News That Caught Our Eye
Implementing generative AI with speed and safety
McKinsey, whose recent research “estimated that gen AI has the potential to add up to $4.4 trillion in economic value to the global economy,” hopes to tackle unease about AI adoption by laying out a roadmap for responsible implementation. Their key recommendations, which you should definitely check out for more detail, include understanding and managing inbound risk, establishing governance structures, and embedding governance in any operating models from initiation.
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Americans’ descriptions of AI are getting more negative
There’s been a jump in the number of Americans who use negative words to describe AI, compared to the same time last year, according to the Ipsos Consumer Tracker. As attitudes change, it’s important for us to remain proactive about pursuing AI innovation, not just a risk-averse approach to regulation.
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Unleashing AI’s Potential in Campaigns and Organizing: Lessons from the Front Lines
Kate Gage and Oluwakemi Oso from the Cooperative Impact Lab, a self-described “space to experiment with approaches and strategies to build progressive power,” are starting to release some of the organization’s insights from attempting to leverage AI during the 2023 election. Top of the list: the importance of organizational AI readiness, the ability for AI to unlock new capabilities rather than just efficiency, and the necessity of experimentation & regulation in responsible adoption. Scroll to the bottom for some specific partnerships, beta tools, and coaching being offered by the Lab for non-profits & campaigns.
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US government enters the race for AI talent
In the tight AI talent market, the United States is stepping up efforts to entice pros and IT talent to partner with government agencies. Officials are leaning on their values and laurels to bring in the experts, with fears of “being left behind” the private sector spurring the hiring spree. The Office of Personnel Management specifically is allotting agencies a lot of resources and flexibility to bring in large amounts of talent very quickly.
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Why AI conspiracy videos are spamming social media
“In a viral TikTok video, celebrity podcaster Joe Rogan appears to deliver a damning message: ‘We are all probably going to die in the next few years. Did you hear about this? There’s this asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth.’” Hannah Murphy investigates the recent phenomenon of AI generated conspiracies perforating social media, leaving experts concerned creators are exploiting reduced media literacy and trickier AI tools to artificially “juice engagement” and make more money off the platforms. Other research shows groups of AI-generated spam pages are flooding Facebook with “sometimes hyper-realistic, sometimes bizarre” content, confusing algorithms.
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Despite appearances, Congress is quietly improving functionality
Rodney Davis and Ed Perlmutter, opinion contributors for The Hill, observe the quiet updates in the House to improve transparency to the American people and prepare to “hold a runaway executive branch accountable” ahead of the 2024 election. As part of its modernization efforts, the House digital services office is crafting initiatives to bolster the tools & data that members have available for oversight and policy purposes – alongside bipartisan coworking spaces, AI experimentation, a re-opened Capitol complex to the public, and expansions in expertise consultation.
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If California government wants to use AI, it will have to follow these new rules
Last week, following up on Governor Newsom’s executive order from last year, California became one of the first states to issue formal rules for government departments when procuring or spending on AI tools. Departments must now report use of generative AI, designate a supervisory employee for all AI use, carry out risk assessments regarding public impact, and submit for review by the California Department of Technology any contracts involving generative AI before signage.
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Opinion: Will A.I. Take All Our Jobs? This Economist Suggests Maybe Not.
Let’s say for now that the day comes when robots and artificial intelligence can outperform human beings at every conceivable job, from waxing floors to waxing eyebrows to waxing philosophical at a lectern. Will there still be work for people? One economist's argument boils down to a classic economics theory: "comparative advantage," or do-what-you're-best-at.
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Singapore Trains Workers for the AI Future
In its latest budget, Singapore announced that it will provide a subsidy for all workers over 40 to go back to school. Today every Singaporean gets a $500 SkillsFuture Credit that it can put towards training, and all employers support to train their workers. With the new budget, the ministry of finance announced that all Singaporeans aged 40 and above will receive $4,000 more to spend on training for jobs with better employability outcomes. This includes part-time and full-time diploma, post-diploma, undergraduate programs.
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San Jose, Calif., forms nationwide government AI coalition
The City of San Jose, CA is spearheading the GovAI coalition, a new collaboration bringing together government officials, industry partners, and policymakers to loop local governments into crafting AI’s future. They hope to pursue proactivity in policy creation, rather than reactivity, and have already included “over 500 officials at 200 local, county and state governments” into the effort.
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Digitizing Democracy: Bridging the Gap Between Congress and Higher Education Through AI and Modernization
The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress continues to release reform recommendations, with a recent Congressional rule change allowing member offices to pay for staff certifications on work-related education & upskilling. By better partnering Congressional offices with the rich thinkers in academia, committee members hope to lessen the digital divide and better relations across culture wars with higher education institutions.
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Turing Institute: "Generative AI is going to change the face of government"
According to new research from The Turing Institute announced last week, AI has the potential to easily automate around 84% of the billions of repetitive transactions that citizen-facing government services make – the UK government alone carries out about one billion transactions per year across over 300 services. The time-saving potential alone is worth the investment. Particularly, researchers studied government transactions that are a simple exchange of information, followed by a decision: registering to vote, applying for a license, etc.
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