Greetings friends! Happy Wednesday. And for me: ‘Happy sign off work and head to the wilderness that is Winnipeg for a while’ day. Its a good day.
I know I had said the newsletter would be on hiatus – and it will be – but I thought I may as well include a few of the stories I have read this week. Because some of them are quite interesting.
The big one in the UK (I think) is that Network rail has been subjecting us all to surveillance for years, without any notification, including trials of emotion and behaviour recognition technologies, etc. This is obviously an important story, but there must be so much more of this happening. Particularly in the really large privately owned public spaces. It is also indicative, i think, of the move from more ‘primitive’ applications of surveillance tech, to the more sophisticated (which actuallyadd layers of analytics, properly using AI). It is, admittedly, a gradual step, but it is a step. And this is why we really should be paying more attention to police use of retrospective facial recognition technology.
In the AI for good corner (remember that?) The Guardian have a story on how AI blood tests can detect Parkinsons years before its onset. Which is, maybe, great? But more on the revolutionizing drug development please.
There is a piece on the use of AI in Gaza, the piece itself is not really new, but i thought it quite interesting that the list of AI applications they mention quite closely mirror those that the UK has under development.
Also, there are two blog pieces below, worth reading, on human decision making in the military AI context, and truth and trust in the digital deception context.
I’ll leave ye with ‘Wildlife Analysis’ by Boards of Canada. Who aren’t even remotely Canadian, but are much better than the Bare Naked Ladies. I think for Boards of Canada you really need to just stick on the full album. Its very good.
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Smithsonian, How a Real Photo of a Flamingo Snuck Into-and Won-an A.I. Art Competition (plot twist)
Courier Press, Evansville police officer resigned after misusing Clearview AI software, department says
Middle East Monitor, Gaza genocide fuels Israel’s boom in ‘battle-tested’ weapons industry – Middle East Monitor
WIRED, Amazon-Powered AI Cameras Used to Detect Emotions of Unwitting UK Train Passengers
The Guardian, AI-enhanced blood test may detect Parkinson’s years before onset
The Guardian, Would face scanning technology keep Australian kids off social media? The UK regulator doubts it
The Conversation, Our smartphone screening tool could help detect strokes faster – and lead to quicker treatment
The Register, Google DeepMind’s latest model promises realistic audio for your AI-generated vids
Financial Times, Best summer books of 2024: Technology (right on time for the plane!)
New York Times, How A.I. Is Revolutionizing Drug Development
The Guardian, How’s this for a bombshell – the US must make AI its next Manhattan Project (included solely for how atrocious that headline is)
The Guardian, Trump tells Logan Paul he used AI to ‘so beautifully’ rewrite a speech (someone using AI’s tendency to hallucinate to their advantage)
WIRED, LinkedIn’s AI Career Coaches Will See You Now
New York Times, Big Tech’s A.I. Takeover and the Slow Death of Silicon Valley Innovation
Blog Posts
JustSecurity, Truth, Trust, and AI: Justice and Accountability for International Crimes in the Era of Digital Deception Articles of War, Artificial Intelligence Systems and Humans in Military Decision-Making: Not Better or Worse but Better Together – Lieber Institute West Point