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Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, speaks about artificial intelligence during a Bruegel think tank conference in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 20, 2020. The chief executive of Google parent company Alphabet on Monday backed an EU proposal to temporarily ban facial-recognition technology because of the possibility that it could be used for nefarious purposes. "I think it is important that governments and regulations tackle it sooner rather than later and gives a framework for it," Sundar Pichai told a conference in Brussels organized by think tank Bruegel. The European Commission, which acts as the EU executive, is taking a tougher line on artificial intelligence (AI) than the United States that would strengthen existing regulations on privacy and data rights, according to an 18-page proposal paper seen by Reuters. Part of this includes a moratorium of up to five years on using facial recognition technology in public areas, to give the EU time to work out how to prevent abuses, the paper said.

The European Union is considering new legally binding requirements for developers of artificial intelligence in an effort to ensure modern technology is developed and used in an ethical way. The EU's executive arm is set to propose the new rules apply to "high-risk sectors," such as health care and transport, and suggest the bloc updates safety and liability laws, according to a draft of a so-called "white paper" on artificial intelligence obtained by Bloomberg. The European Commission is due to unveil the paper in mid-February and the final version is likely to change. The paper is part of the EU's broader effort to catch up to the U.S. and China on advancements in AI, but in a way that promotes European values such as user privacy. While some critics have long argued that stringent data protection laws like the EU's could hinder innovation around AI, EU officials say harmonizing rules across the region will boost development.

The time has come for lawmakers to settle this debate before it's too late. The thumb rule is never to reproduce works of any writer or artist without permission and/or payment of royalty/fees. Here's an example: developers use Y platform to make a phone app, and then sell it in the market for a fee. The debate so far: AI is being used to write articles, news reports; generate works of art, music even. The opposition counterargues that till such time that a machine can think "creatively" on its own, without human intervention, a human being IS responsible for creating the data base.

Google's chief executive called Monday for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence, telling a European audience that the technology brings benefits but also "negative consequences." Sundar Pichai's comments come as lawmakers and governments seriously consider putting limits on how artificial intelligence is used. "There is no question in my mind that artificial intelligence needs to be regulated. The question is how best to approach this," Pichai said, according to a transcript of his speech at a Brussel-based think tank. He noted that there's an important role for governments to play and that as the European Union and the U.S. start drawing up their own approaches to regulation, "international alignment" of any eventual rules will be critical.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google-owner Alphabet, urged regulators on Monday to take a "proportionate approach" when drafting rules for artificial intelligence (AI), days before the European Commission is due to publish proposals on the issue. Regulators are grappling with ways to govern AI, aiming to encourage innovation while curbing potential misuse, as companies and law enforcement agencies increasingly adopt the technology. Pichai said there was no question AI needs to be regulated, but that rulemakers should tread carefully. "Sensible regulation must also take a proportionate approach, balancing potential harms with social opportunities. This is especially true in areas that are high risk and high value," he said in prepared remarks for a conference in Brussels organized by think tank Bruegel.

A Utah city police department is considering a partnership with an artificial intelligence company in an effort to help the law enforcement agency work more efficiently. The Springville police may work with technology firm Banjo to help improve the response time to emergencies, The Daily Herald reported. The Park City company can gather real-time data from various sources including 911 dispatch calls, traffic cameras, emergency alarms, and social media posts and report related information to the police, officials said. The Springfield City Council heard a presentation by a Banjo representative during its Jan. 7 meeting but did not immediately make a decision about using the technology. Banjo entered an agreement last July with the Utah Attorney General's Office and the Utah Department of Public Safety to let the agencies use Banjo's technology to "reduce time and resources typically required to generate leads, and instead focus their efforts on incident response," according to a report to the state Legislature.

The chief executive of Google has called for international cooperation on regulating artificial intelligence technology to ensure it is'harnessed for good'. Sundar Pichai said that while regulation by individual governments and existing rules such as GDPR can provide a'strong foundation' for the regulation of AI, a more coordinated international effort is'critical' to making global standards work. The CEO said that history is full of examples of how'technology's virtues aren't guaranteed' and that with technological innovations come side effects. These range from internal combustion engines, which allowed people to travel beyond their own areas but also caused more accidents, to the internet, which helped people connect but also made it easier for misinformation to spread. These lessons teach us'we need to be clear-eyed about what could go wrong' in the development of AI-based technologies, he said.

To stop spread of disinformation leading to widespread public disorder, the government is exploring use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to remove such content automatically from social media platforms. The Centre is to "take up the issue with representatives of various international social media platforms operating in the country and monitor their compliance to instructions issued by lawful authorities under Information Technology Act." Sources said, "The introduction of Artificial Intelligence to remove objectionable content automatically from social media platforms needs to be explored." This step was proposed after the government witnessed widespread public disorder because of spread of rumours in mob lynching cases. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken up the matter and is exploring ways to implement it. On the rise in sharing of fake news over social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad had said in Lok Sabha that "With a borderless cyberspace coupled with the possibility of instant communication and anonymity, the potential for misuse of cyberspace and social media platforms for criminal activities is a global issue."

Yes, companies use AI to automate various tasks, while consumers use AI to make their daily routines easier. But governments–and in particular militaries–also have a massive interest in the speed and scale offered by AI. Nation states are already using artificial intelligence to monitor their own citizens, and as the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) revealed last week, they'll also be using AI to make decisions related to national security and warfare. The MoD's Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has announced the initial injection of £4 million in funding for new projects and startups exploring how to use AI in the context of the British Navy. In particular, the DASA is looking to support AI- and machine learning-based technology that will "revolutionise the way warships make decisions and process thousands of strands of intelligence and data."