Latest Reporting by Guardian AI
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From Bill Gates to Bernie Sanders, most agree the AI arms race is disastrous. Only Europe can make it stop
An EU export ban on Dutch tech giant ASML’s machines could force the pause we all needAt this point, it should be clear that AI is a choose-your-own-adventure book where every option ends in disaster. Exploding carbon emissions and ecological collapse? Turn to page 37. Other outcomes include some or all of: the bubble bursting and an ensuing financial crisis; mass unemployment via automation; the end of democracy and the rise of authoritarian surveillance states; raving cults who believe the pat...
‘If you build something vastly smarter than you, it better be on your side’: can we stop AI from deceiving us?
We are used to the idea that our fellow humans might intentionally mislead or manipulate us, but the idea that machines can now do the same is deeply unsettling. Researchers are racing to find solutions before it’s too lateThe summer issue of the Long Read magazine is out now. Click here to orderIn November 2023 – a lifetime ago in the field of artificial intelligence – some of the most powerful people in the world descended on Bletchley Park, the wartime codebreaking hub in Buckinghamshire, to...
Trump says datacenter opponents ‘want to end up being backwards and poor’
Three-quarters of Americans said in a recent poll that they oppose datacenters being built next to their homesDonald Trump has criticized communities pushing back against datacenter projects across the US amid a growing backlash, warning those that reject them risk becoming “backwards and poor”.As controversy surrounding local datacenter plans continues to swirl around election campaigns nationwide ahead of November’s midterm elections, the US president declared Americans “will only have yoursel...
How to tackle the climate impact of datacentres | Letters
Datacentres should generate their own power and control their emissions, writes Richard Lamming, while Michael McClelland says we should reduce our digital communication. Plus a letter from Malcolm FraserThe case of future datacentres demanding more electricity than the entire United Kingdom (Two planned datacentres will have higher UK carbon emissions than ExxonMobil, analysis finds, 25 August) is an example of corporates transferring their problems to society and the electorate. This must not...
‘Superhuman’ AI tool spots heart disease in less than 2 seconds
Technology trained on millions of routine ECGs could fast-track high-risk patients for treatmentDoctors have developed a “superhuman” AI tool that can spot heart disease in less than two seconds.The groundbreaking technology has been trained on millions of patients and works by extracting more information from a routine electrocardiogram (ECG) than the human eye can typically see. Continue reading...
Anthropic sued over alleged theft of ‘tens of thousands’ of songs
AI company faces multibillion dollar lawsuit over misuse of copyrighted songs to train Claude modelsAll AI wants for Christmas is a vast back catalogue of songs without paying for it, according to a multibillion dollar lawsuit against the startup behind the Claude chatbot.Sony Music Publishing and Warner Chappell, music publishers who manage the copyright of songs on behalf of songwriters and composers, are seeking damages for alleged misuse of “tens of thousands” of copyrighted works by Anthrop...
AI is hurting US politics. Here’s how candidates could use it for good | Bruce Schneier and Nathan E Sanders
The technology can help candidates listen more deeply to voters, as examples from Japan and Scotland showThere are plenty of signs that AI will make all of our experiences of the US midterm elections worse. Voters have anxiety about AI’s impacts on the country. Politicos are using AI deepfakes to spread lies. The White House is posting slopaganda.Meanwhile, candidates are missing a real opportunity to use AI to make campaigning better. The technology can help candidates listen more deeply to vot...
Doctors’ AI scribes get names of drugs and diagnoses wrong, NHS watchdog warns
Healthwatch England has raised concerns that artificial intelligence tools used to transcribe medical consultations frequently make critical errors involving medication names and diagnoses. Patients have reported finding inaccuracies in their records that were overlooked by general practitioners, highlighting potential safety risks associated with the technology.
Advanced AI threatens global financial stability, says Bank of England boss
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has cautioned G20 leaders that advanced artificial intelligence systems present significant risks to the international financial system. Writing as chair of the Financial Stability Board, Bailey highlighted the potential for severe cyber-disruptions to spread rapidly across global borders due to reliance on frontier AI models.
Black Box: episode 6 – Shut it down? – podcast
Revisited: Guardian journalist Michael Safi looks into the world of artificial intelligence, exploring the dangers and promises it holds for societyToday in Focus is on a summer break and will be back with new episodes from 1 September. In the meantime, we are bringing you season one of Black Box, before the launch of season two in early September. This episode was first broadcast on 21 March 2024.For decades, Eliezer Yudkowsky has been trying to warn the world about the dangers of AI. Now peopl...
AI’s worst disasters will arrive unannounced | Letters
Dr Simon Nieder on the global efforts needed to curb the threats posed by AI. Plus letters from Dr Anthony Harris and David KylerTimothy Garton Ash is right that serious artificial intelligence risks demand international action, but “AI Hiroshima” may be the wrong picture (Would even an AI disaster on the scale of Hiroshima be enough to make humankind protect itself? I fear not, 22 August). Hiroshima was not technology going rogue. Human beings designed the bomb, authorised its use and dropped i...
The datacenter backlash is bringing the entire political spectrum together – against big tech billionaires
The movement against datacenters is uniting Americans because they perfectly illustrate how a few individuals hold all the power to control decisions that affect our livesBryce Gustafson has been knocking on doors in Indiana for more than a decade. The lead organizer with Citizens Action Coalition (CAC), a consumer and environmental organization, he usually encounters a mix of reactions when he’s out canvassing; whatever issue he’s talking about, there’s always at least a few people on the other...
Big business has shown small firms what to do – and what not to do – with AI | Gene Marks
Small business owners have watched large companies fumble – and sometimes succeed – with AI, and then use what worksOne thing I’ve learned about corporate America is that what it succeeds at ultimately trickles down to benefit small businesses. Bleeding-edge technologies such as the internet, mobile transactions and the cloud were first perfected by large organizations – government and corporations – and now they’re available to the masses at a much lower cost and with better reliability.The goo...
Women in UK arts feel they do not have equal opportunities for roles, says report
Exclusive: Research says sector is fixated with young talent, with most women experiencing unconscious bias or sexismWomen working in the arts believe they do not have equal opportunities for roles, especially as they get older, according to a report saying that the industry is fixated with “young and emerging” talent.Nearly all (95%) women working in the arts thought gender inequality persisted, while three-quarters (75%) reported experiencing unconscious bias or sexism, according to a survey o...
Sharp rise in incidents of AI escaping users’ control, research finds
Exclusive: Number of times AI lies, ignores instructions and pursues goals in harmful ways almost doubles in JulyIncidents of AIs escaping users’ control to lie, ignore instructions and pursue goals in harmful ways have hit a new high, according to research that also suggests the severity of deception and misalignment is worsening.Analysis of real-world loss of control incidents involving AI models flagged by businesses and individuals almost doubled in July compared with June, with more than 30...
UK risks falling behind in AI race without faster telecoms upgrades, say executives
Planning delays and slow 5G upgrades could leave the UK unable to cope with a surge in AI-related traffic The UK risks becoming a laggard in the global AI race as crucial telecoms upgrades to harness the technology fall behind rival nations, according to senior industry executives.The infrastructure AI race has centred on the need to build datacentres, and to ensure they have access to the huge water and energy supplies required to cool and supply the computational power to train and run AI mode...
Is the environmental impact of datacentres finally cutting through?
In this week’s newsletter: Anti-datacentre sentiment is growing across the political spectrum in the US – and the public is only just finding out about the potential effects on their energy bills• Don’t get Down to Earth delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereAnti-datacentre sentiment is growing from across the political spectrum in the US.More than a dozen states have considered moratoria on datacentres. New York became the first US state to enact a temporary ban last month. Progressive stalwart...
Labour rejects Zack Polanski’s call to ‘slam brakes’ on building AI datacentres
Government says Green leader’s proposed moratorium on ‘energy-guzzling’ AI projects would be disaster for economyLabour has rejected calls to pause construction of major AI infrastructure in Britain after the Green party leader, Zack Polanski, said it was time to “slam the brakes on these energy-guzzling, water-guzzling datacentres”.The government hit back at the opposition party’s proposal of a “moratorium other than [for] local-scale datacentres for the local community”, saying it “would be a...
Nicola Coughlan and Matt Lucas among stars backing campaign against AI voice cloning
About 80 people sign open letter to Andy Burnham calling for legislation to protect voice ownershipNicola Coughlan, Hugh Bonneville and Matt Lucas are among a group of actors backing a campaign against artificial intelligence voice cloning.Save Our Voices Now, which is also being supported by Luke Evans, Jen Brister, Siobhán McSweeney and Pearl Mackie, aims to stop the practice in which AI technology is used to replicate a real person’s voice to say anything it is prompted to. Continue reading.....
No special carve-out for states using fossil fuel to power datacentres, Chris Bowen insists, despite new conditions
Energy minister says states can apply to use coal and gas supply to power datacentres but must prove it is cheaper than renewablesFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastChris Bowen insists federal Labor’s new national laws on datacentre power supply will not include carve-outs for Queensland and the Northern Territory, with states that are eager to use coal and gas required to make their case to the national regulator.The...
