From Facebook's recent decision to rename itself "Meta" to Epic Games' billion-dollar investment in metaverse technologies, the metaverse has dominated the news and will likely continue to do so over the next several years. To date, there is no universally accepted definition for the term "metaverse" and, for many, it suggests a new but undeveloped future of the internet. According to J.P. Morgan, the metaverse is a seamless convergence of our physical and digital lives, creating a unified, virt... Read More

The Centre for European Policy Studies published a research paper on the proposed EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The authors said an agreement could be struck by mid-2023, but it may hinge on the ability of co-legislators to "converge on key issues such as the definition of AI, the risk classification and associated regulatory remedies, governance arrangements and enforcement rules.” The paper presents eight major recommendations to avoid overlapping regulations if the AI Act passes, including ... Read More

Abuse of deep fakes through videos, images and artificial intelligence could pose a threat to democracy, Cincinnati’s 91.7 WVXU FM reports. On the Aug. 8 “Cincinnati Edition” program, the future of deep fakes and the challenge they pose to democratic discourse was examined by Intrust IT Director of Business Growth Dave Hatter, University of Cincinnati School of Public and International Affairs professor and Director Richard Harknett, and Arizona State University School of Computing and Augmented... Read More

The proposed EU Artificial Intelligence Act and its intersections with the EU General Data Protection Regulation could present compliance issues for data compliance officers across the continent, according to IAPP Senior Westin Research Fellow Jetty Tielemans. The AI Act has some similarities with the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act regarding how they clarify the GDPR, Tielemans said during a recent IAPP LinkedIn Live. However, she explained the AI Act differs in that "sensitiv... Read More

Chinese company Sangfor Technologies has drawn scrutiny for its AI program that can predict if an employee is about to leave their job, South China Morning Post reports. The program can spy on an employee’s browsing activity, such as viewing job posts and sending application emails. The program came to light after a user on Maimai.cn, a professional networking application, claimed he was fired when his company discovered, using a monitoring system, he was applying to other jobs.Full Story... Read More

A new report from Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center found 68% of responding developers, business and policy leaders, researchers and activists do not believe ethical principles focused on public good will be employed in most AI designs by 2030. The report includes written explanations from professionals, including Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, who said, “There will be a good-faith effort, but I am skeptical that the good intentions will neces... Read More

We are seeing accelerating expansion in the range and capabilities of machine aids for human decision making and of products and services embodying artificial intelligence and machine learning. AI/ML is already delivering significant societal benefits, including improvements in convenience and quality of life, productivity, efficiency, environmental monitoring and management, and capacity to develop new and innovative products and services. The common feature of "automation applications" — the ... Read More

The Centre for European Policy Studies published a research paper on the proposed EU Artificial Intelligence Act. The authors said an agreement could be struck by mid-2023, but it may hinge on the ability of co-legislators to "converge on key issues such as the definition of AI, the risk classification and associated regulatory remedies, governance arrangements and enforcement rules.” The paper presents eight major recommendations to avoid overlapping regulations if the AI Act passes, including ... Read More

Sweden’s data protection authority, the Integritetsskyddsmyndigheten, launched a pilot project with Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Region Halland and AI Sweden. The IMY will provide the three partners with legal guidance for decentralized artificial intelligence. To get ahead of potential privacy and personal data protection pitfalls using AI, the project will allow the entities to test potential AI uses under IMY supervision.Full Story... Read More

In April last year, the European Commission published its ambitious proposal to regulate Artificial Intelligence. The regulation was meant to be the first of its kind, but the progress has been slow so far due to the file's technical, political and juridical complexity. Meanwhile, the EU lost its first-mover advantage as other jurisdictions like China and Brazil have managed to pass their legislation first. As the proposal is entering a crucial year, it is high time to take stock of the state o... Read More

As the debate rages on regarding whether the U.S. Federal Trade Commission should or could begin rulemaking on privacy, the commission has signaled it is not willing to wait for a consensus. On Dec. 10, the FTC filed an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with the Office of Management and Budget that initiates consideration of a rulemaking process on privacy and artificial intelligence. The filing describes the FTC's intent as seeking to "curb lax security practices, limit privacy abuses, an... Read More

From Facebook's recent decision to rename itself "Meta" to Epic Games' billion-dollar investment in metaverse technologies, the metaverse has dominated the news and will likely continue to do so over the next several years. To date, there is no universally accepted definition for the term "metaverse" and, for many, it suggests a new but undeveloped future of the internet. According to J.P. Morgan, the metaverse is a seamless convergence of our physical and digital lives, creating a unified, virt... Read More

A report compiled by the U.S. Congressional Research Service titled “The Metaverse: Concepts and Issues for Congress” presented several policy issues for lawmakers to consider. The report detailed how technologies such as augmented reality, mixed reality and virtual reality could innovate in a number of capacities, including entertainment, health care, military and engineering. The report included privacy concerns regarding the potential to "collect and monetize personal data" and "track and min... Read More

Clearview AI has begun allowing public defenders to access its facial recognition database of more than 20 billion facial images, The New York Times reports. The access helped a Florida man prove his innocence against accusations of vehicular homicide. Clearview AI's technology was previously limited to law enforcement, but CEO Hoan Ton-That said public defender access would help "balance the scales of justice." Legal Aid Society's Jerome Greco said the new access is merely an attempt "to push b... Read More

The Ukrainian military’s use of Clearview AI facial recognition to identify dead Russian soldiers may carry negative consequences, warned military technology analysts, The Washington Post reports. Ukraine reported using Clearview AI to scan the faces of more than 8,600 Russian soldiers killed in the invasion. The families of 582 soldiers were directly contacted to inform them of family member deaths, with some outreach including an image of the dead soldier. Some military analysts were concerned... Read More

Law enforcement in virtually every U.S. state has access to facial recognition software, Wired reports. It cited a Georgetown Law Center on Privacy and Technology report that said one in two American adults are already in facial recognition databases used to identify criminal suspects. Critics claimed police overuse the technology, as research has demonstrated it misidentifies women and people of color more than white men. In an op-ed for NJ.com, a group of 16 privacy and civil rights organiz... Read More