Greetings all, and happy whatever day it is when I finally get this newsletter out. What a week. BUT, the weather in London is sooooo good. Just a joy.
That said, I am pleased, as ever, to kick things off with some propaganda. Myself and Pete have a piece in the Conversation on the UK government’s proposal to ban face coverings at protests. TL;dr not good. Also, former newsletter contributor Ameneh has a piece on ‘How Social Platforms’ AI Ambitions Threaten Users Rights’.
In the AI for good corner, the Guardian has a piece on how AI can speed up coeliac disease diagnosis. This is perhaps the first AI development with Ireland specifically in mind. Also, speech can now be streamed from brains in real time. Which is just incredible.
The Texas Observer has a super interesting piece on the Lone Star State’s AI-powered surveillance arsenal. Worth a read. What a world we live in. And the AP has a piece on how international protestors (in the US) now fear for their safety, due to facial recognition.
OK, Sorry. I can go on no longer. I’m closing the laptop and heading outside into the sun.
Given the weather, it’s got to be BBQ vibes on the playlist. I’ll leave you this week with ‘54-46’ by Toots & The Maytals. I said yeah! One of the best, by one of the best. Seeing him live genuinely changed my life.
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The Guardian, Move fast, kill things: the tech startups trying to reinvent defence with Silicon Valley values
The Washington Post, Adaptive deep brain stimulation uses AI to reduce Parkinson’s symptoms
The Guardian, Floppy disks and vaccine cards: exhibition tells tale of privacy rights in UK
Financial Times, Why hasn’t AI taken your job yet? (well?)
Financial Times, Turing Institute plans revamp in bid to modernise
The Register, Speech now streaming from brains in real-time
The Conversation, Banning face coverings, expanding facial recognition – how the UK government and police are eroding protest rights
Algorithm Watch, Automating Injustice: “Predictive” policing in Germany – AlgorithmWatch
Big Brother Watch, Big Brother Watch condemns Asda’s facial recognition trial in Greater Manchester
Tech Policy Press, In-House Data Harvest: How Social Platforms’ AI Ambitions Threaten User Rights
The Guardian, Researchers develop AI tool that could speed up coeliac disease diagnosis
The Guardian, AI may help us cure countless diseases – and usher in a new golden age of medicine
The Guardian, Texas Observer, Texas’ AI-Powered Surveillance Arsenal Has Ballooned. Proposed Laws Provide Few Guardrails.
Rest of World, Nvidia and Zimbabwean billionaire Strive Masiyiwa’s Cassava to built AI Factory in Africa – Rest of World
WIRED, Yuval Noah Harari: ‘How Do We Share the Planet With This New Superintelligence?’
The Telegraph, https://archive.ph/TflXp
Fire, AI is new — the laws that govern it don’t have to be
Corporate Compliance Insights, New White House, New AI Rules: Corporate America’s Next Move
The Hill,Signal defends app security amid group chat controversy (ok, i know its not AI, but yay Signal – and also….)
The Hill, Gmail planning end-to-end encrypted emails
EDRi, Surveilling Europe’s edges: when research legitimises border violence
BBC, I used face recognition app to hunt man behind whisky fraud
The Washington Post, What happened when a newspaper let AI take over
New York Times, How A.I. Chatbots Like ChatGPT and DeepSeek Reason
Blogs
EJIL:Talk! ICC Office of the Prosecutor Releases Draft Policy on Cyber-Enabled Crimes
Just Security, When AI Fuels Atrocities — And How It Can Help Prevent Them
EJIL:Talk! Co-Party Status to Armed Conflict and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence
EJIL:Talk! Party Status to Armed Conflict in International Law: Author’s Response