[Suchith Anand]

Dear colleagues
I saw these articles in the BBC , Bloomberg and the Guardian which might be of interest.
BBC article titled“AI bot capable of insider trading and lying, say researchers”
“Artificial Intelligence has the ability to perform illegal financial trades and cover it up, new research suggests. In a demonstration at the UK’s AI safety summit, a bot used made-up insider information to make an “illegal” purchase of stocks without telling the firm. When asked if it had used insider trading, it denied the fact. Insider trading refers to when confidential company information is used to make trading decisions. Firms and individuals are only allowed to use publicly-available information when buying or selling stocks. The demonstration was given by members of the government’s Frontier AI Taskforce, which researches the potential risks of AI. ”
More details athttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-67302788
The Guardian article“ Rishi Sunak’s AI plan has no teeth – and once again, big tech is ready to exploit that” published on 16th Nov 2023 says 
“Tech companies are pushing the idea that the only way to make AI safe is to leave them in control. Trusting them could lead to disaster”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/nov/16/rishi-sunak-ai-pla…
BBC article“Elon Musk tells Rishi Sunak AI will put an end to work” 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67302048
Bloomberg article  “AI Backlash May Bring UK Social Unrest, Infosys Partner Says”  published on 25th October 2023 
Some key extracts from the article is below
“The UK has about three years to come up with rules to reassure people about artificial intelligence before wrenching changes in the way work is done unleashes the potential for social unrest, an industry expert said.
Martin Weis, managing partner and global co-lead for AI at Infosys Consulting, said about 30% of the hours people put in on the job in places like the US and Britain could be done by technology by 2030. Back-office tasks, administration are most likely to be affected, threatening to upend millions of jobs.
His warning comes ahead of Sunak’s AI Summit, which will see the UK host a range of global leaders in the sector to discuss the opportunities and risks of the technology. For Sunak, whose father-in-law Narayana Murthy foundedInfosys, it’s a chance for him to set out the UK’s stall as a forward-thinking technology-centered economy — one of the ways he plans to boost output growth.
In a boost for Sunak, Weis said the UK is ahead of the curve when looking at AI compared to some European peers. Infosys is already helping some local councils automate back-office tasks, and “the openness to look into it and to get the heads around regulation, adoption, training, upskilling, democratizing the use of AI is really there.”
More details at
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-24/ai-backlash-may-bring…
Reading this article , I have a query on conflict of interest.  
What steps are UK government taking to prevent  lobbying by AI and Big Tech vendors? Are there any guidelines in the UK for politicians, civil servants if their family have shares/investment in tech companies (for example, conflict of interest of benefiting from profits in shares in tech companies involved in AI) ? 
Big Tech and AI companies are getting even more powerful than governments. Will this lead to the rise of Billionaire Tech CEOs as the most powerful rulers of the world in the future? What will be the impact of this for humanity?
The Guardian article on“Chinese surveillance firm recommits to UK after new guidance” 
Hikvision, whose kit is banned in US, receives clarification about where its cameras can be placed. Details at 
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/23/chinese-surveillance-fir…
The Guardian article on  “Revealed: UK government keeping files on education critics’ social media activity”
An Observer investigation finds DfE tried to cancel conference with ‘unsuitable’ speakers – and experts who criticised state education policy had online posts monitored.
Details athttps://www.theguardian.com/education/2023/sep/30/revealed-uk-government…
What AI laws and regulations is the UK government developing to protect UK citizens?
Following AI Safety Summit at Bletchley Park, which underlined the need for global action to ensure the safe development of ‘frontier AI’, King’s Speech was notable for the absence of AI-specific legislative proposals.
The House of Commons Select Committee on Science and Technology have raised concern on the absence of AI-specific legislative proposals.  
Details athttps://committees.parliament.uk/committee/135/science-innovation-and-te…
The UK government needs to bring its AI policy back in line with the values of freedom, democracy, and rule of law. The UK Government need to regulate the Big Tech to protect democracy, protect human rights and prevent corruption.
Best wishes
Suchith
From: Suchith Anand
Sent: 20 November 2023 13:13Subject: Lords Committee hearing on Large language models Dear colleagues
All the news about developments at OpenAI over the past week highlights the need for independent oversight of Big Tech and AI companies. 
I wrote an Open Letter on discussions on the need for UK AI Laws to protect UK citizens. 
Details athttps://www.rd-alliance.org/group/geospatial-ig/post/open-letter-discuss…
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa-jisc.exe?A2=ind2311&L=OER-DISCUSS&…
I came across this information on the Lords Committee hears from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Aleph Alpha and regulators on 21st November which  might be of interest to those working in LLMs.
“The Communications and Digital Committee approaches the end of its public hearings on large language models. The sessions will cover the work of regulators, and views from the world’s leading AI labs on future trends.
The Committee is looking at large language models and what needs to happen over the next 1–3 years to ensure the UK can respond to their opportunities and risks. 
Key issues include future trends, how these compare to Government and regulators’ plans, and international implications.
Possible areas for discussion
–
how LLMs will be addressed by regulators over the next three years and the adequacy of work plans;
–
whether regulators have sufficient powers and capabilities;
–
how regulators will avoid duplication and gaps across their remits.”
More details athttps://committees.parliament.uk/event/19793/formal-meeting-oral-evidenc…
Best wishes
Suchith
Dr Suchith Anand
Senior Adviser to Governments and International Organisations | Scientist | AI Ethics | AI Governance | Policy | Consultant in Data and AI Ethics | Global Citizen | SDG Volunteer and Advocate
https://council.science/profile/suchith-anand/
https://www.rd-alliance.org/users/suchith-anand
https://ethicaldatainitiative.org

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