Greetings all, from an exceptionally sunny, but exceptionally busy, London. Hence the wednesday newsletter, coming on a Friday. Something for ye to read over coffee and brunch tomorrow morning. Unless you have kids I guess.
I’ll begin by flagging an article on Algorithmic Harms. I haven’t read this yet, but making tangible the harm linked to AI systems is something i’m really interested in (a pretty essential part of policy making and human rights impact assessments!) so hopefully this has some insights.
Robot dogs with guns also make an appearance. The difference this time, as Ars Technica reports, is that they now come equipped with guns to enable remote targeting. You can watch a video of the beast in action. There’s also a story on ‘Firefly’ an autonomous-capable loitering munition that is reportedly being used in Gaza; this story is a pretty good overview of how different battlefield AI systems can be linked together. There’s actually quite a few battlefield AI stories this week, see below.
There’s also an interesting story on the use of surveillance tech that captures unique bluetooth and wireless signals being used to surveil people along the US border, and within the US.
OpenAI is also apparently considering allowing the generation of NSFW images. One suspects they may not a) have read the news in the last 5 years, b) conducted a proper human rights impact assessment.
I’ll leave you with some Ethiopian funk. Because its Friday. Musicawi Silt, by the Walias.
Have a lovely weekend.
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AP News, Brad Parscale helped Trump win in 2016 using Facebook ads. Now he’s back, and an AI evangelist
The New Yorker, The Hidden-Pregnancy Experiment
WIRED, The Breach of a Face Recognition Firm Reveals a Hidden Danger of Biometrics
Ars Technica, Robot dogs armed with AI-aimed rifles undergo US Marines Special Ops evaluation
ASPI, Modernising defence must respect international humanitarian law
New York Times, Senators Seek to Curb Facial Recognition at Airports, Citing Privacy Concerns
NOTUS, War Zone Surveillance Technology Is Hitting American Streets
Vox, Some say AI will make war more humane. Israel’s war in Gaza shows the opposite.
The Register, Microsoft doesn’t want cops using Azure AI for facial recognition
BBC, ‘Qatar targeted my brother on Grindr – I want him home’ – BBC News
BBC, TikTok to start labeling AI-generated content as technology becomes more universal
New York Times, Artificial Intelligence ‘Friends’
BBC, Katy Perry says her own mom was fooled by AI images of her at the Met Gala
The Guardian, Digital recreations of dead people need urgent regulation, AI ethicists say
New York Times, Google Unveils A.I. for Predicting Behavior of Human Molecules
BBC, With help from AI, Randy Travis got his voice back. Here’s how his first song post-stroke came to be
Washington Post, Improper ‘shadow’ ads thriving on Facebook during India’s election
Washington Post, Microsoft’s “responsible AI” chief worries about the open web
The Register, And it begins. OpenAI mulls NSFW AI model output
Defense One, AI-powered F-16 impresses ride-along SECAF in dogfight
Defense One, Giant military manta ray drone passes first ocean test
Defense One, AI, new tech are creating a special-operations ‘renaissance’
Defense ONe, How digital engineering could produce new weapons faster (the Defense One lads obviously back from holidays)
Open Rights Group, Smart meter data: the Government’s at it again
Privacy International, Workplace surveillance & algorithmic management
BBC, Passport e-gates back online after outage causes delays at UK airports (facial recognition ish)
Blog Posts
Just Security, An Oversight Model for AI in National Security: The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Opinio Juris, Artificial Intelligence in the Battlefield: A Perspective from Israel
Opinio Juris, Lavender Unveiled: The Oblivion of Human Dignity in Israel’s War Policy on Gaza
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
Diberardino, Bashita & Stark Algorithmic Harms and Algorithmic Wrongs
Podcast:
This one on George Michael is pretty good. No AI connection that i am aware of tho.