UK Home Secretary sounds alarm over deepfakes ahead of elections

Criminals and hostile state actors could hijack Britain's democratic process by deploying AI-generated "deepfakes" to mislead voters, UK Home Secretary James Cleverly cautioned in remarks ahead of meetings with major tech companies. 

Speaking to The Times, Cleverly emphasised the rapid advancement of AI technology and its potential to undermine elections not just in the UK but globally. He warned that malign actors working on behalf of nations like Russia and Iran could generate...

26 February 2024 | Applications

Stability AI previews Stable Diffusion 3 text-to-image model

London-based AI lab Stability AI has announced an early preview of its new text-to-image model, Stable Diffusion 3. The advanced generative AI model aims to create high-quality images from text prompts with improved performance across several key areas.

The announcement comes just days after Stability AI’s largest rival, OpenAI, unveiled Sora—a brand new AI model capable of generating nearly-realistic, high-definition videos from simple text prompts.

Sora, which...

23 February 2024 | Applications

Google pledges to fix Gemini’s inaccurate and biased image generation

Google's Gemini model has come under fire for its production of historically-inaccurate and racially-skewed images, reigniting concerns about bias in AI systems.

The controversy arose as users on social media platforms flooded feeds with examples of Gemini generating pictures depicting racially-diverse Nazis, black medieval English kings, and other improbable scenarios.

Google Gemini Image generation model receives criticism for being 'Woke'....

22 February 2024 | Applications

Reddit is reportedly selling data for AI training

Reddit has negotiated a content licensing deal to allow its data to be used for training AI models, according to a Bloomberg report.

Just ahead of a potential $5 billion initial public offering (IPO) debut in March, Reddit has reportedly signed a $60 million deal with an undisclosed major AI company. This move could be seen as a last-minute effort to showcase potential revenue streams in the rapidly growing AI industry to prospective investors.

Although Reddit has yet to...

19 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

The UK is outpacing the US for AI hiring

A new report finds that the UK has been growing its AI job market faster than the US over the last five years. 

Analysing job listings data, the report by AIPRM found that – between 2017 and 2022 – the average yearly growth rate for AI hiring was 1.2% in the US. This compares to 1.22% in the UK over the same period. 

The UK's strong performance means it outpaced other major economies like India (1.19% growth), Canada (1.26%), and Brazil...

7 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

UK announces over £100M to support ‘agile’ AI regulation

The UK government has announced over £100 million in new funding to support an "agile" approach to AI regulation. This includes £10 million to prepare and upskill regulators to address the risks and opportunities of AI across sectors like telecoms, healthcare, and education. 

The investment comes at a vital time, as research from Thoughtworks shows 91% of British people argue that government regulations must do more to hold businesses accountable for their AI systems. The...

6 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Bank of England Governor: AI won’t lead to mass job losses

Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, has rebutted fears that AI will lead to widespread unemployment.

"I'm an economic historian, before I became a central banker. Economies adapt, jobs adapt, and we learn to work with it. And I think, you get a better result by people with machines than with machines on their own," Bailey told the BBC.

Bailey's comments come as the latest economic assessment shows that UK businesses investing in AI are expected to see gains...

2 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

Experts from 30 nations will contribute to global AI safety report

Leading experts from 30 nations across the globe will advise on a landmark report assessing the capabilities and risks of AI systems. 

The International Scientific Report on Advanced AI Safety aims to bring together the best scientific research on AI safety to inform policymakers and future discussions on the safe development of AI technology. The report builds on the legacy of last November's UK AI Safety Summit, where countries signed the Bletchley Declaration agreeing to...

1 February 2024 | Artificial Intelligence

OpenAI and Common Sense Media will promote safe AI use by families

OpenAI has announced a partnership with nonprofit Common Sense Media to educate families on responsible AI use. Leaders from both organisations shared the news onstage at the Common Sense Summit for America’s Kids and Families.

Through the collaboration, OpenAI and Common Sense aim to empower parents, educators, and teens to use AI tools safely and effectively.

Initial projects will include developing AI guidelines and educational materials tailored for different age...

30 January 2024 | Applications

NCSC: AI to significantly boost cyber threats over next two years

A report published by the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) warns that AI will substantially increase cyber threats over the next two years. 

The centre warns of a surge in ransomware attacks in particular; involving hackers deploying malicious software to encrypt a victim's files or entire system and demanding a ransom payment for the decryption key.

The NCSC assessment predicts AI will enhance threat actors' capabilities mainly in carrying out more persuasive...

24 January 2024 | Applications