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The Gospel: Israel turns to a new AI system in the Gaza war

Al Jazeera

More than 60 days into the Israel-Gaza war, two Israeli news outlets – 972 magazine and Local Call – published a report on The Gospel, a new artificial intelligence system deployed in Gaza. The AI helps generate new targets at an unprecedented rate, allowing the Israeli military to loosen its already permissive constraints on the killing of civilians. The exchange of hostages between Israel and Hamas late last month created some challenges for the Netanyahu government – and its messaging. Producer Meenakshi Ravi looks at how Israeli media has been reporting on the story. As the world is focused on the events unfolding in Gaza, Israel has also escalated its attacks on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, where Hamas has no authority or military presence.


Uncanny valley: What's the latest TikTok makeup trend?

Al Jazeera

Pasty skin, empty eyes and slightly misshapen features against delirious music tracks – it's the recent TikTok trend with a dose of disconcerting strangeness. Generally called the uncanny valley makeup trend, it involves creators using makeup to appear as hyper-realistic bots. Some of the videos under this trend have received up to 13 million likes on the platform. I love the uncanny valley makeup trend because it taps into the primal fear of being stalked by a not-quite-human thing that's ambiguously threatening. Modern thrillers often confuse surprise with fear: Lingering creepiness is much scarier than one-time jump scares and CGIs.


AI could provide the 'ultimate second opinion' as scientists say it is just as good as doctors at analysing X-rays

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Artificial intelligence could provide the'ultimate second opinion' as it is just as good as doctors at analysing X-rays, scientists have claimed. Tests using AI software on millions of old scans diagnosed conditions at least as accurately as radiologists 94 per cent of the time. The joint study by Warwick University and King's College London suggested it could prove vital in avoiding human error when checking patients' results. The AI software, which can scan X-rays as soon as they are taken, is able to understand the seriousness of each condition and flag the more urgent ones immediately. The study's authors suggested it could be used to screen X-rays, freeing up time for busy doctors to focus on more critical patients and helping deal with chronic NHS staffing shortages.


European Union reaches agreement on landmark legislation to regulate AI

Al Jazeera

European Union policymakers have agreed on landmark legislation to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), paving the way for the most ambitious set of standards yet to control the use of the game-changing technology. The agreement to support the "AI Act" on Friday came after nearly 38 hours of negotiations between lawmakers and policymakers. "The AI Act is a global first. A unique legal framework for the development of AI you can trust," EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said. A commitment we took in our political guidelines – and we delivered.


EU agrees 'historic' deal with world's first laws to regulate AI

The Guardian

The world's first comprehensive laws to regulate artificial intelligence have been agreed in a landmark deal after a marathon 37-hour negotiation between the European Parliament and EU member states. The agreement was described as "historic" by Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner responsible for a suite of laws in Europe that will also govern social media and search engines, covering giants such as X, TikTok and Google. Breton said 100 people had been in a room for almost three days to seal the deal. He said it was "worth the few hours of sleep" to make the "historic" deal. Carme Artigas, Spain's secretary of state for AI, who facilitated the negotiations, said France and Germany supported the text, amid reports that tech companies in those countries were fighting for a lighter touch approach to foster innovation among small companies.


EU strikes deal to regulate AI tech in landmark act

The Japan Times

The European Union reached a hard-fought deal on what is poised to become the most comprehensive regulation of artificial intelligence in the Western world. Thierry Breton, the bloc's internal market chief, said the deal strikes a balance between fostering innovation and protecting the rights of people and companies. "We spent a lot of time on finding the right balance between making the most of AI potential to support law enforcement while protecting our citizens' fundamental rights," he said early Saturday in a statement. "We do not want any mass surveillance in Europe."


E.U. reaches deal on landmark AI bill, racing ahead of U.S.

Washington Post - Technology News

After years of inaction in the U.S. Congress, E.U. tech laws have had wide-ranging implications for Silicon Valley companies. Europe's digital privacy law, the General Data Protection Regulation, has prompted some companies, such as Microsoft, to overhaul how they handle users' data even beyond Europe's borders. Meta, Google and other companies have faced fines under the law, and Google had to delay the launch of its generative AI chatbot Bard in the region due to a review under the law. However, there are concerns that the law created costly compliance measures that have hampered small businesses, and that lengthy investigations and relatively small fines have blunted its efficacy among the world's largest companies.


Nintendo Switch OLED vs. Steam Deck OLED: Which handheld is better?

Mashable

Competition among portable consoles is the fiercest it's ever been. This duo of OLED devices can unlock tons of gaming potential, thanks to their friendly design and extensive libraries of games, but do you really need to own both? So, with that in mind, here's how the Switch OLED and Steam Deck OLED compare to one another. Our first category is the easiest to decide. Nintendo is always going to win on price -- and that's no different here.


20 jobs in jeopardy due to AI, according to new study. Is yours on the list?

Mashable

The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and the large language models (LLMs) that underpin them, have been alarming anti-AI advocates, particularly as ChatGPT -- and its ilk -- skyrocketed in popularity this year. A new study conducted by the UK Department of Education implies that the fearful cries of "Ah, AI is coming after our jobs!" According to the lead investigators, up to 30% of jobs can be automated with AI. As AI usage becomes more prevalent, the study discovered that the most affected jobs are in finance, law, business, management roles, and clerical work. Below, take a look at the specific jobs that are in jeopardy.


The EU has reached a historic regulatory agreement over AI development

Engadget

The Washington Post reports that after a marathon 72-hour debate European Union legislators Friday have reached a historic deal on a broad-ranging AI safety development bill, the most expansive and far-reaching of its kind to date. Details of the deal itself were not immediately available. The proposed regulations would dictate the ways in which future machine learning models can be developed and distributed within the trade bloc, impacting its use in applications ranging from education to employment to healthcare. AI development would be split among four categories, depending on how much societal risk each potentially poses -- minimal, limited, high, and banned. Banned uses would include anything that circumvents the user's will, targets protected groups or provides real-time biometric tracking (like facial recognition).