminal case involving a pro-gun foundation and embezzlement of funds. According to the filing, Walters claims that ChatGPT generated false information after the local journalist asked for a summary of the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) complaint against Washington’s State Attorney General’s office over harassment accusations by giving the chatbot the URL link. Walters claims that ChatGPT responded in its summary and falsely identified him as the Chief Financial Officer of SAF, accusing him of defrauding SAF and identifying him as. In addition to falsely identifying Walters, his lawyers claim that ChatGPT erred in saying that the case was about financial and accounting claims. Walters became aware of the situation only after the local journalist contacted him to fact-check the information. As such, OpenAI is accused of negligence, libel, and recklessly disregarding the falsity of the communication.

Meta previous new AI tools on its platforms

Meta Platforms (formerly known as Facebook) recently previewed a range of new AI tools to its employees. These tools include ChatGPT-like chatbots for Messenger and WhatsApp for using different personas for conversations. According to a Meta spokesperson, there will also be two Instagram features, one which will modify user photos via text prompts and another one to create emoji stickers for messaging services. The company also announced a productivity assistant for employees called Metamate, which would answer questions and perform tasks based on the company’s internal system. Meta has not released any generative AI products for consumers yet. However, it recently revealed its collaboration with a select group of advertisers to test AI tools for generating image backgrounds and different versions of written content for their ad campaigns. Meta EO, Mark Zuckerberg, stated that recent progress in generative AI of Meta’s AI divisions has enabled the company to incorporate this technology into every single one of their products.

Indian government is not considering any law to regulate AI

India has taken a firm stance by announcing that it has no intentions to regulate AI. This announcement comes amidst growing concerns caused by the rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard, which has prompted calls to slow down from influential voices.

While acknowledging the risks that AI can pose, such as privacy concerns, bias, and potential job displacement, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology appears to prioritize the positive impact that AI can have on the digital economy. The ministry believes that AI will strengthen entrepreneurship and businesses and play a significant strategic role in India’s future. While working on standardizing responsible AI guidelines to promote healthy industry growth, India diverges from the increasing alarm expressed by US and European policymakers.

The ‘What about China?’ argument has also been raised, suggesting that India’s approach to AI regulation sets it apart from China’s cautious regulatory environment. Although India has been a relatively late entrant in AI investment, it aims to create an environment conducive to AI innovation, especially if ambitious technologists feel constrained by regulatory frameworks in the US and other countries.