The European Parliament has endorsed the world's first extensive AI regulation, known as the AI Act, aiming to mitigate the risks associated with artificial intelligence by creating a risk-based regulatory framework. This pioneering legislation places the EU at the forefront of global efforts to establish standards for trustworthy AI, with provisions that could set the de facto global norm. The AI Act categorizes AI systems based on their potential societal harm, imposing stringent requirements on high-risk applications while offering lenient regulations for low-risk services. It also addresses copyright concerns related to the training materials of generative AI tools, like OpenAI's ChatGPT. Despite facing additional procedural steps before becoming official, the Act's approval has already prompted businesses to seek strategies for compliance, indicating the significant impact it is poised to have on the tech industry globally.
Source: BBC
Africa is on the verge of embracing artificial intelligence (AI) with the African Union (AU) preparing a continent-wide AI policy amidst a growing number of national strategies. Despite the optimistic projections of AI generating up to $136 billion in economic benefits for key African countries by 2030, challenges such as inadequate digital infrastructure and regulatory hurdles could dampen the pace of AI adoption. Initiatives across the continent, such as AI-assisted apps for farmers in Tanzania and machine learning models in South Africa, highlight the diverse applications of AI. However, concerns over potential social harms and the need for regulatory frameworks to prevent misuse and ensure equitable benefits are prompting debates on the timing and nature of AI regulation. The AU's draft policy, aiming for endorsement by 2025, seeks to establish standards, certification bodies, and regulatory sandboxes to foster responsible AI deployment, positioning Africa to not just adopt but also contribute to global standards in AI governance.
Source: MIT Tech Review
Generative AI (gen AI) offers transformative potential across various sectors, promising innovation, growth, and productivity boosts that could contribute up to $4.4 trillion to the global economy. However, alongside these opportunities, gen AI introduces significant risks such as biases, misinformation, and security threats, leading to a cautious approach towards its implementation among companies. McKinsey's research reveals a pressing need for organizations to adopt gen AI responsibly, with many acknowledging the priority of gen AI implementation yet feeling unprepared to do so effectively. A structured approach to risk management, including understanding gen AI risks, developing comprehensive risk mitigation strategies, establishing governance structures, and embedding these practices across the organization, is crucial. By taking these steps, companies can navigate the complexities of gen AI, ensuring its benefits are realized while minimizing potential downsides in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
Source: McKinsey
KPMG is setting its sights on surpassing major law firms in the artificial intelligence (AI) arena by leveraging its substantial financial resources and partnership with Microsoft to develop AI tools for legal departments. Stuart Fuller, KPMG's head of legal services, highlights the firm's intention to invest tens of millions of dollars in generative AI technologies that promise to disrupt the traditional law firm business model by automating tasks typically assigned to junior lawyers. With a reported gross revenue vastly exceeding that of the largest law firms, KPMG aims to capitalize on its capacity for significant investment in technology to offer more efficient, accurate, and cost-effective legal solutions. Despite the potential transformation AI brings to the legal sector, Fuller notes the early stage of generative AI's impact and emphasizes the need for law firms and legal departments to adapt and integrate these new technologies thoughtfully.
Source: KPMG
The FTC has initiated an inquiry into Reddit's engagements with AI companies concerning the use of user data for AI training, just as Reddit approaches its highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO). This action indicates a broadening of the FTC's scrutiny into AI-related transactions beyond equity investments, focusing on the sale, licensing, or sharing of user-generated content for AI model training. While not indicative of a formal investigation, this move reflects the commission's effort to understand the implications of such practices on competition and consumer data privacy. Reddit, foreseeing the potential for these AI partnerships to become a significant revenue source, has expressed no surprise at the FTC's interest but maintains its stance against engaging in unfair or deceptive trade practices.
Source: Axios
This study introduces a novel method for estimating the extent of AI modifications in large text corpora, focusing on the influence of ChatGPT in peer reviews submitted to major AI conferences. By employing a maximum likelihood approach using expert and AI-generated reference texts, the research identifies significant AI involvement in scientific peer review processes. Key findings indicate that between 6.5% and 16.9% of review texts for conferences like ICLR 2024 and EMNLP 2023 were substantially modified by AI, particularly in submissions made close to deadlines or from reviewers exhibiting lower confidence or lesser engagement with author rebuttals. Additionally, the presence of AI-generated content tends to homogenize review content at the corpus level, presenting new challenges for maintaining the integrity and diversity of scientific discourse. The paper underscores the urgency for interdisciplinary efforts to understand and manage the implications of AI use in critical information ecosystems.
Source: arXiv