AI Ethics & Policy Insights

The AI ethics & policy info we should know - simplified. Week of July 15, 2024. Issue 26.

Jul 16, 2024

A note from Paige
Thank you so much for your support of my newsletter. Just the fact that you’re here means that you’re supporting my efforts to increase people’s knowledge around AI ethics. As you know, this newsletter and all of the content I create in the world of AI ethics is free - and that’s for a reason! It doesn’t make sense to create content with the goal of informing everyone and then hide it behind a paywall.

I often get questions from people asking how they can support my work in a meaningful way, so I’ve listed 4 zero-dollar ways you can support my work, if you’re interested in doing so.

Subscribe to this newsletter (hit the subscribe button at the bottom)
Follow me on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube - or all three!
Share my newsletter with a friend who you think might find it interesting
Share my video content with a friend who might find it interesting

Thanks for being on this journey with me, and for your continued cheers as I work in tandem with the chorus of voices bringing AI ethics and safety information to the people.

AI Ethics News

Notable news in the world of AI ethics and responsible AI.

Sam Altman’s new AI Ethics Council - Sam Altman and John Hope Bryant, CEO of Operation HOPE, have joined together to cofound a new AI Ethics Council, a non-binding governance model that’s focused on ensuring that underrepresented voices are considered in this new era of AI. It does not appear that this board will advise OpenAI. The Council has an impressive lineup, including Bernice King, CEO of The King Center, Angela F. Williams, president and CEO of United Way Worldwide, and Helene Gayle, president of Spelman College. While the lineup and mission are compelling, it’s important to watch how this group works to achieve this mission. According to Bryant, “There are bad people in the world who will use artificial intelligence to do bad things…we need to get to scale before they do.” This is certainly a space to watch.
Samsung’s Approach to Ethical Innovation - Samsung just released a number of AI products and with it they released their perspective, philosophy and commitment to the responsible creation of AI. Samsung EVP Won-joo Choi shared a desire to focus on “the importance of responsible AI development and the critical role of collaboration in shaping AI for humanity.” Samsung has been considered a late-comer to the AI market, but at their Galaxy conference leadership indicated a hyper-focus on the needs of users, a desire to provide meaningful, “not just gimmick features”, and a major focus on privacy. While there’s a lot left to be seen, I think it’s safe to say that Samsung has officially, and beautifully, entered the AI chat.
World Religions commit to Rome Call on AI in Hiroshima - In Hiroshima, Japan, a city whose significance needs no clarification, the Vatican welcomed eastern religions to the Rome Call for AI Ethics. The Call from the Vatican is meant to foster a global, interreligious focus on AI safety, with the broader vision of progress and protection for humanity. While this move may seem symbolic in nature, it represents how seriously the world is taking the proliferation of AI technology, and how many major non-technical sectors are taking seriously the impact that AI could have on the world.
Photo from IBM
Etsy vs. Artists: Making the Way for AI Art - Artists and makers are outraged by Etsy’s policy of allowing AI art to be sold on the platform. While the conversation among artists about Etsy’s support of AI artwork has been going on for a few months, the conversations received renewed fuel as Etsy updated their policy on AI generated art, which now requires that AI art be tagged as such. It also mandates that the art can only be sold if the prompt belonged to the creator (IE the prompt was not taken from another person), and it states that “prompt packs” cannot be sold on the platform. Artists in the “no AI art” camp feel this is a sign that Etsy is does not care about real art, or the artists that have made their platform successful.

*Paige works for GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft.

AI in the Wild

NEW! This section will highlight new and interesting uses of AI, so you can stay up-to-date on how the technology is changing.

Samsung’s Coming for Oura with the new Galaxy Ring

Samsung is coming for the Oura Ring. This week Samsung announced the new Galaxy Ring, a smart ring that measures various details about your body and provides the data back to you. While the ring is $100 more than the Oura ring, it doesn’t come with the subscription fee that all Oura ring users are required to pay. Samsung adamantly stated that there is no plan to add a subscription.

Reviews for the rings are generally positive, although some are upset about the pre-order process, and would have preferred that the product be available upon announcement.

AI Policy Beat

A look at what’s happening in the world of AI policy.

Whistleblowers Call Out OpenAI for Barring Sharing Safety Risks

Whistleblowers from OpenAI have filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission stating that their NDAs illegally prevented them from sharing concerns about the risk of OpenAI’s technology on humanity. The Washington Post obtained access to the letter shared with federal regulators in which the employees stated that they were required to “waive their federal rights to whistleblower compensation” creating a chilling effect on whistleblowing and preventing companies from being held accountable for creating dangerous or harmful technology. This is another in a growing list of errors OpenAI has made in their apparent effort to scale their technology as quickly and broadly as possible.

Mozilla Calls for a Federal Privacy Law

Mozilla Director of Global Product Policy Udbhav Tiwari appeared as a key witness at a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and transportation. The session subject was “The Need to Protect Americans’ Privacy and the AI Accelerant.” In the session Mr. Tiwari made it clear that Mozilla believes that AI frameworks are not enough, and that comprehensive (read: federal) privacy legislation is critical to ensuring that Americans’ privacy is protected.

The Countdown is On for the EU AI Act Enforcement

As of July 12th, 2024, the EU AI Act has been published in the official journal, meaning the countdown to its entry into force is officially on. The AI Act will officially enter into force on August 1, 2024. While this is certainly notable, not all aspects of the Act will be in force right away. From the date of August 1st, 2024, obligations will be entered into force in waves. The Act will be fully in force on August 1, 2027.

Spotlight on Research

AI and ethics in business: A comprehensive review of responsible AI practices and corporate responsibility
In this paper, Funmilola Olatundun Olatoye, et al, share a comprehensive review of AI and ethics as it pertains to corporate responsibility.
An AI ethics ‘David and Goliath’: value conflicts between large tech companies and their employees
In this research paper Mark Ryan, et al, explore the growing chasm between companies and their employees as AI ethics recommendations are increasingly at odds with profit.
Should the UN govern global AI?
In this article, Cam Kerry, Joshua Meltzer and Andrea Renda explore whether AI regulation should sit with the UN.