EU’s Landmark AI Act Reaches A Provisional Agreement After Being Hailed As A Global Benchmark For AI Governance

The landmark AI Act by the EU has just passed its first round of serious discussions and negotiations, terming it to be a provisional agreement in the region.

The law is becoming famous for being a global benchmark for other nations in terms of AI regulation which many feel is a huge need at this moment in time. And rightly so, considering the amount of debate that surrounds the technology.

Lawmakers united in Brussels this past week and proposed how the AI Act was going to serve as a great example for others to follow suit and possibly pass laws that are very similar to this.

As per the latest press release on the subject, we are hearing more about how the negotiators rolled out obligations that would result in high-impact GPAI systems, meeting all kinds of parameters and benchmarks that would ensure AI is safe to use for users in the region.

This entails tests to ascertain risk, launching incident reports, ad tests, and so much more. The goal is simple, users need to be protected at all times and the technology needs to be useful and not overpowering to an extent that it endangers the human race.

Another major factor of this landmark law is transparency is being kept as the highest priority of them all. There are plenty of detailed summaries in this regard of how content keeps getting used for the sake of training AI models. And that’s something that big AI firms like OpenAI have denied, time after time regarding their ChatGPT endeavor.

One more element in question is in regards to how citizens need the right to roll out complaints regarding AI systems and will continue to attain explanations in terms of the decisions outlined so far like how high of a risk it can be and how it could affect their rights as well.

The announcement made to the press regarding the new law failed to get into the details of how it works or what the set parameters would be. But there were some notes regarding framework as well as fines, if firms opt to break the set regulations outlined.

They are very variable and depend on which part of the law was violated and the size of the organization in question. This could range anywhere between 35 million euros which is a whopping 7% turnover from the firm’s revenue to 7.7 million euros which happens to be a 1.5% turnover of the overall revenue.

There were a few apps where AI happens to be barred such as those linked to scraping facial pictures through CCTV data and even categorizing the offense depending on some uniquely sensitive features like race, political opinions, gender, ethnicity, workplace recognition, education status and the presence of social scoring across the board.

The last two of those are linked to how human behavior could end up limiting users’ free will or exploiting their vulnerabilities. Such rules have also included safety factors put into place and any exemptions that could be attained for instance from law enforcement officials like if they wish to get biometrics or look for evidence linked to recordings and so on.

It seems like there would be a final deal expected very soon and this comes before the year ends. But as far as the implementation of the AI law is concerned, that won’t be happening until the year 2025, which is also a very early estimate by experts.

The initial draft for the landmark AI Act was first made public in 2021 and during that time it was delineated as being a big deal and really differentiating in terms of what would be included as AI and what rules would end up regulating the technology for different member states.

But we need to remember how this is just limited to a provisional agreement. There are still going to be more rounds where negotiations and deliberations will occur and possibly more changes are to come and that would add further delay.

Read next: The top countries paving the way for women in STEM
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Google Launches New Recovery Tool After User Files Mysteriously Disappeared From Google Drive

The end of November had Google Drive users going bonkers after they noticed a peculiar issue linked to their files online.

Users said they would log into their accounts and see everything had gone missing. And we are talking about data that was not new but actually stored for months or years. Moreover, there were also some situations where old variants of such files were present but the newest ones were nowhere to be seen.

Now, the search engine giant claims to have found the ultimate fix, thanks to the latest recovery tool. And that’s when the company says the latter is designed to get their data back with ease.

The rollout would specifically be related to files on the desktop that went missing but they failed to outline which bug ended up causing it. It was alarming as not even a single trace of the data was left behind. And that included no data inside the trash too.

It just seemed like the whole Drive went back to its old self, a situation that you’d find dating back months or even years!

After the uproar, it was obvious that the Android maker would be required to do something to try and retrieve those. You just need to install the latest version for Google Drive and that comes with that tool. Once that is done, simply launch this Drive platform, press settings, and simultaneously hold Shift while selecting Recover on the Backups.

The company did delineate how anyone facing problems would be required to send feedback via their Drive on the Desktop app using hashtags like #DFD84. This would entail the options for Diagnostics as well.

In case you wish to add recovered files linked to particular locations, the search engine giant also added an interface variant for the recovery tool featuring a command line. In cases when it does not work, the search engine giant does add recommendations for utilizing the Backup feature on Windows or your respective iOS device. This would ensure your device is restored to a specific point when all respective cached files found on Drive continue to exist.

While it may have taken the company a while to really address the huge concerns of many who use Google Drive for personal and professional purposes, we’re glad they’ve managed to roll out something.

Read next: The top countries paving the way for women in STEM
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

The top countries paving the way for women in STEM

Currently, women only account for 24% of those working in STEM around the world. On top of this, the wage gap between men and women in STEM professions is a huge $15,000. There are active efforts from many countries around the world to promote inclusivity in the workplace, but which are the best at championing women in the STEM field?

To find out, cloud cost intelligence platform CloudZero has analyzed all 38 OECD member countries. The study has looked at the percentage of women who are STEM graduates or are working in STEM roles, and the number of STEM job opportunities available in each country. CloudZero has also revealed the gender wage gap and average female salary in each location, to better understand the landscape for female workers in these countries. The metrics have then all been combined to reveal the countries who are paving the way for women in STEM.

The top five countries championing women in STEM

1 Iceland

According to the study, Iceland is the best country for championing women in STEM. The European country offers the highest average salary for females across all job types, at $79,473, and it also has a low gender wage gap of just 10%. Iceland also has almost equal gender representation in the STEM fields, as 45% of those working in STEM roles are female.

Iceland’s commitment to gender equality is proven through its Act on Equal Status and Equal Rights of Men and Women, which was established in 2000 with the goal of reaching equal rights in every area of society, including in business. The law also states that companies with over 50 employees must have at least 40% women on their boards.

From a young age, women in Iceland are encouraged to pursue an education in STEM, which is reflected in the fact that 35% of STEM graduates in the country are female. One example of Iceland’s equal opportunity education initiatives is the Hjalli teaching method, which aims to free children from gender stereotypes and promotes equal opportunities for all.

2. The Netherlands

The Netherlands has come in second place. The country has the highest number of STEM opportunities for women, with 13 available for every 1,000 female workers.

The Netherlands also has a high average wage for females, at $63,225, however only 29% of the country’s female workforce are in STEM roles. This could be in part thanks to the fact that often in the Netherlands, caregiving responsibilities fall unequally on women. Cost of childcare could also be perpetuating this, with OECD findings suggesting that more than 80% of the average earnings of women in the Netherlands goes towards childcare fees.

However, the Netherlands is one of the countries that are actively working to promote gender diversity across the whole workforce. In 2017, the country introduced a national strategy for tackling gender equality issues, focusing on the appointment of women to senior positions, the elimination of the gender pay gap, and equal treatment of women in the workplace.

3. USA

Following in third is the U.S, with the country offering one of the highest female salaries of $77,463. However, it’s important to note that this could be reflective of the U.S having the highest GDP per capita ($80,030), rather than its gender pay initiatives. Despite the high salaries for women, the gender wage gap is still very high, at 17%, showing that more efforts are needed to achieve equality in the workplace.

In the U.S, women make up 34% of STEM graduates. This is perhaps in part thanks to the country’s federal and state-level policies that promote gender equality in education. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, for example, prevents education programs from excluding people based on their gender.

The U.S is also the birthplace of many famous women in STEM, including Shirley Ann Jackson, the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT, and Nancy Roman, the first female executive at NASA.

4. Belgium

With the lowest gender wage gap of all countries analysed (1%), Belgium is in fourth place. In 2012, the government introduced legislation that was specifically aimed at reducing the pay gap. Under these laws, companies must conduct a comparative analysis every two years into the wage structure of female and male employees, and if this analysis shows women earn less, the company will be required to produce an action plan to rectify this.

One-third of the STEM workforce are female in Belgium, though only 26% of STEM graduates are women, showing there is perhaps more to be done at an educational level.

5. Denmark

Denmark rounds off the top five best countries for championing women in STEM. The gender wage gap here is also low, at just 6%, and women earn an average of $64,127. Despite there only being one STEM role opportunity for every 1,000 female workers in Denmark, women do make up 35% of the STEM workforce.

Looking at particular initiatives, in 2014 the government created the ‘More Women in Research’ task force to provide recommendations for more equal gender distribution among researchers. Since 2011 the Ministry of Higher Education and Science has also worked with top science and tech universities to define clear gender equality objectives, which is perhaps why 34% of STEM graduates in Denmark are women.

Rank	Country	Percentage of Women in STEM Roles (%)	Percentage of Female STEM Graduates	Gender Wage Gap (%)	Average Female Wage ($)	STEM Roles per 1,000 Female Workers
1	Iceland	45	35	10	$79,473	1
2	Netherlands	29	29	13	$63,225	13
3	United States	34	34	17	$77,463	7
4	Belgium	33	26	1	$64,848	5
5	Denmark	35	34	6	$64,127	1

The top three countries for women who want to kickstart a career in STEM

The study has also revealed the top countries for women looking to kickstart a career in STEM, taking into account the number of specific roles in the science, mathematics, computer science, and engineering industries, as well as the number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers.

1. The Netherlands

Not only is the Netherlands one of the top countries championing women in STEM, it’s also the number one country for those women wanting to establish their STEM career.

The European country offers the highest number of STEM roles per 1,000 female workers (13), and in particular, there are currently a huge 121,167 engineering roles available in the Netherlands. There’s a wide variety of engineering opportunities in the country, particularly in sustainability and infrastructure development.

As we’ve mentioned, women are earning around $63,225 on average in the Netherlands, however the gender pay gap is significant, at 13%, showing there is definitely more work to be done to close this.

2. Luxembourg

Luxembourg has come in as the second best country for women to start a STEM career, offering the second-highest average female wage of $78,310. However, this may be due to the country’s high cost of living, and the need for companies to offer salaries to match this.

Luxembourg also has an above-average number of STEM roles available per 1,000 female workers (7), and as a member of the EU it offers women in STEM the chance to work on international research projects.

There are also several projects aimed at encouraging young girls into STEM across the country, including Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology’s Gender4STEM initiative.

3. Belgium

Belgium is the third best country for women who want to get into the world of STEM. The country has the lowest gender pay gap in the world, at a mere 1%, and women make an average of $64,848 across all sectors.

In particular, Belgium has 25,119 engineering roles available, as well as 1,003 jobs in computer science.

Rank	Country	Gender Wage Gap (%)	Average Female Wage ($)	Science & Math Job Roles	Computer Science & Engineering Job Roles	Engineering Job Roles	STEM Roles per 1,000 Female Workers
1	Netherlands	13%	$63,225	852	1,745	121,167	13
2	Luxembourg	n/a	$78,310	124	301	1,744	7
3	Belgium	1%	$64,848	291	1,003	25,119	5
4	Switzerland	14%	$72,993	284	2,043	29,218	7
5	United States	17%	$77,463	73,151	103,318	889,085	7

Madeline Umscheid at CloudZero, comments: “To start your career in STEM, you should decide on the STEM field that you would like to pursue. Once you identify that, try to find practical experience to develop the skills you need. If you’re in education, lean on your school network to secure a paid internship.

“For those without a degree, try finding an entry-level role. Additionally, you should strive to stay informed about industry developments by building a peer network. Surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals in your field can provide insights and support. Most importantly, seek out inclusive employers as they are more likely to foster a supportive work environment and provide you with clear pathways for your career growth. Remember that prioritizing diversity not only benefits you but also enhances workplace performance.”

Methodology And Sources

CloudZero analyzed a series of metrics across all 38 OECD member countries, including:

• Number of female workers
• Number and percentage of STEM roles held by women
• Percentage of female STEM graduates (most recent figure available for each country)
• The gender wage gap and average female salary
• The volume of STEM jobs available

Data from the OECD, LinkedIn and The World Bank was used to create an indexed ranking, which determined the countries championing women in STEM the most.

All data is accurate as of 18/09/23.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

USA Has Lost A Great Amount to Frauds in Online Shopping in the Last 5 Years

Online Shopping has become a norm in the last few years. People prefer digital mediums, rather than shopping physically. In the last 5 years, online frauds have been happening a lot. That’s the reason online shopping fraud is one of the common frauds happening in the US. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has shared the numbers of online shopping frauds reported since 2019. To know more about online shopping and negative review frauds, consumers should know what this fraud really is. Online shopping scams include unmentioned prices, not delivering products on time or not delivering at all, and fake reviews.

Even though this is considered deceiving the customers, it is known as fraud in digital commerce industry. Many sellers also distort their reviews so they can attract more customers.

Since 2019, 15% of fraudulent cases in the US are through shopping online. If we see this through stats, this means that every hour about 40 Americans fall victim to online shopping fraudulent in the last 5 years. A total of 1.7 million fraud cases have been reported since 2019 in America, i.e., according to Surfshark data.

In Q2 2020, frauds by online shopping were at the highest peak and there were many cases reported. It was right after the spread of covid pandemic when people were preferring to shop online. There was a major contrast between the reported cases of frauds in online shopping in Q1 2020 and Q2 2020. In early 2020, 63k cases of frauds were reported while in mid 2020, it increased to 132k.

If we talk about the loss American citizens endured due to these frauds, it sums up to $1.45 billion. To make the figures more clear, each online shopping fraud victim lost about $16. The cities in the USA which are the most affected in terms of online shopping fraud are Florida and New York. In the past 5 years, Florida has reported 95k frauds while New York has over 89k fraud complaints. The third city in the list is New Jersey with 40k online shopping fraud reports.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

EU Approaches Historic Agreement, Shaping Global AI Governance for Tools like ChatGPT and Generative LLMs

As the sun sets on another day, the European Union edges closer to a groundbreaking agreement on regulating artificial intelligence (AI) – a potential game-changer in the realm of technological governance.

After prolonged negotiations, representatives from the European Commission, the European Parliament, and 27 member countries have found a common ground on controlling generative AI tools. These tools, exemplified by OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard, possess the unique ability to conjure content on demand, marking a pivotal moment in the broader legislation known as the AI Act.

This agreement is not just a bureaucratic milestone; it signifies a crucial stride toward establishing the most comprehensive AI regulation in the Western world. The EU, stepping into uncharted territory, is poised to become the first non-Asian government to impose robust constraints on generative AI technology.

This feat assumes particular significance in the absence of substantial action by the US Congress, thereby positioning the EU at the forefront of shaping the narrative surrounding AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard.

The road to consensus has been rife with intricate debates, reflective of the global discourse on AI regulation. The EU, mirroring the struggles of other nations such as the US and the UK, grapples with the delicate equilibrium between safeguarding its burgeoning AI startups and mitigating potential societal risks.

Throughout months of deliberation, policymakers have meticulously fine-tuned the language of the AI Act, racing against time to secure passage before imminent European elections. These elections loom large as a potential catalyst for further modifications, adding an extra layer of urgency to the negotiations.

In the crucible of debate, key sticking points have emerged, with countries like France and Germany opposing rules that could ostensibly handicap their local AI enterprises. Despite these challenges, optimism pervades the air, as officials anticipate a finalized deal early Thursday.

The proposed plan, emanating from EU policymakers, outlines stringent requirements for AI model developers, mandating transparency on training methodologies, summarization of copyrighted material, and clear labeling of AI-generated content. Moreover, models carrying "systemic risks" would be subject to collaboration through an industry code of conduct, necessitating monitoring and reporting of any incidents.

As the clock ticks toward dawn, the EU stands on the cusp of ushering in a new era of AI regulation, steering the course for a technologically shaped future.

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by Irfan Ahmad via Digital Information World

ChatGPT Doesn’t Have Human-Like Intelligence But New Models of AI May be Able to Compete with Human Intelligence Soon

In 2017, some Google researchers made Transformers that are the sole reason why most of the AI products work nowadays. Even ChatGPT uses transformers to chat with the user. When ChatGPT, an LLM (Large Language Model), was released last year in November, everyone predicted that it’s going to start an era of AI models. Bill Gates also agreed to that statement saying that ChatGPT is the first step to the age of AI. Now that many LLMs are in use, researchers are aiming for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The purpose of AGI will be to create an AI model that will be as intelligent as humans.

Even though behind every AI are transformers that are powering them, Google researchers say that the transformers cannot power AGI as AI hasn’t reached the point where it could compete with human abstractions, thought processing and predictions. For instance, ChatGPT only responds to the prompts that users ask it to. It cannot make anything of its own. Even the free version of ChatGPT cannot tell about anything that has happened after 2022. These kinds of instances are making researchers think whether the dream to make human-like AI is even possible or not. Researchers are also trying out different other technologies that can work instead of transformers.

• Also read: The Biggest Mobile App Trends for 2024 Revealed

What we can expect in the future is a better AI model than ChatGPT. Albert Gu, assistant professor at the machine-learning department of Carnegie Mellon and Tri Dao who is a chief assistant at TogetherAI, submitted research to ArXiv which highlights a model called Mamba. Mamba is an SSM (State Space Model) that works even better than Transformers. There isn’t much difference between SSM and LLM. SSM also replies to commands like LLM but it uses more mathematical states. Dao also wrote on X that Mamba can reply 5 times faster than transformers when given a prompt.

If tests like Mamba keep on happening, there can soon be an AI model that can compete with human intelligence. ChatGPT works well but it is nowhere near human-like intelligence. We will soon get a model that will be able to generate responses similar to humans.

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Amazon and Google Challenge Microsoft in CMA Cloud Investigation

Amazon, mirroring Google's recent actions, formally registered a complaint with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) against Microsoft, highlighting concerns over alleged anti-competitive behavior related to the latter's cloud licensing policies.

In response to the ongoing CMA investigation, Amazon contends that Microsoft imposes separate licenses for its software products when utilized in conjunction with alternative cloud service providers. This, Amazon argues, introduces a financial barrier for customers opting for providers other than Microsoft.

The filed grievance, dated November 23 and recently disclosed to the public, asserts that Microsoft strategically modified licensing terms in 2019 and 2022. Amazon claims these alterations were designed to impede customers from seamlessly utilizing popular software offerings on competitor platforms like Google Cloud, AWS, and Alibaba. The complaint specifically targets Microsoft's alleged effort to complicate the transition process away from its Azure service.

Notably, Google has also weighed in on the CMA investigation, suggesting that Microsoft should be mandated to improve interoperability and furnish security updates for customers transitioning between different cloud providers.

• Also read: The AI Craze is Nothing Like the Dot Com Bubble, Here’s Why

In response to the accusations, Microsoft rebuts the claims, attributing variations in cloud services to the natural competition within the innovation market. The company maintains that these differences do not result from illicit business practices tied to licensing.

In its defense, Microsoft underscores the diverse sources of competition in the UK's cloud market, highlighting significant investments by other major players such as Google, Oracle, and IBM. The company expresses a readiness to collaborate with the CMA throughout the ongoing market investigation to explore potential remedies.

Photo: DIW - AIgen

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