Greetings friends, acquaintances, and the rest of ye.
The first newsletter post international day of happiness is always going to be an anticlimax. We might as well lean into it. So, shall we begin with conflict and dystopia? Why not.
IPVM have a story on how Russia hacked surveillance cameras in Kyiv, in order to monitor air defences and refine their air attacks. This is really interesting, and flags another danger of pervasive surveillance and insufficiently strong cybersecurity. Euromaidan also have a story about how Ukrainian-developed suicide drones are being used to attack targets up to 800km deep in Russia. Apparently they cost around $200,000 per done. Much more specific info on the link. (much more, maybe too much). There is also this very interesting looking story – hot off the press – on Russia’s surveillance machine, and the use of gig workers.
The Department of Homeland Security is considering using Generative AI to train immigration officers. No idea how that story wangled its way into the dystopia section. Some states in the US are also passing legislation to protect brain waves. Mmmmhhhhhhmmmmm.
WIRED have a piece on the use of generative AI to remove the clothes from people in photos. Unsurprisingly, this is being used for all sorts of shitty reasons. Just another example of the risks posed regarding non-consensual imagery. Oh, apparently Apple are thinking of dropping ‘Hey Siri’, in favour of… just listening. There may be privacy implications.
But fear not, that marks the end of the dystopia, disaster section. Maybe for good! The General Assembly is on top of this whole AI thing. They’ve adopted a resolution on AI, with details here. We’re going to govern it, rather than let it govern us. Which is a relief. And also a car bumper sticker we can all get behind.
The Washington Post have an interesting story on the use of interactive AI in museums, so that visitors can interact with exhibits and ask questions. Which is pretty cool.
In more positive news, there are quite a few stories on AI in healthcare. And so we resuscitate the AI for good section. (see what I did there). There are reports on AI to detect cancer, which doctors missed, the use of AI to personalise healthcare (TB treatment), and a piece on AI in healthcare in New Zealand.
Finally, and just when you thought I had missed a propaganda opportunity, the UN SR on Freedom of Assembly is launching a campaign to promote the new tools regarding the policing of protest (which includes a rather nifty component on the use of digital tools).
Thanks as ever to Sarah Zarmsky.
I’ll leave you this week with ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby‘ by the Human League. Because I only realised how great the lyrics were a little while ago.
I hope you all have a lovely time.
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The Innocence Project, Artificial Intelligence Is Putting Innocent People at Risk of Being Incarcerated
Bloomberg, Apple Must Face Suit Claiming AirTags Are Weapon of Stalkers
Euromaidan Press, Meet “Liutyi,” Ukraine’s homegrown drone behind strikes on Russian oil refineries – Euromaidan Press
UN News, General Assembly adopts landmark resolution on artificial intelligence
ENNHRI, Draft Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law finalised: ENNHRI raises concerns
AI News, AI tool finds cancer signs missed by doctors
Tech Policy Press, The Race to Detect AI-Generated Content and Tackle Harms
MIT Technology Review, Apple researchers explore dropping “Siri” phrase & listening with AI instead
Access Now, “Smart borders” and the making of a humanitarian crisis
Access Now, The EU AI Act: a failure for human rights, a victory for industry and law enforcement
MIT Technology Review, This startup wants to fight growing global dengue outbreaks with drones
MIT Technology Review, An AI-driven “factory of drugs” claims to have hit a big milestone
MIT Technology Review, Chinese platforms are cracking down on influencers selling AI lessons
MIT Technology Review, How AI taught Cassie the two-legged robot to run and jump
WIRED, A Deepfake Nude Generator Reveals a Chilling Look at Its Victims
The Washington Post, AI chatbots are here to help with your mental health, despite limited evidence they work
The New York Times, The Online Degradation of Women and Girls That We Meet With a Shrug
The Register, UN adopts US-sponsored, and non-binding, AI resolution
The Guardian, Tennessee becomes first US state to protect musicians from threat of AI
The Washington Post, New bipartisan bill would require online identification, labeling of AI-generated videos and audio
Financial Times, Why AI conspiracy videos are spamming social media
The Guardian, Georgia lawmakers are using an AI deepfake video to try to ban political deepfakes
The Washington Post, AI-aided virtual conversations with WWII vets are latest feature at New Orleans museum
The Washington Post, How AI can empower the working class
The Washington Post, An AI robot is spotting sick tulips to slow the spread of disease through Dutch bulb fields
The Register, Homeland Security will test out using genAI to train US immigration officers
The New York Times, Apple and Google Are Discussing a Deal to Bring Generative A.I. to iPhones
The Guardian, TechScape: Could a Labour ‘nudification’ manifesto bring more safety to AI?
Blog Posts
The Conversation, Treatments tailored to you: how AI will change NZ healthcare, and what we have to get right first
The Conversation, AI’s excessive water consumption threatens to drown out its environmental contributions
The Conversation, AI can help predict whether a patient will respond to specific tuberculosis treatments, paving way for personalized care
The Conversation, Deepfakes are still new, but 2024 could be the year they have an impact on elections
The Conversation, Building fairness into AI is crucial – and hard to get right
The Conversation, The ‘digital divide’ is already hurting people’s quality of life. Will AI make it better or worse?
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
Alina Wernick, Ordre Public Exceptions for Algorithmic Surveillance Patents
S. Schmager et al., Exploring citizens’ stances on AI in public services: A social contract perspective
W. L. Filho et al., Using artificial intelligence to implement the UN sustainable development goals at higher education institutions
P. Tracey and P. Garcia, After automation: Homelessness prioritization algorithms and the future of care labor
L. Peng and B. Zhao, Navigating the ethical landscape behind ChatGPT
H. Pallett et al., Mapping public engagement with the use of algorithms in UK public servicesC. Moyano-Fernández et al., May Artificial Intelligence take health and sustainability on a honeymoon? Towards green technologies for multidimensional health and environmental justice