Weekly Digest on AI and Emerging Technologies (2 December 2024)

HIGHLIGHTS FROM DAILY DIGEST – WEEK 25 TO 28 NOVEMBER 2024

 

STRATEGIES, GOVERNANCE, AND LEGISLATION

 

‘Team Human’ vs. AI: MIT expert issues warning on artificial general intelligence risks

(Camille Tuutti – NextGov – 27 November 2024) Artificial intelligence could cure diseases, prevent accidents and transform industries — but at what cost? As tech giants race to create AI that rivals or eclipses human intelligence, one expert warns this path could leave humanity behind. Speaking on Nov. 12 at Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal, MIT professor and Future of Life Institute President Max Tegmark presented a stark choice: Use AI responsibly to solve real-world problems, or risk creating a technology we can’t control. The future of humanity, Tegmark suggested, may hinge on this decision. – https://www.nextgov.com/artificial-intelligence/2024/11/team-human-vs-ai-mit-expert-issues-warning-artificial-general-intelligence-risks/401331/?oref=ng-home-top-story

 

AI for everyone? A roadmap to substantive equality in AI ecosystems

 

(Benjamin Prud’Homme, Paola Ricaurte Quijano – OSCE.AI – 27 November 2024) In the whirlwind of artificial intelligence’s development and deployment, one fact has made itself clear: AI systems tend to mirror the world we live in, magnifying existing societal inequalities and deepening the historical marginalisation of certain groups. You may have heard the aphorism that AI is only as good as the data on which it’s trained — and of course, that data is usually drawn from real life, from the flawed but ever-progressing world we inhabit. The same is true for AI’s design, development, and governance, where gaps and harms of historic proportions persist. If not approached with a deliberate focus on equality, every phase of AI systems’ life cycle could exacerbate existing disparities within and between countries. Although many would recognise that everyone should benefit from AI development, action toward greater equality in AI ecosystems is one of the areas of AI governance that receives the least investment. There is a glaring need to establish a strong global framework to enable policymakers to achieve gender equality and diversity in AI. – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/roadmap-equality-ai-ecosystems

 

Is Europe About to Slow the Pace on Digital Regulations?

(Itsiq Benizri, Ekaterina Fakirova – Lawfare – 26 November 2024) “How have you managed to tame Big Tech?” asked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on a visit to the European Parliament in October 2023. In recent years, most businesses, including U.S. companies, have been confronted with a growing number of demanding European digital regulations with extensive extraterritorial effects. Now, influential European voices are asking: Has this gone too far? Could these rules and regulations be undermining Europe’s competitiveness? Mario Draghi, former European Central Bank chief, raised these concerns in a report in September. He asserted that the European Commission’s “legislative activity has been growing excessively” in recent years and that “innovative companies that want to scale up in Europe are hindered at every stage by inconsistent and restrictive regulations.” Whether and to what extent Draghi’s report will influence the new European Commission following the upcoming European elections remains unknown. Our take? It might not have the impact some are hoping for. Draghi’s report is somewhat late—it was published three months after the EU elections, which bolstered far-right parties that would oppose implementing his recommendations. In any case, the new European Commission is expected to continue the previous commission’s legislative agenda and has announced plans to further regulate the tech industry, focusing on interface designs. –  https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/is-europe-about-to-slow-the-pace-on-digital-regulations

 

The True Impact of Allied Export Controls on the U.S. and Chinese Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Industries

(Gregory C. Allen – Center for Strategic & International Studies – 26 November 2024) There is a fierce debate in the United States and among its allies about the impacts of export controls, and nowhere is that debate more heated than in the semiconductor equipment manufacturing industry. Too often, however, this debate occurs without any grounding in real-world data or relevant historical Chinese policy context. This paper seeks to provide some of that grounding through a combination of Chinese policy document analysis and new financial and market share data for leading semiconductor equipment firms in China, the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands. – https://www.csis.org/analysis/true-impact-allied-export-controls-us-and-chinese-semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment

 

Artificial Intelligence Priorities for the Next (US) Administration

(Sebastian Elbaum, Adam Segal – Council on Foreign Relations – 26 November 2024) By many measures, the United States dominates the AI landscape: it is home to more top AI models and more leading companies and invests more in AI development than China and Europe. The U.S. market is dominated by a handful of private companies producing foundational models—large models trained on vast data sets that can perform many tasks—but there is a rapidly growing ecosystem of smaller companies building specialized systems, often on top of foundational ones.  – https://www.cfr.org/expert-brief/artificial-intelligence-priorities-next-administration

Leveraging Generative AI for Job Augmentation and Workforce Productivity: Scenarios, Case Studies, and a Framework for Action

(World Economic Forum – 25 November 2024) Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) could significantly boost productivity while reshaping many jobs. By aligning strategic goals with the needs of their people, organizations can create an environment where GenAI improves job quality, productivity, and helps employees take on more meaningful and impactful work. This report considers four alternative scenarios for the way GenAI could shape the workplace in the coming years and outlines the key steps organizations need to take to maximize its benefits. Drawing on interviews with early adopters of GenAI, it provides practical insights and an actionable framework for using GenAI effectively. Importantly, the most promising applications are often those embraced and championed by workers themselves. – https://www.weforum.org/publications/leveraging-generative-ai-for-job-augmentation-and-workforce-productivity/

 

Central and Eastern Europe’s bid for AI dominance

(Sona Muzikarova – ASPI The Strategist – 25 November 2024) While the world’s attention remains focused on Ukraine’s heroic stand against Russian aggression, a quieter revolution is reshaping Central and Eastern European (CEE) economies. CEE countries have emerged as vibrant innovation hubs in recent years, generating a wave of new tech unicorns. Romania’s UiPath, for example, has become an automation leader, enhancing workplace efficiency by freeing workers from repetitive tasks. Poland’s Docplanner is revolutionising health care access by leveraging artificial intelligence to connect millions of patients with doctors. And while Croatia’s Infobip, with its AI-enhanced communication platform, facilitates seamless interactions between businesses, governments and citizens, Bulgaria’s Payhawk is transforming corporate finance by streamlining expense management. – https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/central-and-eastern-europes-bid-for-ai-dominance/

Mapping minds: brain activity data can be used for smart city planning

(Paulina Okunytė – Cybernews – 22 November 2024) Analyzing the mental construction of urban spaces even further, a new interdisciplinary approach emerged – neuro-urbanism. This brings neuroscientists, urban researchers, and architects together to create city designs based on the needs of inhabitants. A current study by researchers from Michigan State University, with collaborators from the University of Lisbon, is opening the doors to using neuroimaging in city planning to ensure the well-being of residents and visitors. “Neuro-urbanism has the potential to contribute significantly to the design of cities that prioritize cognitive, emotional, and physical well-being,” said Dar Meshi, the lead author of the study. “By prioritizing the well-being of individuals, cities can create environments that are conducive to the overall health and happiness of their inhabitants.” – https://cybernews.com/science/brain-activity-data-smart-city-planning/

Transforming the financial services sector in Africa with 4IR technologies

(Landry Signé – Brookings – 22 November 2024) Despite the prevailing narrative that Africa is falling behind in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the continent is actually home to half of the world’s mobile money accounts, making it a pioneer in integrating 4IR technology into the financial services industry, according to 4C Group and GSMA. As numerous African-led innovations prove, and as I argue in my book Africa’s Fourth Industrial Revolution, advanced technologies have already provided and continue to offer unprecedented opportunities for the continent to improve business performance and connect millions of unbanked people to financial services. – https://www.brookings.edu/articles/transforming-the-financial-services-sector-in-africa-with-4ir-technologies/

Beyond ChatGPT: US leads in AI by ‘wide margin’

(Justinas Vainilavičius – Cybernews – 22 November 2024) ChatGPT is likely the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the words “artificial intelligence.” The AI boom began in the US with the launch of OpenAI’s chatbot two years ago and continues to give the country a significant edge over other nations. Data collected by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI shows the US leading all other nations by a ‘wide margin’ in key areas of the global AI ecosystem. According to its Global Vibrancy Tool 2024, the US has released more AI models, invested more, and produced more quality AI research than any other country. China ranks second but lags significantly from the US, followed by the UK, India, UAE, France, and South Korea. Germany, Japan, and Singapore round up the top 10. In total, 36 countries were analyzed across 42 indicators to assess the strength of their AI ecosystems. – https://cybernews.com/ai-news/chatgpt-us-leads-artificial-intelligence/

Social dialogue and AI: Global Deal focus group on social dialogue and the use of AI systems in the workplace

(OECD.AI – 22 November 2024) The rise of generative AI technologies and other advanced AI systems has significantly transformed workplaces. While the introduction of AI offers substantial benefits in terms of productivity and its potential for automation and augmentation of tasks, it also raises concerns about job displacement, work intensification, privacy, respect for labour rights, equality, and accountability. This is where social dialogue becomes crucial as a tool to generate consensus between representatives from workers’ and employers’ organisations and governments to address labour market challenges. Effective social dialogue requires effective access to the rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, as well as mutual respect and trust to create favourable conditions for collaboration. As a joint ILO-OECD initiative, the Global Deal is a multi-stakeholder partnership for the promotion of social dialogue to promote decent work and sound industrial relations. The Global Deal recently conducted a focus group to explore the impact of AI on employment and working conditions and the role of social dialogue when introducing AI systems in the workplace.  – https://oecd.ai/en/wonk/global-deal

Memorandum Outlines U.S. Government’s Role in AI Development

(Janneke Parrish, Megan Thomas, Omid Ghaffari-Tabrizi – Lawfare – 22 November 2024) On Oct. 24, President Biden released a National Security Memorandum on artificial intelligence (NSM on AI), in addition to an accompanying framework offering high-level recommendations. The NSM fulfills a requirement outlined in Section 4.8 of Executive Order 14110, which requires large AI developers and providers to share safety tests with the government, directs agencies to establish safety and testing standards, and calls for action to address the technology’s impact. The NSM applies to agencies within the intelligence community and those using National Security Systems (NSS); the framework serves as guidance for agencies in managing their “respective components/sub-agencies.” Both documents are intended to serve as the Department of Defense/intelligence community counterpart to the civilian-focused memorandum on AI (M-24-10) issued by the Office of Management and Budget—representing a comprehensive government approach to AI. Accordingly, the NSM is the “first-ever” such document, with an overarching goal of responsibly, safely, and securely ensuring an “edge over rivals seeking to leverage AI to the detriment of [U.S.] national security.” The administration outlined “three core principles”: securing American leadership in AI, harnessing AI for national security, and accelerating responsible adoption via “clear rules of the road.” – https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/memorandum-outlines-u.s.-government-s-role-in-ai-development

What Donald Trump’s Victory Means for AI Policy, Chips, and AI Development

 

(Alex Friedland – Center for Security and Emerging Technology – 21 November 2024) Donald Trump’s victory in this month’s presidential election has many in the AI world wondering: what will the next four years look like for AI policy? Trump’s first term as president coincided with the start of the current boom in AI research and development. In 2017 — his first year in office — Google researchers published “Attention Is All You Need,” the hugely influential research paper that introduced the transformer architecture underlying today’s most powerful generative AI systems. In 2020, near the end of his first term, OpenAI released GPT-3, the company’s first model to make serious mainstream waves (a later version of GPT-3 powered ChatGPT when it launched in 2022). – https://cset.georgetown.edu/article/what-donald-trumps-victory-means-for-ai-policy-chips-and-ai-development/

Artificial Intelligence and the health workforce

 

(OECD.AI – 20 November 2024) Healthcare has progressed through advancements in medicine, leading to improved global life expectancy. Nevertheless, the sector grapples with increasing challenges such as heightened demand, soaring costs, and an overburdened workforce. Factors contributing to health workforce strain include ageing populations, increasing burden from non-communicable and chronic diseases, healthcare providers’ burnout, and evolving patient expectations. Artificial Intelligence (AI) could potentially transform healthcare by alleviating some of these pressures. – https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/artificial-intelligence-and-the-health-workforce_9a31d8af-en

Exploring AI Governance: Short Reports on Key Issues

(RAND Corporation – 20 November 2024) Artificial intelligence (AI) is at the heart of current social, legal and ethical issues that governments, legislators, regulators, and the wider civil society are grappling with. At present, there are several notable efforts globally to determine the most effective ways to govern AI, although the structure and purpose of this oversight shows considerable variation across different jurisdictions. The European Union (EU) and the U.S. are two such prominent jurisdictions. The EU’s AI Act is a landmark piece of legislation that lays out, for the first time, a detailed and wide-ranging framework for the comprehensive regulation of AI deployment in the EU covering the development, testing and usage of AI. Although the U.S. has not yet instituted any comprehensive federal legislation on AI, the White House took a significant step towards establishing a governance regime for AI development and use in the U.S. by issuing an Executive Order in October 2023. Given the substantial economic and geopolitical influence of the EU and the U.S., any regulatory progress in these regions will significantly impact the global trajectory of AI. This, in turn, will have far-reaching effects on the broader societal, legal and ethical consequences linked with the technology’s adoption. – https://www.rand.org/well-being/justice-policy/projects/artificial-intelligence-governance.html

SECURITY

 

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine – 27 November 2024) A British government body tasked with cleaning up nuclear sites has opened a new cybersecurity hub designed to enhance knowledge sharing across the nuclear supply chain. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) opened the Group Cyberspace Collaboration Centre (GCCC) this week in Cumbria, close to Sellafield – which contains the world’s largest stockpile of plutonium. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/nuclear-decommissioning-authority/

 

Why Cybersecurity is Critical in IoT Development Services for a Safer Connected World

 

(Azhan Clark – Infosecurity Magazine – 27 November 2024) The Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized industries by enabling smart, interconnected devices that can gather, analyze, and share data seamlessly. However, as IoT devices proliferate across sectors, they bring with them significant cybersecurity challenges. For businesses looking to leverage IoT, it’s essential to choose IoT development services that prioritize robust cybersecurity measures. In this article, we’ll explore the critical role of cybersecurity in IoT development, the unique challenges IoT poses, and best practices for creating secure IoT solutions. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/blogs/why-cybersecurity-critical-iot-dev/

 

New EU Commission to Unveil Healthcare Cybersecurity Plan in First 100 Days

 

(Kevin Poireault – Infosecurity Magazine – 27 November 2024) Ensuring the European healthcare sector is well-equipped to respond to cyber-attacks will be a top priority for the newly elected European Commission. The Commission will start working to achieve this objective during Ursula von der Leyen’s first 100 days, said Christiane Kirketerp de Viron, Acting Director for Digital Security, Trust, and Cybersecurity at the EU Commission’s DG Connect, during the Financial Times Cyber Resilience Summit Europe, in London on November 27. De Viron said that while the first Von der Leyen Commission was focused on establishing cyber regulation standards with the updated Network and Information Security Directive (NIS2), the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), and the AI Act, the new Commission’s efforts should be on implementation. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/eu-commission-healthcare-cyber-plan/

 

Over a Third of Firms Struggling With Shadow AI

(Phil Muncaster – Infosecurity Magazine) 26 November 2024) Over a third of organizations have admitted that they face major challenges monitoring the use of unsanctioned AI tools in the enterprise, according to Strategy Insights. The London-headquartered consulting firm polled 3320 directors from companies across the US, UK, Germany, the Nordics and Benelux regions in order to better understand how they’re managing AI. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/over-third-firms-struggling-shadow/

 

Five Ransomware Groups Responsible for 40% of Cyber-Attacks in 2024

(Beth Maundrill – Infosecurity Magazine – 22 November 2024) Five ransomware groups, including RansomHub and LockBit 3.0, accounted for 40% of all cyber-attacks in Q3 2024, highlighting the increasing complexity and competition within the ransomware ecosystem, according to research by Corvus Insurance. Overall, the Corvus’ Q3 2024 Cyber Threat Report, The Ransomware Ecosystem is Increasingly Distributed, noted that the ransomware threat level remained elevated. – https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/five-ransomware-groups-40-of/

A new ‘turning point’ for Germany’s cyber posture?

(Matthias Schulze – Binding Hook – 22 November 2024) Germany is likely to hold early elections for a new government in February 2025, after the German governing coalition collapsed on November 7. The issue of active cyber defence is likely to emerge in the short period before the elections. The conservative Christian Democratic Union, which has a high chance of leading the next government, has been a supporter of active cyber defence. As a result, active cyber defence in peacetime may make a comeback. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the ‘Zeitenwende’ (‘historic turning point’), a paradigm shift in Germany’s relationship towards Russia and towards its own military and security policy. The German government created a one-time €100 billion special fund, to boost defence spending and fill gaps in the underfunded and overstretched armed forces, the Bundeswehr, in pursuit of NATO’s 2% target. A large chunk of the special fund was allocated to the cyber and information domain, resulting in many useful initiatives. However, there is still work to be done: Germany must find a way to counter cyber operations in peacetime, come up with more effective strategies to counter influence operations, and update strategic thinking about cyber operations below the threshold of armed attacks. – https://bindinghook.com/articles-binding-edge/a-new-turning-point-for-germanys-cyber-posture/

What will be the impact of AI on the bioweapons treaty?

(James Revill, Clarissa Rios, Louison Mazeaud – Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists – 16 November 2024) The development of biological weapons with reliable, predictable effects has proven difficult in the past. Generating militarily efficient and accurate weapons requires considerable skills and knowledge, and large-scale offensive biological weapons programs involved intensive investments in infrastructure and equipment, along with legions of scientists. Any contemporary program would face similar challenges. Yet with frequent headlines documenting the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence technologies, the community of scholars, diplomats, scientists, and others involved in biological arms control has been engaged in an intense debate over how AI will affect their efforts. https://thebulletin.org/2024/11/what-will-be-the-impact-of-ai-on-the-bioweapons-treaty/#post-heading

FRONTIERS

 

India’s Quantum Computing Advancements in 2024: Ecosystem Growth and Key Initiatives

 

(Cierra Choucair – Quantum Insider – 27 November 2024) India is actively building a quantum ecosystem powered by government support, academic research, and private-sector collaboration. This ecosystem encourages strategic alliances between government, industry, and academia, supporting advancements in fields ranging from quantum communication and cryptography to sensing and materials science. India’s progress is also amplified by over 100 research universities, numerous corporate initiatives, and specialized T-Hubs that drive innovation in specific areas of quantum technology. – https://thequantuminsider.com/2024/11/27/indias-quantum-computing-advancements-in-2024-ecosystem-growth-and-key-initiatives/

 

What Neuralink’s testing could mean for prosthetics

(Marcus Walsh – Cybernews – 26 November 2024) As Wired recently reported, Neuralink has announced that it will run trials on a wireless prosthetic limb controlled by a brain implant. As it stands, the BCI (brain-computer interface) allows a person to control external stimuli, such as moving a mouse cursor or turning on an audio book or TV. With the ability to connect the chip to other devices, you can imagine just how smart and convenient life could become for those with mobility issues. Calibrating an arm to sync with an individual’s motor skills or reflexive actions can take a long time, and some individuals are reluctant to sit and fine-tune this process every morning. – https://cybernews.com/tech/what-neuralinks-testing-could-mean-for-prosthetics/

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