AI Privacy News | Privacy Issues & Solutions AI News | AI News https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/categories/privacy/ Artificial Intelligence News Thu, 01 May 2025 11:28:50 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/cropped-ai-icon-32x32.png AI Privacy News | Privacy Issues & Solutions AI News | AI News https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/categories/privacy/ 32 32 Conversations with AI: Education https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/conversations-with-ai-education-implications-and-future/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/conversations-with-ai-education-implications-and-future/#respond Thu, 01 May 2025 10:27:00 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=106152 How can AI be used in education? An ethical debate, with an AI

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The classroom hasn’t changed much in over a century. A teacher at the front, rows of students listening, and a curriculum defined by what’s testable – not necessarily what’s meaningful.

But AI, as arguably the most powerful tool humanity has created in the last few years, is about to break that model open. Not with smarter software or faster grading, but by forcing us to ask: “What is the purpose of education in a world where machines could teach?”

At AI News, rather than speculate about distant futures or lean on product announcements and edtech deals, we started a conversation – with an AI. We asked it what it sees when it looks at the classroom, the teacher, and the learner.

What follows is a distilled version of that exchange, given here not as a technical analysis, but as a provocation.

The system cracks

Education is under pressure worldwide: Teachers are overworked, students are disengaged, and curricula feel outdated in a changing world. Into this comes AI – not as a patch or plug-in, but as a potential accelerant.

Our opening prompt: What roles might an AI play in education?

The answer was wide-ranging:

  • Personalised learning pathways
  • Intelligent tutoring systems
  • Administrative efficiency
  • Language translation and accessibility tools
  • Behavioural and emotional recognition
  • Scalable, always-available content delivery

These are features of an education system, its nuts and bolts. But what about meaning and ethics?

Flawed by design?

One concern kept resurfacing: bias.

We asked the AI: “If you’re trained on the internet – and the internet is the output of biased, flawed human thought – doesn’t that mean your responses are equally flawed?”

The AI acknowledged the logic. Bias is inherited. Inaccuracies, distortions, and blind spots all travel from teacher to pupil. What an AI learns, it learns from us, and it can reproduce our worst habits at vast scale.

But we weren’t interested in letting human teachers off the hook either. So we asked: “Isn’t bias true of human educators too?”

The AI agreed: human teachers are also shaped by the limitations of their training, culture, and experience. Both systems – AI and human – are imperfect. But only humans can reflect and care.

That led us to a deeper question: if both AI and human can reproduce bias, why use AI at all?

Why use AI in education?

The AI outlined what it felt were its clear advantages, which seemed to be systemic, rather than revolutionary. The aspect of personalised learning intrigued us – after all, doing things fast and at scale is what software and computers are good at.

We asked: How much data is needed to personalise learning effectively?

The answer: it varies. But at scale, it could require gigabytes or even terabytes of student data – performance, preferences, feedback, and longitudinal tracking over years.

Which raises its own question: “What do we trade in terms of privacy for that precision?”

A personalised or fragmented future?

Putting aside the issue of whether we’re happy with student data being codified and ingested, if every student were to receive a tailored lesson plan, what happens to the shared experience of learning?

Education has always been more than information. It’s about dialogue, debate, discomfort, empathy, and encounters with other minds, not just mirrored algorithms. AI can tailor a curriculum, but it can’t recreate the unpredictable alchemy of a classroom.

We risk mistaking customisation for connection.

“I use ChatGPT to provide more context […] to plan, structure and compose my essays.” – James, 17, Ottawa, Canada.

The teacher reimagined

Where does this leave the teacher?

In the AI’s view: liberated. Freed from repetitive tasks and administrative overload, the teacher is able to spend more time guiding, mentoring, and cultivating important thinking.

But this requires a shift in mindset – from delivering knowledge to curating wisdom. In broad terms, from part-time administrator, part-time teacher, to in-classroom collaborator.

AI won’t replace teachers, but it might reveal which parts of the teaching job were never the most important.

“The main way I use ChatGPT is to either help with ideas for when I am planning an essay, or to reinforce understanding when revising.” – Emily, 16, Eastbourne College, UK.

What we teach next

So, what do we want students to learn?

In an AI-rich world, important thinking, ethical reasoning, and emotional intelligence rise in value. Ironically, the more intelligent our machines become, the more we’ll need to double down on what makes us human.

Perhaps the ultimate lesson isn’t in what AI can teach us – but in what it can’t, or what it shouldn’t even try.

Conclusion

The future of education won’t be built by AI alone. The is our opportunity to modernise classrooms, and to reimagine them. Not to fear the machine, but to ask the bigger question: “What is learning in a world where all knowledge is available?”

Whatever the answer is – that’s how we should be teaching next.

(Image source: “Large lecture college classes” by Kevin Dooley is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

See also: AI in education: Balancing promises and pitfalls

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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AI in education: Balancing promises and pitfalls https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-in-education-balancing-promises-and-pitfalls/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-in-education-balancing-promises-and-pitfalls/#respond Mon, 28 Apr 2025 12:27:09 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=106158 The role of AI in education is a controversial subject, bringing both exciting possibilities and serious challenges. There’s a real push to bring AI into schools, and you can see why. The recent executive order on youth education from President Trump recognised that if future generations are going to do well in an increasingly automated […]

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The role of AI in education is a controversial subject, bringing both exciting possibilities and serious challenges.

There’s a real push to bring AI into schools, and you can see why. The recent executive order on youth education from President Trump recognised that if future generations are going to do well in an increasingly automated world, they need to be ready.

“To ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution, we must provide our nation’s youth with opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to use and create the next generation of AI technology,” President Trump declared.

So, what does AI actually look like in the classroom?

One of the biggest hopes for AI in education is making learning more personal. Imagine software that can figure out how individual students are doing, then adjust the pace and materials just for them. This could mean finally moving away from the old one-size-fits-all approach towards learning environments that adapt and offer help exactly where it’s needed.

The US executive order hints at this, wanting to improve results through things like “AI-based high-quality instructional resources” and “high-impact tutoring.”

And what about teachers? AI could be a huge help here too, potentially taking over tedious admin tasks like grading, freeing them up to actually teach. Plus, AI software might offer fresh ways to present information.

Getting kids familiar with AI early on could also take away some of the mystery around the technology. It might spark their “curiosity and creativity” and give them the foundation they need to become “active and responsible participants in the workforce of the future.”

The focus stretches to lifelong learning and getting people ready for the job market. On top of that, AI tools like text-to-speech or translation features can make learning much more accessible for students with disabilities, opening up educational environments for everyone.

Not all smooth sailing: The challenges ahead for AI in education

While the potential is huge, we need to be realistic about the significant hurdles and potential downsides.

First off, AI runs on student data – lots of it. That means we absolutely need strong rules and security to make sure this data is collected ethically, used correctly, and kept safe from breaches. Privacy is paramount here.

Then there’s the bias problem. If the data used to train AI reflects existing unfairness in society (and let’s be honest, it often does), the AI could end up repeating or even worsening those inequalities. Think biased assessments or unfair resource allocation. Careful testing and constant checks are crucial to catch and fix this.

We also can’t ignore the digital divide. If some students don’t have reliable internet, the right devices, or the necessary tech infrastructure at home or school, AI could widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. It’s vital that everyone gets fair access.

There’s also a risk that leaning too heavily on AI education tools might stop students from developing essential skills like critical thinking. We need to teach them how to use AI as a helpful tool, not a crutch they can’t function without.

Maybe the biggest piece of the puzzle, though, is making sure our teachers are ready. As the executive order rightly points out, “We must also invest in our educators and equip them with the tools and knowledge.”

This isn’t just about knowing which buttons to push; teachers need to understand how AI fits into teaching effectively and ethically. That requires solid professional development and ongoing support.

A recent GMB Union poll found that while about a fifth of UK schools are using AI now, the staff often aren’t getting the training they need:

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Finding the right path forward

It’s going to take everyone – governments, schools, tech companies, and teachers – pulling together in order to ensure that AI plays a positive role in education.

We absolutely need clear policies and standards covering ethics, privacy, bias, and making sure AI is accessible to all students. We also need to keep investing in research to figure out the best ways to use AI in education and to build tools that are fair and effective.

And critically, we need a long-term commitment to teacher education to get educators comfortable and skilled with these changes. Part of this is building broad AI literacy, making sure all students get a basic understanding of this technology and how it impacts society.

AI could be a positive force in education – making it more personalised, efficient, and focused on the skills students actually need. But turning that potential into reality means carefully navigating those tricky ethical, practical, and teaching challenges head-on.

See also: How does AI judge? Anthropic studies the values of Claude

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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Meta will train AI models using EU user data https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/meta-will-train-ai-models-using-eu-user-data/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/meta-will-train-ai-models-using-eu-user-data/#respond Tue, 15 Apr 2025 16:32:02 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=105325 Meta has confirmed plans to utilise content shared by its adult users in the EU (European Union) to train its AI models. The announcement follows the recent launch of Meta AI features in Europe and aims to enhance the capabilities and cultural relevance of its AI systems for the region’s diverse population.    In a statement, […]

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Meta has confirmed plans to utilise content shared by its adult users in the EU (European Union) to train its AI models.

The announcement follows the recent launch of Meta AI features in Europe and aims to enhance the capabilities and cultural relevance of its AI systems for the region’s diverse population.   

In a statement, Meta wrote: “Today, we’re announcing our plans to train AI at Meta using public content – like public posts and comments – shared by adults on our products in the EU.

“People’s interactions with Meta AI – like questions and queries – will also be used to train and improve our models.”

Starting this week, users of Meta’s platforms (including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) within the EU will receive notifications explaining the data usage. These notifications, delivered both in-app and via email, will detail the types of public data involved and link to an objection form.

“We have made this objection form easy to find, read, and use, and we’ll honor all objection forms we have already received, as well as newly submitted ones,” Meta explained.

Meta explicitly clarified that certain data types remain off-limits for AI training purposes.

The company says it will not “use people’s private messages with friends and family” to train its generative AI models. Furthermore, public data associated with accounts belonging to users under the age of 18 in the EU will not be included in the training datasets.

Meta wants to build AI tools designed for EU users

Meta positions this initiative as a necessary step towards creating AI tools designed for EU users. Meta launched its AI chatbot functionality across its messaging apps in Europe last month, framing this data usage as the next phase in improving the service.

“We believe we have a responsibility to build AI that’s not just available to Europeans, but is actually built for them,” the company explained. 

“That means everything from dialects and colloquialisms, to hyper-local knowledge and the distinct ways different countries use humor and sarcasm on our products.”

This becomes increasingly pertinent as AI models evolve with multi-modal capabilities spanning text, voice, video, and imagery.   

Meta also situated its actions in the EU within the broader industry landscape, pointing out that training AI on user data is common practice.

“It’s important to note that the kind of AI training we’re doing is not unique to Meta, nor will it be unique to Europe,” the statement reads. 

“We’re following the example set by others including Google and OpenAI, both of which have already used data from European users to train their AI models.”

Meta further claimed its approach surpasses others in openness, stating, “We’re proud that our approach is more transparent than many of our industry counterparts.”   

Regarding regulatory compliance, Meta referenced prior engagement with regulators, including a delay initiated last year while awaiting clarification on legal requirements. The company also cited a favourable opinion from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) in December 2024.

“We welcome the opinion provided by the EDPB in December, which affirmed that our original approach met our legal obligations,” wrote Meta.

Broader concerns over AI training data

While Meta presents its approach in the EU as transparent and compliant, the practice of using vast swathes of public user data from social media platforms to train large language models (LLMs) and generative AI continues to raise significant concerns among privacy advocates.

Firstly, the definition of “public” data can be contentious. Content shared publicly on platforms like Facebook or Instagram may not have been posted with the expectation that it would become raw material for training commercial AI systems capable of generating entirely new content or insights. Users might share personal anecdotes, opinions, or creative works publicly within their perceived community, without envisaging its large-scale, automated analysis and repurposing by the platform owner.

Secondly, the effectiveness and fairness of an “opt-out” system versus an “opt-in” system remain debatable. Placing the onus on users to actively object, often after receiving notifications buried amongst countless others, raises questions about informed consent. Many users may not see, understand, or act upon the notification, potentially leading to their data being used by default rather than explicit permission.

Thirdly, the issue of inherent bias looms large. Social media platforms reflect and sometimes amplify societal biases, including racism, sexism, and misinformation. AI models trained on this data risk learning, replicating, and even scaling these biases. While companies employ filtering and fine-tuning techniques, eradicating bias absorbed from billions of data points is an immense challenge. An AI trained on European public data needs careful curation to avoid perpetuating stereotypes or harmful generalisations about the very cultures it aims to understand.   

Furthermore, questions surrounding copyright and intellectual property persist. Public posts often contain original text, images, and videos created by users. Using this content to train commercial AI models, which may then generate competing content or derive value from it, enters murky legal territory regarding ownership and fair compensation—issues currently being contested in courts worldwide involving various AI developers.

Finally, while Meta highlights its transparency relative to competitors, the actual mechanisms of data selection, filtering, and its specific impact on model behaviour often remain opaque. Truly meaningful transparency would involve deeper insights into how specific data influences AI outputs and the safeguards in place to prevent misuse or unintended consequences.

The approach taken by Meta in the EU underscores the immense value technology giants place on user-generated content as fuel for the burgeoning AI economy. As these practices become more widespread, the debate surrounding data privacy, informed consent, algorithmic bias, and the ethical responsibilities of AI developers will undoubtedly intensify across Europe and beyond.

(Photo by Julio Lopez)

See also: Apple AI stresses privacy with synthetic and anonymised data

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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Opera introduces browser-integrated AI agent https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/opera-introduces-browser-integrated-ai-agent/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/opera-introduces-browser-integrated-ai-agent/#respond Mon, 03 Mar 2025 16:34:09 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=104668 Opera has introduced “Browser Operator,” a native AI agent designed to perform tasks for users directly within the browser. Rather than acting as a separate tool, Browser Operator is an extension of the browser itself—designed to empower users by automating repetitive tasks like purchasing products, completing online forms, and gathering web content. Unlike server-based AI […]

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Opera has introduced “Browser Operator,” a native AI agent designed to perform tasks for users directly within the browser.

Rather than acting as a separate tool, Browser Operator is an extension of the browser itself—designed to empower users by automating repetitive tasks like purchasing products, completing online forms, and gathering web content.

Unlike server-based AI integrations which require sensitive data to be sent to third-party servers, Browser Operator processes tasks locally within the Opera browser.

Opera’s demonstration video showcases how Browser Operator can streamline an everyday task like buying socks. Instead of manually scrolling through product pages or filling out payment forms, users could delegate the entire process to Browser Operator—allowing them to shift focus to activities that matter more to them, such as spending time with loved ones.

Harnessing natural language processing powered by Opera’s AI Composer Engine, Browser Operator interprets written instructions from users and executes corresponding tasks within the browser. All operations occur locally on a user’s device, leveraging the browser’s own infrastructure to safely and swiftly complete commands.  

If Browser Operator encounters a sensitive step in the process, such as entering payment details or approving an order, it pauses and requests the user’s input. You also have the freedom to intervene and take control of the process at any time.  

Every step Browser Operator takes is transparent and fully reviewable, providing users a clear understanding of how tasks are being executed. If mistakes occur – like placing an incorrect order – you can further instruct the AI agent to make amends, such as cancelling the order or adjusting a form.

The key differentiators: Privacy, performance, and precision  

What sets Browser Operator apart from other AI-integrated tools is its localised, privacy-first architecture. Unlike competitors that depend on screenshots or video recordings to understand webpage content, Opera’s approach uses the Document Object Model (DOM) Tree and browser layout data—a textual representation of the webpage.  

This difference offers several key advantages:

  • Faster task completion: Browser Operator doesn’t need to “see” and interpret pixels on the screen or emulate mouse movements. Instead, it accesses web page elements directly, avoiding unnecessary overhead and allowing it to process pages holistically without scrolling.
  • Enhanced privacy: With all operations conducted on the browser itself, user data – including logins, cookies, and browsing history – remains secure on the local device. No screenshots, keystrokes, or personal information are sent to Opera’s servers.
  • Easier interaction with page elements: The AI can engage with elements hidden from the user’s view, such as behind cookie popups or verification dialogs, enabling seamless access to web page content.

By enabling the browser to autonomously perform tasks, Opera is taking a significant step forward in making browsers “agentic”—not just tools for accessing the internet, but assistants that actively enhance productivity.  

See also: You.com ARI: Professional-grade AI research agent for businesses

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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Endor Labs: AI transparency vs ‘open-washing’ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/endor-labs-ai-transparency-vs-open-washing/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/endor-labs-ai-transparency-vs-open-washing/#respond Mon, 24 Feb 2025 18:15:45 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=104605 As the AI industry focuses on transparency and security, debates around the true meaning of “openness” are intensifying. Experts from open-source security firm Endor Labs weighed in on these pressing topics. Andrew Stiefel, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Endor Labs, emphasised the importance of applying lessons learned from software security to AI systems. “The US […]

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As the AI industry focuses on transparency and security, debates around the true meaning of “openness” are intensifying. Experts from open-source security firm Endor Labs weighed in on these pressing topics.

Andrew Stiefel, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Endor Labs, emphasised the importance of applying lessons learned from software security to AI systems.

“The US government’s 2021 Executive Order on Improving America’s Cybersecurity includes a provision requiring organisations to produce a software bill of materials (SBOM) for each product sold to federal government agencies.”

An SBOM is essentially an inventory detailing the open-source components within a product, helping detect vulnerabilities. Stiefel argued that “applying these same principles to AI systems is the logical next step.”  

“Providing better transparency for citizens and government employees not only improves security,” he explained, “but also gives visibility into a model’s datasets, training, weights, and other components.”

What does it mean for an AI model to be “open”?  

Julien Sobrier, Senior Product Manager at Endor Labs, added crucial context to the ongoing discussion about AI transparency and “openness.” Sobrier broke down the complexity inherent in categorising AI systems as truly open.

“An AI model is made of many components: the training set, the weights, and programs to train and test the model, etc. It is important to make the whole chain available as open source to call the model ‘open’. It is a broad definition for now.”  

Sobrier noted the lack of consistency across major players, which has led to confusion about the term.

“Among the main players, the concerns about the definition of ‘open’ started with OpenAI, and Meta is in the news now for their LLAMA model even though that’s ‘more open’. We need a common understanding of what an open model means. We want to watch out for any ‘open-washing,’ as we saw it with free vs open-source software.”  

One potential pitfall, Sobrier highlighted, is the increasingly common practice of “open-washing,” where organisations claim transparency while imposing restrictions.

“With cloud providers offering a paid version of open-source projects (such as databases) without contributing back, we’ve seen a shift in many open-source projects: The source code is still open, but they added many commercial restrictions.”  

“Meta and other ‘open’ LLM providers might go this route to keep their competitive advantage: more openness about the models, but preventing competitors from using them,” Sobrier warned.

DeepSeek aims to increase AI transparency

DeepSeek, one of the rising — albeit controversial — players in the AI industry, has taken steps to address some of these concerns by making portions of its models and code open-source. The move has been praised for advancing transparency while providing security insights.  

“DeepSeek has already released the models and their weights as open-source,” said Andrew Stiefel. “This next move will provide greater transparency into their hosted services, and will give visibility into how they fine-tune and run these models in production.”

Such transparency has significant benefits, noted Stiefel. “This will make it easier for the community to audit their systems for security risks and also for individuals and organisations to run their own versions of DeepSeek in production.”  

Beyond security, DeepSeek also offers a roadmap on how to manage AI infrastructure at scale.

“From a transparency side, we’ll see how DeepSeek is running their hosted services. This will help address security concerns that emerged after it was discovered they left some of their Clickhouse databases unsecured.”

Stiefel highlighted that DeepSeek’s practices with tools like Docker, Kubernetes (K8s), and other infrastructure-as-code (IaC) configurations could empower startups and hobbyists to build similar hosted instances.  

Open-source AI is hot right now

DeepSeek’s transparency initiatives align with the broader trend toward open-source AI. A report by IDC reveals that 60% of organisations are opting for open-source AI models over commercial alternatives for their generative AI (GenAI) projects.  

Endor Labs research further indicates that organisations use, on average, between seven and twenty-one open-source models per application. The reasoning is clear: leveraging the best model for specific tasks and controlling API costs.

“As of February 7th, Endor Labs found that more than 3,500 additional models have been trained or distilled from the original DeepSeek R1 model,” said Stiefel. “This shows both the energy in the open-source AI model community, and why security teams need to understand both a model’s lineage and its potential risks.”  

For Sobrier, the growing adoption of open-source AI models reinforces the need to evaluate their dependencies.

“We need to look at AI models as major dependencies that our software depends on. Companies need to ensure they are legally allowed to use these models but also that they are safe to use in terms of operational risks and supply chain risks, just like open-source libraries.”

He emphasised that any risks can extend to training data: “They need to be confident that the datasets used for training the LLM were not poisoned or had sensitive private information.”  

Building a systematic approach to AI model risk  

As open-source AI adoption accelerates, managing risk becomes ever more critical. Stiefel outlined a systematic approach centred around three key steps:  

  1. Discovery: Detect the AI models your organisation currently uses.  
  2. Evaluation: Review these models for potential risks, including security and operational concerns.  
  3. Response: Set and enforce guardrails to ensure safe and secure model adoption.  

“The key is finding the right balance between enabling innovation and managing risk,” Stiefel said. “We need to give software engineering teams latitude to experiment but must do so with full visibility. The security team needs line-of-sight and the insight to act.”  

Sobrier further argued that the community must develop best practices for safely building and adopting AI models. A shared methodology is needed to evaluate AI models across parameters such as security, quality, operational risks, and openness.

Beyond transparency: Measures for a responsible AI future  

To ensure the responsible growth of AI, the industry must adopt controls that operate across several vectors:  

  • SaaS models: Safeguarding employee use of hosted models.
  • API integrations: Developers embedding third-party APIs like DeepSeek into applications, which, through tools like OpenAI integrations, can switch deployment with just two lines of code.
  • Open-source models: Developers leveraging community-built models or creating their own models from existing foundations maintained by companies like DeepSeek.

Sobrier warned of complacency in the face of rapid AI progress. “The community needs to build best practices to develop safe and open AI models,” he advised, “and a methodology to rate them along security, quality, operational risks, and openness.”  

As Stiefel succinctly summarised: “Think about security across multiple vectors and implement the appropriate controls for each.”

See also: AI in 2025: Purpose-driven models, human integration, and more

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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DeepSeek to open-source AGI research amid privacy concerns https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/deepseek-open-source-agi-research-amid-privacy-concerns/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/deepseek-open-source-agi-research-amid-privacy-concerns/#respond Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:56:59 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=104592 DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI), announced plans to open-source five repositories starting next week as part of its commitment to transparency and community-driven innovation. However, this development comes against the backdrop of mounting controversies that have drawn parallels to the TikTok saga. Today, DeepSeek shared its intentions in a […]

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DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup aiming for artificial general intelligence (AGI), announced plans to open-source five repositories starting next week as part of its commitment to transparency and community-driven innovation.

However, this development comes against the backdrop of mounting controversies that have drawn parallels to the TikTok saga.

Today, DeepSeek shared its intentions in a tweet that outlined its vision of open collaboration: “We’re a tiny team at DeepSeek exploring AGI. Starting next week, we’ll be open-sourcing five repos, sharing our small but sincere progress with full transparency.”

The repositories – which the company describes as “documented, deployed, and battle-tested in production” – include fundamental building blocks of DeepSeek’s online service.

By open-sourcing its tools, DeepSeek hopes to contribute to the broader AI research community.

“As part of the open-source community, we believe that every line shared becomes collective momentum that accelerates the journey. No ivory towers – just pure garage-energy and community-driven innovation,” the company said.

This philosophy has drawn praise for fostering collaboration in a field that often suffers from secrecy, but DeepSeek’s rapid rise has also raised eyebrows.

Despite being a small team with a mission rooted in transparency, the company has been under intense scrutiny amid allegations of data misuse and geopolitical entanglements.

Rising fast, under fire

Practically unknown until recently, DeepSeek burst onto the scene with a business model that stood in stark contrast to more established players like OpenAI and Google.

Offering its advanced AI capabilities for free, DeepSeek quickly gained global acclaim for its cutting-edge performance. However, its exponential rise has also sparked debates about the trade-offs between innovation and privacy.

US lawmakers are now pushing for a ban on DeepSeek after security researchers found the app transferring user data to a banned state-owned company.

A probe has also been launched by Microsoft and OpenAI over a breach of the latter’s systems by a group allegedly linked to DeepSeek.

Concerns about data collection and potential misuse have triggered comparisons to the controversies surrounding TikTok, another Chinese tech success story grappling with regulatory pushback in the West.

DeepSeek continues AGI innovation amid controversy

DeepSeek’s commitment to open-source its technology appears timed to deflect criticism and reassure sceptics about its intentions.

Open-sourcing has long been heralded as a way to democratise technology and increase transparency, and DeepSeek’s “daily unlocks,” that are set to begin soon, could offer the community reassuring insight into its operations.

Nevertheless, questions remain over how much of the technology will be open for scrutiny and whether the move is an attempt to shift the narrative amid growing political and regulatory pressure.

It’s unclear whether this balancing act will be enough to satisfy lawmakers or deter critics, but one thing is certain: DeepSeek’s open-source leap marks another turn in its dramatic rise.

While the company’s motto of “garage-energy and community-driven innovation” resonates with developers eager for open collaboration, its future may rest as much on its ability to address security concerns as on its technical prowess.

(Photo by Solen Feyissa)

See also: DeepSeek’s AI dominance expands from EVs to e-scooters in China

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including IoT Tech Expo, Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

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DeepSeek ban? China data transfer boosts security concerns https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/deepseek-ban-china-data-transfer-boosts-security-concerns/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/deepseek-ban-china-data-transfer-boosts-security-concerns/#respond Fri, 07 Feb 2025 17:44:01 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=104228 US lawmakers are pushing for a DeepSeek ban after security researchers found the app transferring user data to a banned state-owned company. DeepSeek, practically unknown just weeks ago, took the tech world by storm—gaining global acclaim for its cutting-edge performance while sparking debates reminiscent of the TikTok saga. Its rise has been fuelled in part […]

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US lawmakers are pushing for a DeepSeek ban after security researchers found the app transferring user data to a banned state-owned company.

DeepSeek, practically unknown just weeks ago, took the tech world by storm—gaining global acclaim for its cutting-edge performance while sparking debates reminiscent of the TikTok saga.

Its rise has been fuelled in part by its business model: unlike many of its American counterparts, including OpenAI and Google, DeepSeek offered its advanced powers for free.

However, concerns have been raised about DeepSeek’s extensive data collection practices and a probe has been launched by Microsoft and OpenAI over a breach of the latter’s system by a group allegedly linked to the Chinese AI startup.

A threat to US AI dominance

DeepSeek’s astonishing capabilities have, within a matter of weeks, positioned it as a major competitor to American AI stalwarts like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google Gemini. But, alongside the app’s prowess, concerns have emerged over alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).  

According to security researchers, hidden code within DeepSeek’s AI has been found transmitting user data to China Mobile—a state-owned telecoms company banned in the US. DeepSeek’s own privacy policy permits the collection of data such as IP addresses, device information, and, most alarmingly, even keystroke patterns.

Such findings have led to bipartisan efforts in the US Congress to curtail DeepSeek’s influence, with lawmakers scrambling to protect sensitive data from potential CCP oversight.

Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are spearheading efforts to introduce legislation that would prohibit DeepSeek from being installed on all government-issued devices. 

Several federal agencies, among them NASA and the US Navy, have already preemptively issued a ban on DeepSeek. Similarly, the state of Texas has also introduced restrictions.

Potential ban of DeepSeek a TikTok redux?

The controversy surrounding DeepSeek bears similarities to debates over TikTok, the social video app owned by Chinese company ByteDance. TikTok remains under fire over accusations that user data is accessible to the CCP, though definitive proof has yet to materialise.

In contrast, DeepSeek’s case involves clear evidence, as revealed by cybersecurity investigators who identified the app’s unauthorised data transmissions. While some might say DeepSeek echoes the TikTok controversy, security experts argue that it represents a much starker and documented threat.

Lawmakers around the world are taking note. In addition to the US proposals, DeepSeek has already faced bans from government systems in countries including Australia, South Korea, and Italy.  

AI becomes a geopolitical battleground

The concerns over DeepSeek exemplify how AI has now become a geopolitical flashpoint between global superpowers—especially between the US and China.

American AI firms like OpenAI have enjoyed a dominant position in recent years, but Chinese companies have poured resources into catching up and, in some cases, surpassing their US competitors.  

DeepSeek’s lightning-quick growth has unsettled that balance, not only because of its AI models but also due to its pricing strategy, which undercuts competitors by offering the app free of charge. That begs the question of whether it’s truly “free” or if the cost is paid in lost privacy and security.

China Mobile’s involvement raises further eyebrows, given the state-owned telecom company’s prior sanctions and prohibition from the US market. Critics worry that data collected through platforms like DeepSeek could fill gaps in Chinese surveillance activities or even potential economic manipulations.

A nationwide DeepSeek ban is on the cards

If the proposed US legislation is passed, it could represent the first step toward nationwide restrictions or an outright ban on DeepSeek. Geopolitical tension between China and the West continues to shape policies in advanced technologies, and AI appears to be the latest arena for this ongoing chess match.  

In the meantime, calls to regulate applications like DeepSeek are likely to grow louder. Conversations about data privacy, national security, and ethical boundaries in AI development are becoming ever more urgent as individuals and organisations across the globe navigate the promises and pitfalls of next-generation tools.  

DeepSeek’s rise may have, indeed, rattled the AI hierarchy, but whether it can maintain its momentum in the face of increasing global pushback remains to be seen.

(Photo by Solen Feyissa)

See also: AVAXAI brings DeepSeek to Web3 with decentralised AI agents

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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EU AI Act: What businesses need to know as regulations go live https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/eu-ai-act-what-businesses-need-know-regulations-go-live/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/eu-ai-act-what-businesses-need-know-regulations-go-live/#respond Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:52:49 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=17015 Next week marks the beginning of a new era for AI regulations as the first obligations of the EU AI Act take effect. While the full compliance requirements won’t come into force until mid-2025, the initial phase of the EU AI Act begins February 2nd and includes significant prohibitions on specific AI applications. Businesses across […]

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Next week marks the beginning of a new era for AI regulations as the first obligations of the EU AI Act take effect.

While the full compliance requirements won’t come into force until mid-2025, the initial phase of the EU AI Act begins February 2nd and includes significant prohibitions on specific AI applications. Businesses across the globe that operate in the EU must now navigate a regulatory landscape with strict rules and high stakes.

The new regulations prohibit the deployment or use of several high-risk AI systems. These include applications such as social scoring, emotion recognition, real-time remote biometric identification in public spaces, and other scenarios deemed unacceptable under the Act.

Companies found in violation of the rules could face penalties of up to 7% of their global annual turnover, making it imperative for organisations to understand and comply with the restrictions.  

Early compliance challenges  

“It’s finally here,” says Levent Ergin, Chief Strategist for Climate, Sustainability, and AI at Informatica. “While we’re still in a phased approach, businesses’ hard-earned preparations for the EU AI Act will now face the ultimate test.”

Headshot of Levent Ergin, Chief Strategist for Climate, Sustainability, and AI at Informatica, for an article on what the regulations introduced in EU AI Act means for businesses in the European Union and beyond.

Ergin highlights that even though most compliance requirements will not take effect until mid-2025, the early prohibitions set a decisive tone.

“For businesses, the pressure in 2025 is twofold. They must demonstrate tangible ROI from AI investments while navigating challenges around data quality and regulatory uncertainty. It’s already the perfect storm, with 89% of large businesses in the EU reporting conflicting expectations for their generative AI initiatives. At the same time, 48% say technology limitations are a major barrier to moving AI pilots into production,” he remarks.

Ergin believes the key to compliance and success lies in data governance.

“Without robust data foundations, organisations risk stagnation, limiting their ability to unlock AI’s full potential. After all, isn’t ensuring strong data governance a core principle that the EU AI Act is built upon?”

To adapt, companies must prioritise strengthening their approach to data quality.

“Strengthening data quality and governance is no longer optional, it’s critical. To ensure both compliance and prove the value of AI, businesses must invest in making sure data is accurate, holistic, integrated, up-to-date and well-governed,” says Ergin.

“This isn’t just about meeting regulatory demands; it’s about enabling AI to deliver real business outcomes. As 82% of EU companies plan to increase their GenAI investments in 2025, ensuring their data is AI-ready will be the difference between those who succeed and those who remain in the starting blocks.”

EU AI Act has no borders

The extraterritorial scope of the EU AI Act means non-EU organisations are assuredly not off the hook. As Marcus Evans, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, explains, the Act applies far beyond the EU’s borders.

Headshot of Marcus Evans, a partner at Norton Rose Fulbright, for an article on what the regulations introduced in EU AI Act means for businesses in the European Union and beyond.

“The AI Act will have a truly global application,” says Evans. “That’s because it applies not only to organisations in the EU using AI or those providing, importing, or distributing AI to the EU market, but also AI provision and use where the output is used in the EU. So, for instance, a company using AI for recruitment in the EU – even if it is based elsewhere – would still be captured by these new rules.”  

Evans advises businesses to start by auditing their AI use. “At this stage, businesses must first understand where AI is being used in their organisation so that they can then assess whether any use cases may trigger the prohibitions. Building on that initial inventory, a wider governance process can then be introduced to ensure AI use is assessed, remains outside the prohibitions, and complies with the AI Act.”  

While organisations work to align their AI practices with the new regulations, additional challenges remain. Compliance requires addressing other legal complexities such as data protection, intellectual property (IP), and discrimination risks.  

Evans emphasises that raising AI literacy within organisations is also a critical step.

“Any organisations in scope must also take measures to ensure their staff – and anyone else dealing with the operation and use of their AI systems on their behalf – have a sufficient level of AI literacy,” he states.

“AI literacy will play a vital role in AI Act compliance, as those involved in governing and using AI must understand the risks they are managing.”

Encouraging responsible innovation  

The EU AI Act is being hailed as a milestone for responsible AI development. By prohibiting harmful practices and requiring transparency and accountability, the regulation seeks to balance innovation with ethical considerations.

Headshot of Beatriz Sanz Sáiz, AI Sector Leader at EY Global, for an article on what the regulations introduced in EU AI Act means for businesses in the European Union and beyond.

“This framework is a pivotal step towards building a more responsible and sustainable future for artificial intelligence,” says Beatriz Sanz Sáiz, AI Sector Leader at EY Global.

Sanz Sáiz believes the legislation fosters trust while providing a foundation for transformative technological progress.

“It has the potential to foster further trust, accountability, and innovation in AI development, as well as strengthen the foundations upon which the technology continues to be built,” Sanz Sáiz asserts.

“It is critical that we focus on eliminating bias and prioritising fundamental rights like fairness, equity, and privacy. Responsible AI development is a crucial step in the quest to further accelerate innovation.”

What’s prohibited under the EU AI Act?  

To ensure compliance, businesses need to be crystal-clear on which activities fall under the EU AI Act’s strict prohibitions. The current list of prohibited activities includes:  

  • Harmful subliminal, manipulative, and deceptive techniques  
  • Harmful exploitation of vulnerabilities  
  • Unacceptable social scoring  
  • Individual crime risk assessment and prediction (with some exceptions)  
  • Untargeted scraping of internet or CCTV material to develop or expand facial recognition databases  
  • Emotion recognition in areas such as the workplace and education (with some exceptions)  
  • Biometric categorisation to infer sensitive categories (with some exceptions)  
  • Real-time remote biometric identification (RBI) in publicly accessible spaces for law enforcement purposes (with some exceptions)  

The Commission’s forthcoming guidance on which “AI systems” fall under these categories will be critical for businesses seeking to ensure compliance and reduce legal risks. Additionally, companies should anticipate further clarification and resources at the national and EU levels, such as the upcoming webinar hosted by the AI Office.

A new landscape for AI regulations

The early implementation of the EU AI Act represents just the beginning of what is a remarkably complex and ambitious regulatory endeavour. As AI continues to play an increasingly pivotal role in business strategy, organisations must learn to navigate new rules and continuously adapt to future changes.  

For now, businesses should focus on understanding the scope of their AI use, enhancing data governance, educating staff to build AI literacy, and adopting a proactive approach to compliance. By doing so, they can position themselves as leaders in a fast-evolving AI landscape and unlock the technology’s full potential while upholding ethical and legal standards.

(Photo by Guillaume Périgois)

See also: ChatGPT Gov aims to modernise US government agencies

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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AI governance: Analysing emerging global regulations https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-governance-analysing-emerging-global-regulations/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-governance-analysing-emerging-global-regulations/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 16:21:18 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=16742 Governments are scrambling to establish regulations to govern AI, citing numerous concerns over data privacy, bias, safety, and more. AI News caught up with Nerijus Šveistys, Senior Legal Counsel at Oxylabs, to understand the state of play when it comes to AI regulation and its potential implications for industries, businesses, and innovation. “The boom of […]

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Governments are scrambling to establish regulations to govern AI, citing numerous concerns over data privacy, bias, safety, and more.

AI News caught up with Nerijus Šveistys, Senior Legal Counsel at Oxylabs, to understand the state of play when it comes to AI regulation and its potential implications for industries, businesses, and innovation.

“The boom of the last few years appears to have sparked a push to establish regulatory frameworks for AI governance,” explains Šveistys.

“This is a natural development, as the rise of AI seems to pose issues in data privacy and protection, bias and discrimination, safety, intellectual property, and other legal areas, as well as ethics that need to be addressed.”

Regions diverge in regulatory strategy

The European Union’s AI Act has, unsurprisingly, positioned the region with a strict, centralised approach. The regulation, which came into force this year, is set to be fully effective by 2026.

Šveistys pointed out that the EU has acted relatively swiftly compared to other jurisdictions: “The main difference we can see is the comparative quickness with which the EU has released a uniform regulation to govern the use of all types of AI.”

Meanwhile, other regions have opted for more piecemeal approaches. China, for instance, has been implementing regulations specific to certain AI technologies in a phased-out manner. According to Šveistys, China began regulating AI models as early as 2021.

“In 2021, they introduced regulation on recommendation algorithms, which [had] increased their capabilities in digital advertising. It was followed by regulations on deep synthesis models or, in common terms, deepfakes and content generation in 2022,” he said.

“Then, in 2023, regulation on generative AI models was introduced as these models were making a splash in commercial usage.”

The US, in contrast, remains relatively uncoordinated in its approach. Federal-level regulations are yet to be enacted, with efforts mostly emerging at the state level.

“There are proposed regulations at the state level, such as the so-called California AI Act, but even if they come into power, it may still take some time before they do,” Šveistys noted.

This delay in implementing unified AI regulations in the US has raised questions about the extent to which business pushback may be contributing to the slow rollout. Šveistys said that while lobbyist pressure is a known factor, it’s not the only potential reason.

“There was pushback to the EU AI Act, too, which was nevertheless introduced. Thus, it is not clear whether the delay in the US is only due to lobbyism or other obstacles in the legislation enactment process,” explains Šveistys.

“It might also be because some still see AI as a futuristic concern, not fully appreciating the extent to which it is already a legal issue of today.”

Balancing innovation and safety

Differentiated regulatory approaches could affect the pace of innovation and business competitiveness across regions.

Europe’s regulatory framework, though more stringent, aims to ensure consumer protection and ethical adherence—something that less-regulated environments may lack.

“More rigid regulatory frameworks may impose compliance costs for businesses in the AI field and stifle competitiveness and innovation. On the other hand, they bring the benefits of protecting consumers and adhering to certain ethical norms,” comments Šveistys.

This trade-off is especially pronounced in AI-related sectors such as targeted advertising, where algorithmic bias is increasingly scrutinised.

AI governance often extends beyond laws that specifically target AI, incorporating related legal areas like those governing data collection and privacy. For example, the EU AI Act also regulates the use of AI in physical devices, such as elevators.

“Additionally, all businesses that collect data for advertisement are potentially affected as AI regulation can also cover algorithmic bias in targeted advertising,” emphasises Šveistys.

Impact on related industries

One industry that is deeply intertwined with AI developments is web scraping. Typically used for collecting publicly available data, web scraping is undergoing an AI-driven evolution.

“From data collection, validation, analysis, or overcoming anti-scraping measures, there is a lot of potential for AI to massively improve the efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability of web scraping operations,” said Šveistys. 

However, as AI regulation and related laws tighten, web scraping companies will face greater scrutiny.

“AI regulations may also bring the spotlight on certain areas of law that were always very relevant to the web scraping industry, such as privacy or copyright laws,” Šveistys added.

“At the end of the day, scraping content protected by such laws without proper authorisation could always lead to legal issues, and now so can using AI this way.”

Copyright battles and legal precedents

The implications of AI regulation are also playing out on a broader legal stage, particularly in cases involving generative AI tools.

High-profile lawsuits have been launched against AI giants like OpenAI and its primary backer, Microsoft, by authors, artists, and musicians who claim their copyrighted materials were used to train AI systems without proper permission.

“These cases are pivotal in determining the legal boundaries of using copyrighted material for AI development and establishing legal precedents for protecting intellectual property in the digital age,” said Šveistys.

While these lawsuits could take years to resolve, their outcomes may fundamentally shape the future of AI development. So, what can businesses do now as the regulatory and legal landscape continues to evolve?

“Speaking about the specific cases of using copyrighted material for AI training, businesses should approach this the same way as any web-scraping activity – that is, evaluate the specific data they wish to collect with the help of a legal expert in the field,” recommends Šveistys.

“It is important to recognise that the AI legal landscape is very new and rapidly evolving, with not many precedents in place to refer to as of yet. Hence, continuous monitoring and adaptation of your AI usage are crucial.”

Just this week, the UK Government made headlines with its announcement of a consultation on the use of copyrighted material for training AI models. Under the proposals, tech firms could be permitted to use copyrighted material unless owners have specifically opted out.

Despite the diversity of approaches globally, the AI regulatory push marks a significant moment for technological governance. Whether through the EU’s comprehensive model, China’s step-by-step strategy, or narrower, state-level initiatives like in the US, businesses worldwide must navigate a complex, evolving framework.

The challenge ahead will be striking the right balance between fostering innovation and mitigating risks, ensuring that AI remains a force for good while avoiding potential harms.

(Photo by Nathan Bingle)

See also: Anthropic urges AI regulation to avoid catastrophes

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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Machine unlearning: Researchers make AI models ‘forget’ data https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/machine-unlearning-researchers-ai-models-forget-data/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/machine-unlearning-researchers-ai-models-forget-data/#respond Tue, 10 Dec 2024 17:18:26 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=16680 Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) have developed a method to enable large-scale AI models to selectively “forget” specific classes of data. Progress in AI has provided tools capable of revolutionising various domains, from healthcare to autonomous driving. However, as technology advances, so do its complexities and ethical considerations.  The paradigm of large-scale […]

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Researchers from the Tokyo University of Science (TUS) have developed a method to enable large-scale AI models to selectively “forget” specific classes of data.

Progress in AI has provided tools capable of revolutionising various domains, from healthcare to autonomous driving. However, as technology advances, so do its complexities and ethical considerations. 

The paradigm of large-scale pre-trained AI systems, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and CLIP (Contrastive Language–Image Pre-training), has reshaped expectations for machines. These highly generalist models, capable of handling a vast array of tasks with consistent precision, have seen widespread adoption for both professional and personal use.  

However, such versatility comes at a hefty price. Training and running these models demands prodigious amounts of energy and time, raising sustainability concerns, as well as requiring cutting-edge hardware significantly more expensive than standard computers. Compounding these issues is that generalist tendencies may hinder the efficiency of AI models when applied to specific tasks.  

For instance, “in practical applications, the classification of all kinds of object classes is rarely required,” explains Associate Professor Go Irie, who led the research. “For example, in an autonomous driving system, it would be sufficient to recognise limited classes of objects such as cars, pedestrians, and traffic signs.

“We would not need to recognise food, furniture, or animal species. Retaining classes that do not need to be recognised may decrease overall classification accuracy, as well as cause operational disadvantages such as the waste of computational resources and the risk of information leakage.”  

A potential solution lies in training models to “forget” redundant or unnecessary information—streamlining their processes to focus solely on what is required. While some existing methods already cater to this need, they tend to assume a “white-box” approach where users have access to a model’s internal architecture and parameters. Oftentimes, however, users get no such visibility.  

“Black-box” AI systems, more common due to commercial and ethical restrictions, conceal their inner mechanisms, rendering traditional forgetting techniques impractical. To address this gap, the research team turned to derivative-free optimisation—an approach that sidesteps reliance on the inaccessible internal workings of a model.  

Advancing through forgetting

The study, set to be presented at the Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS) conference in 2024, introduces a methodology dubbed “black-box forgetting.”

The process modifies the input prompts (text instructions fed to models) in iterative rounds to make the AI progressively “forget” certain classes. Associate Professor Irie collaborated on the work with co-authors Yusuke Kuwana and Yuta Goto (both from TUS), alongside Dr Takashi Shibata from NEC Corporation.  

For their experiments, the researchers targeted CLIP, a vision-language model with image classification abilities. The method they developed is built upon the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES), an evolutionary algorithm designed to optimise solutions step-by-step. In this study, CMA-ES was harnessed to evaluate and hone prompts provided to CLIP, ultimately suppressing its ability to classify specific image categories.

As the project progressed, challenges arose. Existing optimisation techniques struggled to scale up for larger volumes of targeted categories, leading the team to devise a novel parametrisation strategy known as “latent context sharing.”  

This approach breaks latent context – a representation of information generated by prompts – into smaller, more manageable pieces. By allocating certain elements to a single token (word or character) while reusing others across multiple tokens, they dramatically reduced the problem’s complexity. Crucially, this made the process computationally tractable even for extensive forgetting applications.  

Through benchmark tests on multiple image classification datasets, the researchers validated the efficacy of black-box forgetting—achieving the goal of making CLIP “forget” approximately 40% of target classes without direct access to the AI model’s internal architecture.

This research marks the first successful attempt to induce selective forgetting in a black-box vision-language model, demonstrating promising results.  

Benefits of helping AI models forget data

Beyond its technical ingenuity, this innovation holds significant potential for real-world applications where task-specific precision is paramount.

Simplifying models for specialised tasks could make them faster, more resource-efficient, and capable of running on less powerful devices—hastening the adoption of AI in areas previously deemed unfeasible.  

Another key use lies in image generation, where forgetting entire categories of visual context could prevent models from inadvertently creating undesirable or harmful content, be it offensive material or misinformation.  

Perhaps most importantly, this method addresses one of AI’s greatest ethical quandaries: privacy.

AI models, particularly large-scale ones, are often trained on massive datasets that may inadvertently contain sensitive or outdated information. Requests to remove such data—especially in light of laws advocating for the “Right to be Forgotten”—pose significant challenges.

Retraining entire models to exclude problematic data is costly and time-intensive, yet the risks of leaving it unaddressed can have far-reaching consequences.

“Retraining a large-scale model consumes enormous amounts of energy,” notes Associate Professor Irie. “‘Selective forgetting,’ or so-called machine unlearning, may provide an efficient solution to this problem.”  

These privacy-focused applications are especially relevant in high-stakes industries like healthcare and finance, where sensitive data is central to operations.  

As the global race to advance AI accelerates, the Tokyo University of Science’s black-box forgetting approach charts an important path forward—not only by making the technology more adaptable and efficient but also by adding significant safeguards for users.  

While the potential for misuse remains, methods like selective forgetting demonstrate that researchers are proactively addressing both ethical and practical challenges.  

See also: Why QwQ-32B-Preview is the reasoning AI to watch

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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EU introduces draft regulatory guidance for AI models https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/eu-introduces-draft-regulatory-guidance-for-ai-models/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/eu-introduces-draft-regulatory-guidance-for-ai-models/#respond Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:52:05 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=16496 The release of the “First Draft General-Purpose AI Code of Practice” marks the EU’s effort to create comprehensive regulatory guidance for general-purpose AI models. The development of this draft has been a collaborative effort, involving input from diverse sectors including industry, academia, and civil society. The initiative was led by four specialised Working Groups, each […]

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The release of the “First Draft General-Purpose AI Code of Practice” marks the EU’s effort to create comprehensive regulatory guidance for general-purpose AI models.

The development of this draft has been a collaborative effort, involving input from diverse sectors including industry, academia, and civil society. The initiative was led by four specialised Working Groups, each addressing specific aspects of AI governance and risk mitigation:

  • Working Group 1: Transparency and copyright-related rules
  • Working Group 2: Risk identification and assessment for systemic risk
  • Working Group 3: Technical risk mitigation for systemic risk
  • Working Group 4: Governance risk mitigation for systemic risk

The draft is aligned with existing laws such as the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. It takes into account international approaches, striving for proportionality to risks, and aims to be future-proof by contemplating rapid technological changes.

Key objectives outlined in the draft include:

  • Clarifying compliance methods for providers of general-purpose AI models
  • Facilitating understanding across the AI value chain, ensuring seamless integration of AI models into downstream products
  • Ensuring compliance with Union law on copyrights, especially concerning the use of copyrighted material for model training
  • Continuously assessing and mitigating systemic risks associated with AI models

Recognising and mitigating systemic risks

A core feature of the draft is its taxonomy of systemic risks, which includes types, natures, and sources of such risks. The document outlines various threats such as cyber offences, biological risks, loss of control over autonomous AI models, and large-scale disinformation. By acknowledging the continuously evolving nature of AI technology, the draft recognises that this taxonomy will need updates to remain relevant.

As AI models with systemic risks become more common, the draft emphasises the need for robust safety and security frameworks (SSFs). It proposes a hierarchy of measures, sub-measures, and key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure appropriate risk identification, analysis, and mitigation throughout a model’s lifecycle.

The draft suggests that providers establish processes to identify and report serious incidents associated with their AI models, offering detailed assessments and corrections as needed. It also encourages collaboration with independent experts for risk assessment, especially for models posing significant systemic risks.

Taking a proactive stance to AI regulatory guidance

The EU AI Act, which came into force on 1 August 2024, mandates that the final version of this Code be ready by 1 May 2025. This initiative underscores the EU’s proactive stance towards AI regulation, emphasising the need for AI safety, transparency, and accountability.

As the draft continues to evolve, the working groups invite stakeholders to participate actively in refining the document. Their collaborative input will shape a regulatory framework aimed at safeguarding innovation while protecting society from the potential pitfalls of AI technology.

While still in draft form, the EU’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI models could set a benchmark for responsible AI development and deployment globally. By addressing key issues such as transparency, risk management, and copyright compliance, the Code aims to create a regulatory environment that fosters innovation, upholds fundamental rights, and ensures a high level of consumer protection.

This draft is open for written feedback until 28 November 2024. 

See also: Anthropic urges AI regulation to avoid catastrophes

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AI hallucinations gone wrong as Alaska uses fake stats in policy https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-hallucinations-gone-wrong-as-alaska-uses-fake-stats-in-policy/ https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/news/ai-hallucinations-gone-wrong-as-alaska-uses-fake-stats-in-policy/#respond Tue, 05 Nov 2024 16:12:42 +0000 https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/?p=16432 The combination of artificial intelligence and policymaking can occasionally have unforeseen repercussions, as seen recently in Alaska. In an unusual turn of events, Alaska legislators reportedly used AI-generated citations that were inaccurate to justify a proposed policy banning cellphones in schools. As reported by /The Alaska Beacon/, Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) […]

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The combination of artificial intelligence and policymaking can occasionally have unforeseen repercussions, as seen recently in Alaska.

In an unusual turn of events, Alaska legislators reportedly used AI-generated citations that were inaccurate to justify a proposed policy banning cellphones in schools. As reported by /The Alaska Beacon/, Alaska’s Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) presented a policy draft containing references to academic studies that simply did not exist.

The situation arose when Alaska’s Education Commissioner, Deena Bishop, used generative AI to draft the cellphone policy. The document produced by the AI included supposed scholarly references that were neither verified nor accurate, yet the document did not disclose the use of AI in its preparation. Some of the AI-generated content reached the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development before it could be reviewed, potentially influencing board discussions.

Commissioner Bishop later claimed that AI was used only to “create citations” for an initial draft and asserted that she corrected the errors before the meeting by sending updated citations to board members. However, AI “hallucinations”—fabricated information generated when AI attempts to create plausible yet unverified content—were still present in the final document that was voted on by the board.

The final resolution, published on DEED’s website, directs the department to establish a model policy for cellphone restrictions in schools. Unfortunately, the document included six citations, four of which seemed to be from respected scientific journals. However, the references were entirely made up, with URLs that led to unrelated content. The incident shows the risks of using AI-generated data without proper human verification, especially when making policy rulings.

Alaska’s case is not one of a kind. AI hallucinations are increasingly common in a variety of professional sectors. For example, some legal professionals have faced consequences for using AI-generated, fictitious case citations in court. Similarly, academic papers created using AI have included distorted data and fake sources, presenting serious credibility concerns. When left unchecked, generative AI algorithms, which are meant to produce content based on patterns rather than factual accuracy, can easily produce misleading citations.

The reliance on AI-generated data in policymaking, particularly in education, carries significant risks. When policies are developed based on fabricated information, they may misallocate resources and potentially harm students. For instance, a policy restricting cellphone use based on fabricated data may divert attention from more effective, evidence-based interventions that could genuinely benefit students.

Furthermore, using unverified AI data can erode public trust in both the policymaking process and AI technology itself. Such incidents underscore the importance of fact-checking, transparency, and caution when using AI in sensitive decision-making areas, especially in education, where impact on students can be profound.

Alaska officials attempted to downplay the situation, referring to the fabricated citations as “placeholders” intended for later correction. However, the document with the “placeholders” was still presented to the board and used as the basis for a vote, underscoring the need for rigorous oversight when using AI.

(Photo by Hartono Creative Studio)

See also: Anthropic urges AI regulation to avoid catastrophes

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

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