Firms can expect to hear soon, in a white paper to be published by the Office for AI, whether general AI-specific regulation will be introduced in the UK. EU law makers are currently scrutinising separate plans for a draft new EU AI Act. Both developments are expected to focus on issues such as transparency, explainability and governance. However, any new rules would only apply to technology that fits within the definition of AI in new legislation or regulation. Figuring out whether the technology firms use will be in-scope is therefore an important preliminary task for financial services businesses.

Technology has always been a double-edged sword. While it's been a major force for progress, it has also been abused and caused harm. From steam power to Fordism, history shows that technology is neither good nor bad – by itself. It can, of course, be both, depending on how it's used. Telecommunications, specifically the internet, and more recently AI, which is estimated to contribute more than €11 billion to the global economy by 2030, are no different.

Abbott approached Thaler about using the AI as the basis of the case and with a team of lawyers, all working pro bono, they filed patent applications in more than a dozen countries listing DABUS as the inventor of a beverage container it created. New Zealand's Assistant Commissioner of Patents rejected the initial application in January, ruling that the term "inventor" intrinsically refers to a natural person. Abbott said the test case was not about any sort of legal rights for machines, rather it was about trying to get a patent for "the inventive output from an AI" that lacks a traditional human inventor. Some firms were already using AI programmes to discover new drugs or to find ways to repurpose materials but the companies that many of the lawyers on the case represent wanted greater clarity on patent ownership before investing further, he said. The application was declined in Australia but later overturned by the Federal Court in 2021 which said the country's patent act had no specific provision excluding AI systems as inventors.

A legal challenge is being prepared to overturn the Intellectual Property Office's (IPONZ) decision not to recognise a machine as an inventor. It is being led by University of Surrey law professor Ryan Abbott, who has been testing patent law around the world, including New Zealand, to see if an invention created by an artificial intelligence (AI) programme could receive a patent. The test case centres around a "creativity machine" or AI inventor programme, known as DABUS, which was developed by US-based physicist Stephen Thaler. Abbott approached Thaler about using the AI as the basis of the case and with a team of lawyers, all working pro bono, they filed patent applications in more than a dozen countries listing DABUS as the inventor of a beverage container it created. New Zealand's Assistant Commissioner of Patents rejected the initial application in January, ruling that the term "inventor" intrinsically refers to a natural person.

Artificial intelligence is revolutionary, but it's not without its controversies. Some believe it can take us down a dangerous path, potentially arming governments with dangerous Orwellian surveillance and mass control capabilities. We have to remember that any technology is only as'good' or'bad' as the people who use it. Consider the EU's hailed'blueprint for AI regulation' and China's proposed crackdown on AI development; these instances seek to regulate AI as if it were already an autonomous, conscious technology. The U.S. must think wisely before following in their footsteps and consider addressing the actions of the user behind the AI.

The latest, global, cross-industry AI news are out again with topics varying between how AI can be used in space debris cleanup (rather sad, but our reality), how our cyber world, and with that, cybercrime is developing (and how we really need to start thinking about AI to tackle our challenges there), and how AI is used in healthcare (which is an evergreen aspect of AI, that we really cannot get enough of). Feel free to send us YOUR article to be published in the upcoming Featured News!

What does the crystal ball portend for AI as we are halfway through the first business quarter of the year? First, of course, we already know that artificial intelligence (AI) impacts every industry on the planet. Here are some areas in which AI will play a more significant role in our lives in 2022 and beyond. AI feasts on data and the gathering avenues of that information have heightened the value of data as a competitive advantage and a critical asset for businesses and governments alike. As a result, privacy regulations have been enacted and initiatives to educate the public about how their data can be used. Individuals will have more agency in exercising their data rights due to these efforts.

The US scientific workforce is not representative of the population. Barriers to entry and participation have been well-studied; however, few have examined the effect of these disparities on the advancement of science. Furthermore, most studies have looked at either race or gender, failing to account for the intersection of these variables. Our analysis utilizes millions of scientific papers to study the relationship between scientists and the science they produce. We find a strong relationship between the characteristics of scientists and their research topics, suggesting that diversity changes the scientific portfolio with consequences for career advancement for minoritized individuals. Science policies should consider this relationship to increase equitable participation in the scientific workforce and thereby improve the robustness of science. The US scientific workforce is primarily composed of White men. Studies have demonstrated the systemic barriers preventing women and other minoritized populations from gaining entry to science; few, however, have taken an intersectional perspective and examined the consequences of these inequalities on scientific knowledge. We provide a large-scale bibliometric analysis of the relationship between intersectional identities, topics, and scientific impact. We find homophily between identities and topic, suggesting a relationship between diversity in the scientific workforce and expansion of the knowledge base.

Who wouldn't want an AI-driven robot sidekick; a little mechanical pal, trustworthy and supportive -- the perfect teammate. But should such an automaton be invented would it really be your teammate, an equal partner in your adventurous endeavors? Or would it simply be a tool, albeit a wildly advanced one measured against today's standard? In the excerpt below from Human-Centered AI, author and professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, Ben Shneiderman, examines the pitfalls of our innate desire to humanize the mechanical constructs we build and how we are shortchanging their continued development by doing so. Published by Oxford University Press.

Verdict lists five of the most popular tweets on artificial intelligence (AI) in Q4 2021 based on data from GlobalData's Technology Influencer Platform. The top tweets are based on total engagements (likes and retweets) received on tweets from more than 150 AI experts tracked by GlobalData's Technology Influencer platform during the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2021. Spiros Margaris, board member of venture capital firm Margaris Ventures, shared an article on how companies are looking to deploy AI while also complying with data regulations and trends. Companies are focusing on how consumer data can be used while maintaining and protecting their data and building trust in their personalised services. Global technology company IBM, for instance, launched a data fabric solution, which allows consumers to have a complete view of their data, irrespective of where the data resides.