Google is changing its paper review process following internal revolt

Google is making changes to how it reviews papers following an internal revolt over the company’s controversial practices.

Leading AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru was fired from Google in December last year after sending an email to colleagues which criticised the company’s practices.

Gebru claims Google blocks the publication of papers that may cause criticism of the company’s work; including her most recent which questioned whether language models can be too...

26 February 2021 | Ethics

British intelligence agency GCHQ publishes ‘Ethics of AI’ report

The intelligence agency’s first-ever public report details how AI can be used “ethically” for cyber operations.

GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) is tasked with providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom and its allies.

Jeremy Fleming, Director of GCHQ, said:

“We need honest, mature conversations about the impact that new technologies could have on society.

This...

25 February 2021 | Ethics

‘Information gap’ between AI creators and policymakers needs to be resolved – report

An article posted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) has argued there is a 'huge gap in understanding' between policymakers and AI creators.

The report, authored by Adriana Bora, AI policy researcher and project manager at The Future Society, and David Alexandru Timis, outgoing curator at Brussels Hub, explores how to resolve accountability and trust-building issues with AI technology.

Bora and Timis note there is "a need for sound mechanisms that will generate a...

23 February 2021 | Ethics

Google is leaking AI talent following ethicist’s controversial firing

Some high-profile AI experts have departed Google after the controversial firing of leading ethicist Timnit Gebru.

Gebru was fired from Google after criticising the company’s practices in an email following a dispute over a paper she was told not to publish which questioned whether language models can be too big and whether they can increase prejudice and inequalities. In her email, Gebru also expressed frustration at the lack of progress in hiring women at...

5 February 2021 | Ethics

Google is telling its scientists to give AI a ‘positive’ spin

Google has reportedly been telling its scientists to give AI a “positive” spin in research papers.

Documents obtained by Reuters suggest that, in at least three cases, Google’s researchers were requested to refrain from being critical of AI technology.

A “sensitive topics” review was established by Google earlier this year to catch papers which cast a negative light on AI ahead of their publication.

Google asks its scientists to consult with legal,...

24 December 2020 | Ethics

EU human rights agency issues report on AI ethical considerations

The European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) has issued a report on AI which delves into the ethical considerations which must be made about the technology.

FRA’s report is titled Getting The Future Right and opens with some of the ways AI is already making lives better—such as helping with cancer diagnosis, and even predicting where burglaries are likely to take place.

“The possibilities seem endless,” writes Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the FRA,...

14 December 2020 | Adoption

Google fires ethical AI researcher Timnit Gebru after critical email

A leading figure in ethical AI development has been fired by Google after criticising the company.

Timnit Gebru is considered a pioneer in the field and researched the risks and inequalities found in large language models.

Gebru claims she was fired by Google over an unpublished paper and sending an email critical of the company’s practices.

The paper questions whether language models can be too big, who benefits from them, and whether they can increase...

4 December 2020 | Ethics

CDEI launches a ‘roadmap’ for tackling algorithmic bias

A review from the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation (CDEI) has led to the creation of a “roadmap” for tackling algorithmic bias.

The analysis was commissioned by the UK government in October 2018 and will receive a formal response.

Algorithms bring substantial benefits to businesses and individuals able to use them effectively. However, increasing evidence suggests biases are – often unconsciously – making their way into algorithms and creating an uneven...

27 November 2020 | Adoption

Synthesized’s free tool aims to detect and remove algorithmic biases

Synthesized has launched a free tool which aims to quickly identify and remove dangerous biases in algorithms.

As humans, we all have biases. These biases, often unconsciously, end up in algorithms which are designed to be used across society.

In practice, this could mean anything from a news app serving more left-wing or right-wing content—through to facial recognition systems which flag some races and genders more than others.

A 2010 study (PDF) by...

12 November 2020 | Ethics

Information Commissioner clears Cambridge Analytica of influencing Brexit

A three-year investigation by the UK Information Commissioner's office has cleared Cambridge Analytica of electoral interference.

Cambridge Analytica was accused in March 2018 of using AI tools and big data to influence the results of the Brexit referendum and the US presidential election. Most objective observers probably felt the case was overblown, but it's taken until now to be confirmed.

“From my review of the materials recovered by the investigation I have found...

8 October 2020 | Ethics