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Daily Archives: January 18, 2023

AI Accountability in the US Federal Government – A Primer

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American Council for Technology-Industry Advisory Council (ACT-IAC) – “Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been implemented for hundreds of use cases across the Federal government. Given this increased adoption, Federal leaders have an opportunity to lean in to take responsible and prudent measures to address AI accountability in the context of their unique mission. This paper outlines minimum requirements and related policy guidance and provides recommendations on actions agencies can take to proactively manage risks associated with AI accountability… Artificial Intelligence (AI) Accountability is an important opportunity for agencies because AI capabilities present risks not anticipated by other federal regulations and policies. Federal organizations intending to build, acquire, or consume AI capabilities should understand AI governance, in respect to accountability. Federal guidance does not currently provide a precise definition of Artificial Intelligence (AI) accountability. Agencies therefore have a lot of latitude and a significant opportunity to lean in and take responsible and prudent measures to address AI accountability in the context of their unique mission. This paper describes the current federal AI accountability landscape as the set of activities federal agencies take to ensure the proper functioning of the AI systems that they design, develop, purchase, operate or deploy. Failure to plan for accountability in the adoption of AI may result in greater risks. Executive Order (EO) 139601, the only governing document requiring action on AI accountability, lists minimum requirements, including those pertaining to AI accountability, specifies safeguards on the proper use and functioning of AI in the Federal Government. Other guidance, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) AI Risk Management Framework (RMF) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) AI Accountability Framework, provides valuable guidance for federal managers who are looking to proactively lean in to manage key risks posed by their agency’s use of AI..”

Websites Selling Abortion Pills Are Sharing Sensitive Data With Google

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ProPublica – “Some sites selling abortion pills use technology that shares information with third parties like Google. Law enforcement can potentially use this data to prosecute people who end their pregnancies with medication. These third-party trackers, including a Google Analytics tool and advertising technologies, collect a host of details about users and feed them to… Continue Reading

Covid-19 Spillover Effects onto General Vaccine Attitudes

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Trujillo, K. L., Green, J., Safarpour, A., Lazer, D., Lin, J., & Motta, M. (2022, October 20). Covid-19 Spillover Effects onto General Vaccine Attitudes. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/w7mq5 “Even amid the unprecedented public health challenges attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, opposition to vaccinating against the novel coronavirus has been both prevalent and politically contentious in American public life.… Continue Reading

Fed announces pilot climate scenario analysis

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ClimateWire: “The Federal Reserve is requiring the largest American banks to assess how a major hurricane in the northeastern United States would affect their real estate portfolios as part of a broader regulatory exercise to measure the financial threats of climate change. The Fed released new details Tuesday about its anticipated “pilot climate scenario analysis,”… Continue Reading

How much misinformation are you exposed to?

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“Misinformation exposure scores measure how much the politicians and public organizations you follow tend to lie (based on fact-checking their claims by PolitiFact). These scores go from 0 (none of the fact-checked claims by politicians and public figures you follow are false) to 1 (all of the fact-checked claims by politicians and public organizations you… Continue Reading

scite Smart Citations

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“scite is an award-winning platform for discovering and evaluating scientific articles via Smart Citations. Smart Citations allow users to see how a publication has been cited by providing the context of the citation and a classification describing whether it provides supporting or contrasting evidence for the cited claim. scite is a Brooklyn-based startup that helps… Continue Reading

The 5 Best Sites to Find Cruelty-Free Brands

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MakeUseOf: “As animal rights gain greater traction, more people are seeking to make the switch to cruelty-free products. The term “cruelty-free” means that a company’s products are not tested on animals. However, finding cruelty-free products can still be a challenge. When you mention this preference, most retail staff tend to direct you to natural, clean,… Continue Reading

The Carbon Con

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SourceMaterial: “The world’s biggest companies, from Netflix to Ben & Jerry’s, are pouring billions into an offsetting industry whose climate claims appear increasingly at odds with reality…Our analysis of nearly 100 million carbon credits found that only a fraction of them resulted in real emissions reductions. It raises questions for the organisations that many of… Continue Reading