The week's developments on AI, safety and ethics, explained | 14.06.24

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Protecting children in the digital age is more crucial than ever. Angel AI's mission is to mitigate this by developing AI tech that can replace traditional browsers and media platforms.

Tim Estes, Founder and CEO of Angel AI, shares his thoughts in this exclusive OpEd, calling for fundamental redesign of digital spaces to prioritise children's safety and well-being. From addressing dangerous online trends, to BigTech’s failures in protecting young users, this is how we create a healthier digital environment for children, collectively. Read on for a short excerpt below, or cut to the chase and read the full piece on the CogX Blog.

We cover this, plus, Labour’s approach to AI regulation, the race for AI talent (and what it means for startups), and Ukraine’s robot assassins.

- Charlie and the Research and Intelligence Team

P.S You are now able to sign up for the super early bird offer (75% off) to the CogX AI Summit in London on October 7th here.

Transforming the Digital Landscape: Building Online Spaces with our Children in Mind

Recent social media incidents involving dangerous online ads targeting children as well as numerous cases of cyberbullying, fatal social media trends, addiction, inappropriate content, fake news, and grooming, are all acting as sobering reminders of the challenges we face in keeping the digital realm safe for young minds. Despite promises from tech leaders to prioritize child safety, we've allowed the pursuit of profit to overshadow the protection of innocence far too often. We need to fundamentally reconsider our ways of designing digital spaces, especially those where kids tend to gravitate.

This is the ultimate paradox that we've been chasing here at Angel. Big Tech companies have so far failed to address the issues they vowed to prioritize, which I've also talked about in my last newsletter "Big Tech CEOs Called Before Congress to Account for Child Safety Failures.” 

We can't just play whack-a-mole with bad actors and toxic content. We have to fundamentally rethink the incentives and architectures of our digital spaces, especially when it comes to kids. We had the chance to shape the digital landscape into a nurturing place, one that fosters growth, empowerment, and connection for our children. Instead, we allowed it to be hijacked by platforms designed for adult minds and attention spans, then haphazardly unleashed on kids without considering their distinct developmental needs and vulnerabilities. It's time to build something new from the ground up - a technology ecosystem crafted with children at the very center, one that honors their unique ways of learning, exploring and becoming.

Right now, the rapid evolution of digital systems, fueled by their widespread popularity and economic incentives, has led to the limited acknowledgment and examination of negative consequences coming alongside technological innovation. Silicon Valley prioritizes promoting convenience and connectivity when marketing its products. It rarely looks to the…

… want to keep reading? Check out the full OpEd here on the CogX Blog.

Share your expertise! Want to be a guest contributor in our next issue? drop us a line at: editors@cogx.live 

Ethics and Governance

🗳 How would a Labour Government tackle digital regulation and AI? While Conservatives favour a sector-led approach, Labour sees current measures as inadequate and could align more with the EU's stringent AI regulations. 

🔍 Ukraine’s vision of robot assassins shows need for binding AI rules: Ukraine's deputy tech minister proposed AI drones for targeted assassinations at a NATO event. NATO advocates for human oversight in AI use, and plans to revise its AI strategy. 

⚖️ Regulators set the stage for AI antitrust battles: The FTC and DOJ have reached a deal to increase scrutiny on tech giants Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI. This agreement ends a stalemate between the agencies, allowing the DOJ to investigate Nvidia’s chip dominance.

💻 US chip export control rules circumvented by AI cloud services. Chinese companies are exploiting the loophole with high-performance chips, like Nvidia's H100, provided by US-based servers, allowing them to train AI models without importing restricted hardware.

AI Dilemmas

🖌️ Adobe faces serious backlash over AI training policy: The new policy allows users’ unfinished to be used for AI training, sparking accusations of data theft. The backlash intensified over concerns that NDA-based and confidential data could be exploited.

🚨 Child predators use AI to create sexual images of 'stars': Safety groups report rising discussions about creating new images from old CSAM. Calls for stricter laws grow as encrypted messaging services hinder tracking, complicated by AI’s open-source nature.

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Insights & Research

🚔 Phone and seat belt offenders to be targeted by AI: Starting June 10, a mobile camera unit using AI will patrol roads in East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. The AI detects drivers using phones or not wearing seat belts, sending images to officers for verification. 

💼 The War for AI Talent Heats Up: Big tech firms are scrambling to fill AI talent gaps as brain drain sets in. Giants like Microsoft and Google are hiring AI stars, often without interviews, while startups attract talent with the promise of autonomy and financial rewards. 

📉 IMF official warns AI could worsen economic downturns: Gita Gopinath warns of AI's potential to disrupt labour markets, financial markets, and supply chains during downturns. AI automation could lead to higher job losses, particularly in advanced economies. 

🤖 Former OpenAI employee speaks out against AGI bidding war, considering selling AGI to China and Russia. He revealed he was fired for a memo warning about the Chinese Communist Party stealing algorithmic secrets which HR deemed “racist and unconstructive”. 

📱 Can Apple Catch Up in the AI Race? As Google and Microsoft advance in gen AI, Apple risks falling behind. Despite their recent ‘Apple intelligence’ reveal, Apple’s challenge lies in convincing consumers of the necessity and privacy benefits of AI features on their devices.

In case you missed it

Breaking: Elon Musk drops suit against OpenAI.

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🚀 You are now able to sign up for the super early bird offer (75% off) to the CogX AI Summit in London on October 7th here.