Governments Lay Down the Law
Legislators worldwide wrote new laws — some proposed, some enacted — to rein in societal impacts of automation.What happened: Authorities at all levels ratcheted up regulatory pressure as
AI Hubs Are Few and Far Between
A new study warns that the geographic concentration of AI in the United States is making the industry too insular.What’s new: A report by the Brookings Institution documents the extent to
White House Supports Limits on AI
As governments worldwide mull their AI strategies and policies, the Biden administration called for a “bill of rights” to mitigate adverse consequences.What’s new: Top advisors to the U.S. president announced a plan to issue rules
Who Needs a Covid Test? AI Decides
Greece’s border agents last year had enough Covid tests to swab only 17 percent of people who sought to enter the country. They managed the shortage by using an AI system to flag high-risk visitors.
Driverless Delivery in High Gear
Walmart aims to deliver goods via self-driving vehicles this year.What’s new: The retail giant will test autonomous delivery in three U.S. cities. Cars built by Ford and piloted by Argo AI will ferry merchandise
Distance Killing
A remote sniper used an automated system to take out a human target located thousands of miles away.What happened: The Israeli intelligence agency Mossad used an AI-assisted rifle in the November killing of Iran’s chief nuclear scientist,
UN Calls Out AI
Human rights officials called for limits on some uses of AI.What’s new: Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, appealed to the organization’s member states to suspend certain
AI Engineers Weigh In on AI Ethics
Machine learning researchers tend to trust international organizations, distrust military forces, and disagree on how much disclosure is necessary when describing new models, a new study found.
Risk Reduction for Elders
Deep learning is helping to protect elderly people from potentially catastrophic tumbles.What’s happening: More than 2,000 senior living facilities across the U.S. use a diagnostic system called VirtuSense Balance to
Rules for Recommenders
China moved toward a clamp down on recommendation algorithms.What’s new: China’s internet regulatory agency proposed rules that include banning algorithms that spread disinformation, threaten national security, or
Deep Unlearning
Privacy advocates want deep learning systems to forget what they’ve learned. What’s new: Researchers are seeking ways to remove the influence of particular training examples, such as an individual’s personal information,
Dances With Robots
Tesla unveiled its own AI chip and — surprise! — plans for a humanoid robot.What’s new: At Tesla’s AI Day promotional event, the company offered a first look at an upcoming self-driving
Invented By AI
An algorithm received a patent for its invention.What’s new: South Africa’s intellectual property office issued a patent that names an AI system as the inventor of a food container with unique
User Privacy Versus Child Safety
Apple, which has made a point of its commitment to user privacy, announced that it will scan iPhones for evidence of child abuse.What’s new: The tech giant will include a machine learning model on the
Olympic AI
Computer vision is keeping a close eye on athletes at the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.What’s new: Omega Timing, a Swiss watchmaker and the Olympic Games’ official timekeeper, is providing systems that go far beyond measuring
