Greetings! And Happy Wednesday dear readers.
So, I know we kicked off with facial recognition last week, but I’m afraid (a) I’m finishing co-authoring a book on facial recognition, and (b) the UK Government are at it again… There is now a proposal to extend the facial recognition database from custody images (already problematic, see last week’s chat) to include all passport photos, and other pictures of asylum seeker’s etc. This would represent a really dramatic increase in the State’s surveillance capability – significantly affecting individuals ability to live and act anonymously. This, of course, has implications for important things like, the ability to freely develop their personality/identity or to engage in democratic processes. Watch this space I guess. Interestingly, this coincides with Human Rights Watch’s decision to call for a ban on facial recognition in public spaces and in migration contexts, adding their voice to Amnesty’s ‘ban the scan’ campaign.
In a spirit of openness and magnanimity (I did not spell that correctly the first time) I would also like to highlight AWO’s Algorithmic Governance Roundup. It’s worth a read if algorithmic governance is your thing, and since you’re reading this, it just might be.
Brianna Rosen has a really interesting piece in JustSecurity on AI and the future of warfare, which is definitely worth your time. At which point, I guess it’s worth flagging this piece on the UN efforts to ban lethal autonomous weapons. Which is important, but where it is likely that an overly narrow focus on very specific lethal autonomous weapons may risk missing the (much) bigger AI and warfare picture.
In predictive policing news, a new study has found that some hotspot policing algorithms, may not be that effective (dramatically ineffective in this instance), prompting certain forces to discontinue their use. I would imagine that similar considerations are probably in play in the UK, particularly given the cost of these tools. But! What about an autonomous drone that can track people in the dark…
And, because we are a newsletter for all people, we have you covered on AI-assisted dating, celeb gossip, and Van Gogh baring all.
Thanks to Sarah Zarmsky.
Today’s tune is Padam Padam, because well, Its Wednesday and the weekend is just over the horizon… Padam Padam!
The Guardian, UK passport images database could be used to catch shoplifters
The Markup, Predictive Policing Software Terrible At Predicting Crimes – The Markup
Wall Street Journal, Forget a Dating Profile, This App Says It Just Needs Your Face
The Markup, Predictive Policing Software Terrible At Predicting Crimes WIRED, FBI Agents Are Using Face Recognition Without Proper Training
NY State Education Department, State Education Department Issues Determination on Biometric Identifying Technology in Schools
Rolling Stone, A Shazam for People: Clearview’s AI App Was a Hit Among the Rich and Powerful
The Verge, Facebook can be sued over biased ad algorithm, says court
Stop Killer Robots, UNGA Resolution on Autonomous Weapons Systems Gives States Historic Opportunity to #VoteAgainstTheMachine
Amnesty International, EU: AI Act must ban dangerous, AI-powered technologies in historic law
AWO, Algorithm Governance Roundup
Bloomberg, Trolls in Slovakian Election Tap AI Deepfakes to Spread Disinfo
Human Rights Watch, Time to Ban Facial Recognition from Public Spaces and Borders
Fast Company, Google was accidentally leaking its Bard AI chats into public search results
CNBC, AI is policing the package theft beat for UPS as ‘porch piracy’ surge continues across U.S.
ACM News, Fighting Impersonation by AI
Open AI, ChatGPT can now see, hear, and speak
The Register, OpenAI warns users over GPT-4 Vision’s limits and flaws
The Guardian, AI Vincent van Gogh talks of ‘mental health struggles’ in Paris exhibition
Financial Times, Workers could be the ones to regulate AI
The Guardian, Tom Hanks says AI version of him used in dental plan ad without his consent
The Washington Post, Can the U.N. really regulate the power — and danger — of AI?
The New York Times, European Central Bank Is Studying A.I. as a New Tool
The Guardian, ‘Biggest act of copyright theft in history’: thousands of Australian books allegedly used to train AI model
WIRED, AI Hurricane Predictions Are Storming the World of Weather Forecasting
WIRED, This New Autonomous Drone for Cops Can Track You In the Dark
The Guardian, TechScape: AI-made images mean seeing is no longer believing
Big Brother Watch, i News – Spike in the use of retrospective facial recognition sparks privacy concerns
Big Brother Watch, i News – Psychiatric wards using 24-hour video surveillance
EDRi, Potential loopholes in the AI Act could allow use of intrusive tech on ‘national security’ grounds
EDRi, Czech police use facial recognition system, IuRe finds out details
EDRi, Global civil society and experts statement: Stop facial recognition surveillance now
Blog Posts
Just Security, AI and the Future of Drone Warfare: Risks and Recommendations
Just Security, U.S. Senate AI Hearings Highlight Increased Need for Regulation
LSE, For minorities, biased AI algorithms can damage almost every part of life
The Conversation, AI disinformation is a threat to elections − learning to spot Russian, Chinese and Iranian meddling in other countries can help the US prepare for 2024
The Conversation, Does AI have a right to free speech? Only if it supports our right to free thought
Academic Literature
*Disclaimer: The following articles, chapters, and books have not been evaluated for their methodology and do not necessarily reflect the views of the AI & Human Right Blog
Emma Smith et al., Artificial intelligence and assistive technology: risks, rewards, challenges, and opportunities
Francesca Palmiotto, When is a Decision Automated? A Taxonomy for a Fundamental Rights Analysis
Calls for Papers
Call for Papers: Propaganda and New Technologies, Yale Law School
ENDS