DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ US, Britain announce partnership on AI safety, testing
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, in central England, on Nov. 2, 2023. - The United States and Britain on Monday announced a new partnership on the science of artificial intelligence safety, amid growing concerns about upcoming next-generation versions. Britain and the United States are among countries establishing government-led AI safety institutes. Both are working to develop similar partnerships with other countries to promote AI safety. Both countries plan to share key information on capabilities and risks associated with AI models and systems and technical research on AI safety and security.

Persons: Rishi Sunak, Kamala Harris, Gina Raimondo, Michelle Donelan, Raimondo, Donelan, Biden Organizations: British, Artificial Intelligence, Monday, British Technology, Safety, Reuters, EU Trade, Technology Council, ., Commerce Department Locations: Bletchley, England, United States, Britain, Washington, Bletchley Park, U.S, Belgium

☆ China says it will work with the world on AI governance even as tension with U.S. persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailChina says it will work with the world on AI governance even as tension with U.S. persistsThe U.K. government invited China to the AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park — and it raised some eyebrows. But China said it will work with the world on artificial intelligence governance. Michelle Donelan, U.K. Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, discusses why it was important to invite China to the summit hosted by Britain.

Persons: Michelle Donelan Organizations: China, AI, State for Science, Innovation, Technology, Britain Locations: China, Bletchley

☆ China says it will back global consensus on AI amid tech clash with U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The UK Government are hosting the AI Safety Summit bringing together international governments, leading AI companies, civil society groups and experts in research to consider the risks of AI, especially at the frontier of development, and discuss how they can be mitigated through internationally coordinated action. His comments were delivered at the U.K.'s AI safety summit, which officially kicked off Wednesday at Bletchley Park, England. Wu Zhaohui, China's vice minister of science and technology, said the country was willing to "enhance dialogue and communication in AI safety with all sides." That has placed significant pressure on China's generative AI developers, many of which rely on Nvidia's chips. Raimondo also said the U.S. would look to launch an AI safety institute, hot on the heels of the U.K announcing its own intentions for a similar initiative last week.

Persons: Gina Raimondo, Michelle Donelan, China Wu Zhaohui, Leon Neal, Getty, Wu Zhaohui, Raimondo Organizations: State for Science, Innovation, Technology, Science, AI, Bletchley Park, Government, U.S, Bletchley, Union, U.S . Department of Commerce, U.K Locations: BLETCHLEY, ENGLAND, China, Bletchley , England, Beijing, Bletchley Park, England, U.S . China, U.S, Bletchley

☆ We have to try to engage China in AI safety conversation, UK tech minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWe have to try to engage China in AI safety conversation, UK tech minister saysMichelle Donelan, U.K. digital minister, talks about Britain's role in the global conversation surrounding artificial intelligence regulation.

Persons: Michelle Donelan Locations: China

AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. Britain's technology minister Michelle Donelan said "the right people with the right expertise" would be around the table to discuss how to mitigate the risks of AI. China will be a key participant, given the country's role in developing AI technology, although questions have been raised by some lawmakers in Britain about its presence. The U.S. ambassador to Britain, Jane Hartley, said the AI conversation should be global, but added that the invitation to China had come from London. Reporting by Paul Sandle and Martin Coulter Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Rishi Sunak, Sam Altman, Sceptics, Kamala Harris, Ursula von der Leyen, Antonio Guterres, Michelle Donelan, Jane Hartley, Francois, Philippe Champagne, Paul Sandle, Martin Coulter, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, Safety, European Union, Elon, Bletchley, European, U.S, United Nations, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Britain, United States, China, European Union, U.S, London

☆ Everything you're hearing right now about AI wiping out humans is a big con
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Many are shrugging off the supposed existential risks of AI, labeling them a distraction. They argue big tech companies are using the fears to protect their own interests. The timing of the pushback, ahead of the UK's AI safety summit and following Biden's recent executive order on AI, is also significant. More experts are warning that governments' preoccupation with the existential risks of AI is taking priority over the more immediate threats. Merve Hickok, the president of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, raised similar concerns about the UK AI safety summit's emphasis on existential risk.

Persons: —, You've, there's, Yann LeCun, Altman, Hassabis, LeCun, LeCun's, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, Andrew Ng, hasn't, Anthropic, Aidan Gomez, Merve Hickok, Hickok, Rishi Sunak, Michelle Donelan Organizations: Service, Google, CNBC, Stanford University, Australian Financial, Guardian, Center, AI

☆ Elon Musk and Sam Altman are expected to attend the UK's AI Safety Summit. Here's why it's taking place at a former top-secret WWII facility.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The chosen location for the two-day conference has a special association with the man considered by many to be the father of modern computer science, Alan Turing. Before 1938, Bletchley Park was a mansion in the Buckinghamshire countryside built for a politician during the Victorian era. "What Alan Turing predicted many decades ago is now coming to fruition," she said, referring to his research into machine learning. "What happened at Bletchley Park eighty years ago opened the door to the new information age," Donelan said. Since then, men and women cautioned or convicted under historical homosexuality legislation were pardoned under what is known as the "Alan Turing law."

Persons: It's, Alan Turing, —, Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Kamala Harris, Rishi Sunak, Goldman Sachs, who's, Turing, Michelle Donelan, Connor Leahy, Hollie Adams, Lorenz, Donelan Organizations: Bletchley, Service, AI, Guardian, Google, University of Manchester, Trust, Getty, National Museum of Computing Locations: England, London, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, Poland

☆ AI is 2023's word of the year
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

"AI" was unveiled as the word of the year by the UK-based Collins Dictionary. The announcement coincided with the start of the AI Safety Summit — showing the extent of its impact. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Collins Dictionary has unveiled "AI" as its 2023 word of the year. Wednesday's announcement also coincides with the start of the AI Safety Summit in the UK, where Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, and around 100 other tech and government leaders are discussing the future of the technology. And on Wednesday, she announced that another AI Safety Summit will take place in South Korea in six months, before another in France, per Reuters.

Persons: —, Alex Beecroft, Collins, Elon Musk, Kamala Harris, Michelle Donelan, who's Organizations: Collins, AI, Service, Guardian Locations: South Korea, France

But the Israel-Hamas war has underscored how the platform now transformed into X has become not only unreliable but is actively promoting falsehoods. “People are desperate for information and social media context may actively interfere with people’s ability to distinguish fact from fiction,” said Gordon Pennycook, an associate professor of psychology at Cornell University who studies misinformation. But unlike X, TikTok has never been known as the No. Meanwhile, in Europe, major social media platforms are facing stricter scrutiny over the war. “Our policy is that everything is open source and transparent, an approach that I know the EU supports,” Musk wrote on X.

Persons: Ian Bremmer, “, algorithmically, ”, Gordon Pennycook, TikTok, Kolina Koltai, Koltai, we’ve, Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin, Pennycook, Michelle Donelan, Thierry Breton, Musk, ” Musk, ” Breton, ___ Kelvin Chan Organizations: Twitter, Elon, YouTube, Facebook, Cornell University, Media, Press, Israel, Reuters, Britain’s, Google, Digital Services, EU Locations: Israel, Europe, London

☆ UK has not backed down in tech encryption row, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Britain's Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan walks on Downing Street in London, Britain March 15, 2023. Junior minister Stephen Parkinson appeared to concede ground to the tech companies' arguments on Wednesday, saying in parliament's upper chamber that the Ofcom communications regulator would only require them to scan content where "technically feasible". Tech companies have said scanning messages and end-to-end encryption are fundamentally incompatible. Donelan, however, denied on Thursday that the bill had been watered down in the final stages before it becomes law. She said further work to develop the technology was needed, but added that government-funded research had shown it was possible.

Persons: Technology Michelle Donelan, Peter Nicholls, Michelle Donelan, Stephen Parkinson, Paul Sandle, Helen Popper Our Organizations: State for Science, Innovation, Technology, REUTERS, Junior, Ofcom, Tech, Times Radio, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ Daniel Abed Khalife: UK government insists escaped terror suspect will be captured amid serious questions over rare jail break
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( Sugam Pokharel Niamh Kennedy Sana Noor Haq | Sugam Pokharel | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Authorities are hunting for 21-year-old Daniel Abed Khalife, who orchestrated a bold jail break from Wandsworth prison on Wednesday while dressed as a chef, according to London’s Metropolitan Police. Addressing the UK parliament on Thursday, Chalk said he had already ordered an internal probe into the decision to place Khalife in a lower-security jail. Who was on duty that morning, in what roles ranging from the kitchen to the prison gate, what protocols were in place,” Chalk said. Wandsworth prison is located in the southwest of the British capital. Staff shortagesLast year, the UK’s prison inspection watchdog warned staffing levels “remained a serious problem” at Wandsworth prison.

Persons: Daniel Abed Khalife, Alex Chalk, Chalk, ” Chalk, ”, “, Khalife, Rishi Sunak, Shabana Mahmood, Yui Mok, Gareth Fuller, Yvette Cooper, wasn’t, ” Cooper, ” HMIP, Michelle Donelan Organizations: London CNN, Metropolitan Police, UK’s, Media, PA Media, British, Labour, Tory Government, Port, Press Association, Shadow, Labour Party, BBC Radio, Staff, of Prisons, Government, Met, Gatwick Airport, CNN Locations: Wandsworth, ” ‘ State, Britain, Dover, Kent, England, Wales, London

☆ UK defends plan to demand access to encrypted messages to protect children
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Aug 10 (Reuters) - British technology minister Michelle Donelan defended plans to require messaging apps to provide access to encrypted private messages when needed to protect children from abuse, which major platforms say would undermine the privacy of their users. "I, like you, want my privacy because I don't want people reading my private messages. They'd be very bored but I don't want them to do it," said Donelan, minister for science, innovation and technology. Donelan said the responsibility lay with tech companies to invest in technology to protect children. "The safety mechanism that we have is very explicit that this (access) can only be used for child exploitation and abuse."

Persons: Michelle Donelan, Donelan, Muvija, Paul Sandle, Peter Graff Organizations: BBC, Britain's, Thomson

☆ Italy became the first Western country to ban ChatGPT. Here's what other countries are doing
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty ImagesItaly has become the first country in the West to ban ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot from U.S. startup OpenAI. watch nowVarious regulators are concerned by the challenges AI poses for job security, data privacy, and equality. "It's more, if you're using AI, these are the principles you should be thinking about," Holmes told CNBC. Ireland is typically the most active regulator when it comes to data privacy since most U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google have their offices there. The U.S. hasn't yet proposed any formal rules to bring oversight to AI technology.

☆ With ChatGPT hype swirling, UK government urges regulators to come up with rules for A.I.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In the white paper, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) outlined five principles it wanted companies to follow. Rather than establishing new regulations, the government is calling on regulators to apply existing regulations and inform companies about their obligations under the white paper. "When parliamentary time allows, legislation could be introduced to ensure regulators consider the principles consistently." On Monday, Secretary of State Michelle Donelan visited the offices of AI startup DeepMind in London, a government spokesperson said. Not everyone is convinced by the U.K. government's approach to regulating AI.

☆ Britain plans new data rules to ease compliance burden
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, March 8 (Reuters) - Britain will make another attempt to reform its data protection law on Wednesday with the objective of easing the compliance burden for businesses while remaining sufficiently in line with the European Union to keep information flowing. The government said it would bring an updated Data Protection and Digital Information Bill back to parliament after its earlier proposals were paused in September for further consultation with industry. The country's current data rules mirror the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the comprehensive legislation adopted in the bloc in 2016 that protects personal data. The EU in turn recognises Britain's standards - a process called adequacy - enabling the seamless flow of data to continue. However, the changes will be limited in scope to ensure that the EU keeps information flowing, the government said, and to protect confidence in the UK's comprehensive data protection standards.

☆ EX-UK leader Boris Johnson nominates father for knighthood - report
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Times said Johnson had put forward as many as 100 names for awards. The newspaper did not specify what service Stanley Johnson's nomination was in acknowledgement of. All departing British leaders are entitled to draw up a "resignation honours" list that bestows knighthoods and other titles. Opposition Labour's health policy chief Wes Streeting told the BBC: "I think (his resignation honours list) speaks to a pattern of Boris Johnson's behaviour around cronyism." As prime minister, Johnson in 2020 elevated his brother Jo Johnson to the House of Lords, the upper chamber of parliament, where he has a seat for life.

☆ UK PM Rishi Sunak overhauls government departments after bumpy 100 days in power
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

U.K. Prime Minister has announced a mini overhaul of his government as he seeks to reassert his authority after a shaky first 100 days in office. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Tuesday unveiled a new government department focused on energy security and announced a mini reshuffle of his cabinet as he seeks to reassert his authority after a shaky first 100 days in office. Sunak named former business minister Grant Shapps as head of the newly launched Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, whose focus will be on securing "long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation." The prime minister also appointed former Trade Minister Greg Hands as his new party chairman, replacing sacked Nadhim Zahawi, in a mini-reshuffle of his top leadership team. The U.K. previously had a Department of Energy and Climate Change, but it was merged with the business department in 2016.

☆ Britain vows new law to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ people
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON — Britain will seek to ban conversion therapy targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, cracking down on so-called treatments that claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Culture minister Michelle Donelan said on Tuesday the government would publish draft legislation soon, setting out proposals to ban conversion practices in England and Wales. “The Bill will protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender,” Donelan said in a statement. A 2017 national LGBTQ survey people found that 5% of respondents had been offered conversion therapy and 2% had undergone it, with over half of it done by religious groups. Many advocates have long called for a ban on conversion therapy, but others have argued that any ban should not outlaw conversations with clinicians or therapists helping people with gender issues.

☆ Britain vows new law to ban conversion therapy for LGBT people
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sachin Ravikumar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Britain will seek to ban conversion therapy targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, cracking down on so-called treatments that claim to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Culture minister Michelle Donelan said on Tuesday the government would publish draft legislation soon, setting out proposals to ban conversion practices in England and Wales. "The Bill will protect everyone, including those targeted on the basis of their sexuality, or being transgender," Donelan said in a statement. A 2017 national LGBT survey people found that 5% of respondents had been offered conversion therapy and 2% had undergone it, with over half of it done by religious groups. Many campaigners have long called for a ban on conversion therapy, but others have argued that any ban should not outlaw conversations with clinicians or therapists helping people with gender issues.

☆ Tech executives could be jailed for deliberately failing to protect kids under UK proposal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Tech executives could face the possibility of jail time for breaching online safety standards under a proposal in the U.K. after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government reached an agreement with Conservative lawmakers who sought to amend the Online Safety Bill. The latest agreement could mean severe punishment for company leaders who deliberately fail to protect kids from online harm. Conservative lawmakers had proposed an amendment to impose criminal liability, including the possibility of a jail term of up to two years, on senior managers for failing to meet the child safety requirements. Bills seeking to protect kids in similar ways have also been introduced in the U.S. with bipartisan support. California passed its own Age-Appropriate Design Code, modeled off of U.K. guidelines, that similarly puts more of the onus on platforms to protect kids from online harms.

☆ Greek PM dashes hopes of swift return of Parthenon marbles
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Renee Maltezou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

ATHENS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Wednesday dismissed reports of an imminent repatriation of the Parthenon sculptures known in Britain as the Elgin marbles. Greece has accused Lord Elgin of theft and does not recognise the British Museum as owner of the sculptures. [1/3] A man looks at the Parthenon Marbles, a collection of stone objects, inscriptions and sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles, on show at the British Museum in London October 16, 2014. The British Museum has always rejected returning the parts in its collection, which include about half of the 160 metre (525 ft) frieze that adorned the Parthenon. Many countries have pressured British institutions to return looted artefacts, especially given that the British Museum only displays about 1% of its collection.

☆ UK to trial Elon Musk's satellite broadband equipment in remote locations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] SpaceX Starlink 5 satellites are pictured in the sky seen from Svendborg on South Funen, Denmark April 21, 2020. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via REUTERSLONDON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Britain is to trial using low Earth orbit satellites to provide high-speed internet connections to remote homes and businesses, with the initial sites supported by equipment supplied by Elon Musk's Starlink system. Musk's SpaceX rocket company activated Starlink, a largely consumer-based service with hundreds of thousands of internet users, over Ukraine after Russia's invasion in February. "These trials aim to find a solution to the prohibitively high cost of rolling out cables to far-flung locations." As well as testing the technical capability of the satellites, the trials will look at what benefits faster internet connections will bring to these locations, the government said.

☆ UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content in favour of free speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain will not force tech giants to remove content that is "legal but harmful" from their platforms after campaigners and lawmakers raised concerns that the move could curtail free speech, the government said on Monday. Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said she aimed to stop unregulated social media platforms damaging children. Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling with the problem of legislating to protect users, and in particular children, from harmful user-generated content on social media platforms without damaging free speech. Only if platforms failed to uphold their own rules or remove criminal content could a fine of up to 10% of annual turnover apply. Britain said late on Saturday that a new criminal offence of assisting or encouraging self-harm online would be included in the bill.

☆ UK to fine tech companies that fail to remove self-harm material
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( David Milliken | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 27 (Reuters) - Britain's government intends to make it illegal to encourage others to harm themselves online and will fine social media companies that fail to remove such material, as part of a revamp of legislation governing online behaviour. "Social media firms can no longer remain silent bystanders ... and they'll face fines for allowing this abusive and destructive behaviour to continue on their platforms under our laws," Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said. In September, the coroner investigating her death ruled that social media platforms had fed content to her which "romanticised acts of self-harm by young people". Under the proposals, social media companies will have to remove and limit users' exposure to material that deliberately encourages people to harm themselves. Earlier versions sought to ban "legal but harmful" material online, drawing criticism from tech companies and free-speech campaigners who said the definition was too vague and could be used to arbitrarily criminalise otherwise legal behaviour.

☆ U.K. Government Seeks Further Easing of Data Protection Rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

If U.K. data protection law strays too far from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, however, an existing legal deal known as an adequacy agreement between the two jurisdictions could be jeopardized, privacy experts say. Relaxing some data rules could save the U.K. an estimated £12 billion, equivalent to $14 billion, each year, Mr. Rowland said. The U.K. has had two changes of government since data laws were proposed this summer. The EU officials who oversee the arrangement have said they could suspend the system if British data protection laws change too dramatically. The draft data protection legislation would loosen some aspects of the GDPR such as requirements for companies to obtain permission from individuals for their data to be tracked online.

Search resuls for: "Michelle Donelan"

25 mentions found