Category Archives: Artificial Intelligence

Dazhon Darien had allegedly used the Baltimore County Public Schools' network to access OpenAI tools and Microsoft Bing Chat before the viral audio file of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert spread on social media. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

Dazhon Darien had allegedly used the Baltimore County Public Schools' network to access OpenAI tools and Microsoft Bing Chat before the viral audio file of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert spread on social media.

A Maryland high school athletic director is facing criminal charges after police say he used artificial intelligence to duplicate the voice of Pikesville High School Principal Eric Eiswert, leading the community to believe Eiswert said racist and antisemitic things about teachers and students.

"We now have conclusive evidence that the recording was not authentic," Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough told reporters during a news conference Thursday. "It's been determined the recording was generated through the use of artificial intelligence technology."

Dazhon Darien, 31, was arrested Thursday on charges of stalking, theft, disruption of school operations and retaliation against a witness after a monthslong investigation from the Baltimore County Police Department.

Attempts to contact Darien or Eiswert for comment were not successful.

The wild, headline-making details of this case aside, it emphasizes the serious potential for criminal misuse of artificial intelligence that experts have been warning about for some time, said Hany Farid, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who specializes in digital forensics.

Farid said he helped analyze the recording for police. Baltimore County police also consulted with another analyst and experts at the FBI. Their conclusion was that the recording was suspicious and unlikely to be authentic.

For just a few dollars, anyone can harness artificial intelligence to make audio and visual deepfakes. Stakes are high, but deepfake detection software doesn't always get it right.

This Baltimore-area case is not a canary in the coal mine. "I think the canary has been dead for quite awhile," Farid said.

"What's so particularly poignant here is that this is a Baltimore school principal. This is not Taylor Swift. It's not Joe Biden. It's not Elon Musk. It's just some guy trying to get through his day," he said. "It shows you the vulnerability. How anybody can create this stuff and they can weaponize it against anybody."

Darien's alleged scheme began in January in an attempt to retaliate against Eiswert, investigators wrote in the charging documents provided to NPR. The two men were at odds with each other over Darien's "work performance challenges," police wrote.

Eiswert launched an investigation into Darien in December 2023 over the potential mishandling of $1,916 in school funds. The money was paid to a person hired as an assistant girl's soccer coach, but the person never did the job, according to police.

Further, Eiswert had reprimanded Darien for firing a coach without his approval.

Eiswert had told Darien that his contract was possibly "not being renewed next semester," according to the arrest warrant.

The Baltimore County police launched their investigation into the alleged AI-generated recording of Principal Eiswert in January. Julio Cortez/AP hide caption

The Baltimore County police launched their investigation into the alleged AI-generated recording of Principal Eiswert in January.

On Jan. 17, detectives found out about the voice recording purporting to be of Eiswert that was spreading on social media. The recording, which can still be found online, allegedly caught Eiswert saying disparaging comments.

"The audio clip, the catalyst of this investigation, had profound repercussions," the charging documents read. "It not only led to Eiswert's temporary removal from the school but also triggered a wave of hate-filled messages on social media and numerous calls to the school. The recording also caused significant disruptions for the PHS staff and students."

The school was inundated with threatening messages and Billy Burke, head of the union that represents Eiswert, said the principal's family was being harassed and threatened, according to reporting from the Baltimore Banner.

Eiswert told police from the start of the investigation that he believed the recording was fake.

Darien was taken into custody Thursday morning at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport after attempting to board a flight to Houston, Chief McCullough said.

Security stopped Darien over a gun he packed in his bags and when officers ran his name in a search they found he had a warrant out for his arrest, McCullough said.

Darien was released on a $5,000 unsecured bond. His trial date is scheduled for June 11.

After following this story, Farid is left with the question: "What is going to be the consequence of this?"

He's been studying digital manipulation for more than 20 years and the problems have only gotten "much bigger and the consequences more severe."

Eiswert has been on leave since the audio recordings went public. Pikesville High School has been run by district staff since Eiswert left and the plan remains to keep those temporary administrators on the job through the end of the school year, said Myriam Rogers, the superintendent of Baltimore County Public Schools.

As for Darien, Rogers said, "We are taking appropriate action regarding the arrested employee's conduct up to and including a recommendation for termination."

Baltimore County Executive John Olszewski said during Thursday's press conference that this case highlights the need "to make some adaptions to bring the law up to date with the technology that was being used."

Farid said there remains, generally, a lackluster response from regulators reluctant to put checks and balances on tech companies that develop these tools or to establish laws that properly punish wrongdoers and protect people.

"I don't understand at what point we're going to wake up as a country and say, like, why are we allowing this? Where are our regulators?"

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A Baltimore-area teacher is accused of using AI to make his boss appear racist - NPR

If 2023 was the tech industrys year of the A.I. chatbot, 2024 is turning out to be the year of A.I. plumbing. It may not sound as exciting, but tens of billions of dollars are quickly being spent on behind-the-scenes technology for the industrys A.I. boom.

Companies from Amazon to Meta are revamping their data centers to support artificial intelligence. They are investing in huge new facilities, while even places like Saudi Arabia are racing to build supercomputers to handle A.I. Nearly everyone with a foot in tech or giant piles of money, it seems, is jumping into a spending frenzy that some believe could last for years.

Microsoft, Meta, and Googles parent company, Alphabet, disclosed this week that they had spent more than $32 billion combined on data centers and other capital expenses in just the first three months of the year. The companies all said in calls with investors that they had no plans to slow down their A.I. spending.

In the clearest sign of how A.I. has become a story about building a massive technology infrastructure, Meta said on Wednesday that it needed to spend billions more on the chips and data centers for A.I. than it had previously signaled.

I think it makes sense to go for it, and were going to, Mark Zuckerberg, Metas chief executive, said in a call with investors.

The eye-popping spending reflects an old parable in Silicon Valley: The people who made the biggest fortunes in Californias gold rush werent the miners they were the people selling the shovels. No doubt Nvidia, whose chip sales have more than tripled over the last year, is the most obvious A.I. winner.

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In Race to Build A.I., Tech Plans a Big Plumbing Upgrade - The New York Times

As the highly anticipated Apple event Let Loose approaches, scheduled for May 7th, rumors about the new releases have significantly increased. We expect new iPads, that we know, but even though we believe we already know everything about these devices, new details continue to emerge that, in this case, are expected to set a new standard for what the iPad Pro will be capable of.

According to the weekly Power On newsletter by Mark Gurman, we can expect surprise announcements at the upcoming Apple event in May, especially regarding chips. So far, we were expecting the M3 chips in the iPad, but we might see a preview of whats coming in the Mac in the fall.

The most interesting thing about Gurmans publication is the possible incorporation of the M4 chip in the new iPad Pro models. This chip, in addition to representing the usual evolution compared to the previous M3, would include an improved neural engine aimed at providing all the power necessary for the alleged artificial intelligence tasks in iPadOS 18.

Gurmans writing suggests that Apple will refer to these new iPads as devices with artificial intelligence, although perhaps not from the beginning. The arrival of a more powerful neural engine to the iPad is great news, but if this rumor is confirmed, the hardware would arrive much earlier than the software.

Lets remember that iPadOS 18 will be presented at WWDC 2024 scheduled for June 10th, but it wont be officially available on these new iPads until the fall. It will be then when we can make the most of the M4 chips on our new iPad Pro.

However, there are other aspects to consider when discussing the neural engine beyond iPadOS 18. One of the most significant is the introduction of a new Apple Pencil. This device already takes full advantage of the Neural Engine in important aspects such as reducing latency, and now it can do even more. According to rumors, the new Apple Pencil would also include haptic feedback for the first time, as well as new gestures to perform actions with the systems tools.

Returning to the M4, the question revolves around the iPad Air. We expect two new iPad Air models and we expect them to come with new features. In recent years, the lines between the iPad Air and the iPad Pro have converged significantly. Design, support for the Apple Pencil, and keyboard support are common points that bring both iPad models closer together. If the arrival of the M4 to the Pro models is confirmed, we would have to see if this same change applies to the Air models or if the latter rely on the M3 to function.

Anyway, Apples Let Loose event seems to have surprises and significant improvements that could redefine, once again, what a computer is.

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The iPad Pro can give us a big surprise with its artificial intelligence chips. - Softonic EN

Hence the creation of the Miss AI pageant, in which AI-generated contestants will be judged on some of the classic aspects of pageantry and the the skill and implementation of AI tools used to create the contestants. Also being considered is the AI creators social media cloutmeaning theyre not just crowning the most beautiful avatar but also the most influential.

Sodo we think Amazon's Alexa will compete? (Sorry.)

All jokes aside, both Fanvue and the WAICAs are being met with criticism, especially since real beauty pageants are so problematic as is. Concern for the impact of beauty pageants on mental health has been well documented and includes poor self-esteem, negative body image, and disordered eating, says Ashley Moser, a licensed therapist and clinical education specialist at The Renfrew Center, and upping the ante by digitizing contestants perfection and beauty could set a dangerous precedent.

These issues arise from the literal crowning of the best version of what women should be, specifically, beautiful and thin, Moser adds. What's more, it feels regressiveand quite frankly, offensiveto combine something so superficial and archaic with what's an otherwise cutting-edge technological innovation.

Emily Pellegrini

I support the recognition and awarding of women in tech and would hope that those skills could be celebrated without having to include beauty and appearance as a qualifying factor, Moser says. Cant we celebrate women for their abilities without making it about looks?

WAICAs says its not like that, though. The WAICA awards aim to raise the standard of the industry, focusing on celebrating diversity and realism, the spokesperson says. This isnt about pushing unrealistic standards but realistic models that represent real people. We want to see AI models of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds entering the awardsand that's what the judges will be looking for.

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Artificial Intelligence Has Come for Our...Beauty Pageants? - Glamour

Data analytics company GlobalData projects that the AI market will grow 35% annually over the next few years, reaching $909 billion by 2030. Naturally, thats made AI chip stocks extremely popular with investors.

Google the words AI chip stocks in quotation marks, and you will get 39,600 results. AI is undoubtedly a priority subject for investors at the moment.

On April 1, Barrons reported that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and OpenAI plan to build a $100 billion AI data center, an investment equal to Microsofts capital spending over the past four years.

Investors are stocked because the AI chips required to power such a large data center would be enormous. Thats good news for Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and every other major AI player.

Bank of Americas Global Research analyst Vivek Arya has buy ratings on Nvidia and four other AI chip stocks. Id normally include Nvidia in any AI-related recommendation, but Ill go with three that he does not mention in his article.

To make my selection, I looked at the Horizons Global Semiconductor Index ETFs holdings, which trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Source: William Potter / Shutterstock.com

Ill admit that my picks arent the most original. However, that doesnt make them any less actionable.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE:TSM) makes the cut because of its commitment to American manufacturing. TSM is building an Arizona plant that will go live in 2025. The company also plans to start making its most advanced chips beginning in 2028. By 2030, it plans to open three fabrication plants in the U.S., which would cost the company $65 billion to get them up and running.

Now, big business gets done with some help from the federal government, which is chipping in $11.6 billion in grants and loans. That pales compared to the nearly $20 billion being thrown Intels (NASDAQ:INTC) way under the CHIPS Act, intended to bring 20% of the worlds advanced semiconductor manufacturing back to the U.S.

Ive always thought globalization worked best when companies manufactured products in the country where the products are intended to be sold. Good for TSM.

Source: Ralf Liebhold / Shutterstock

As I write this, ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML) stock is falling. The Dutch chip maker reported weaker-than-expected sales in Q1 2024.

Analysts expected revenue of 5.39 billion euros ($5.73 billion), but ASML delivered 5.29 billion euros ($5.63 billion), 2% shy of the mark. However, its net income was 1.22 billion euros ($1.30 billion), 14% higher than Wall Streets predictions.

ASML produces extreme ultraviolet lithography machines, which are used to make technologically advanced chips. Lower consumer demand for smartphones and laptops has had a knock-on effect on the companys revenues.Sales and profits were down 21.6% and 37.4% in Q1 2024, respectively. Bookings were also down 4% year over year.

Despite the miss, ASML reiterated its 2024 guidance for revenue. Similar to 2023, it suggests that 2025 will be its breakout year as both TSM and Intel increase their U.S. production.

I think by 2025 you will see all three of those coming together. New fab openings, strong secular trends and the industry in the midst of its upturn, said CFO Roger Dassen in an interview for CNBC.

ASML is a buy below $900.

Source: Xixi Fu / Shutterstock.com

Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) stock is up more than 19% year to date and more than 49% since November lows.

Qualcomm launched AI Hub in early March. It includes over 75 popular AI and generative AI language learning models such as Whisper, ControlNet, Stable Diffusion and Baichuan 7B, which will provide developers with high performance and low power consumption when creating applications.

In a February interview from the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Qualcomm Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer Akash Palkhiwala spoke with Yahoo Finance host Brad Smith about Qualcomms AI Hubs role in generative AI.

And you could take those models, build it into an application, test it on a device, and deploy it into an application store, all in one go right at the website. So it just makes it very easy for the developers to take advantage of the hardware that weve put forward. And were excited that this broadens the reach of our products. And it makes it very easy for developers to access them.

Smartphone makers will launch devices with full AI capabilities integrated into them in 2024 and 2025. Qualcomms Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip will help manufacturers deliver these capabilities.

This is a big positive for the company and its stock.

On the date of publication, Will Ashworth did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Will Ashworth has written about investments full-time since 2008. Publications where hes appeared include InvestorPlace, The Motley Fool Canada, Investopedia, Kiplinger, and several others in both the U.S. and Canada. He particularly enjoys creating model portfolios that stand the test of time. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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3 Stocks to Grab Now to Ride the Artificial Intelligence Chip Boom to Riches - InvestorPlace

AI is not only an important thematic investment but is also extensively used by J.P. Morgan Asset Management to identify new investment opportunities, explains Katherine Magee in an exclusive interview with finews.com. This reflects a dynamic combination of AI and human abilities.

Katherine Magee, what are the most important trends you are currently observing that are impacting the investment strategy?

One of our primary strategies focuses on the topic of climate change. Seeing as about 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from energy in industry, agriculture, and transportation, our starting point was to identify potential investment ideas and solutions to these challenges. Thus, an important topic is the investment in the energy transition.

What does this mean exactly?

In the previous year, according to the international energy agency, the world invested more than 1,7 trillion dollars in clean energy. Therefore, we see opportunities not only in companies focusing on renewable energy but also in the entire infrastructure supporting this transition, such for example the support of electric grids. Generally, energy efficiency more broadly is an important subject.

Thematic funds had a difficult year in 2023. Will they have a comeback in 2024?

From a client perspective we saw less focus on thematic investments in 2023. This is partly due to an interest in traditional core strategies and the benefits gained from the growth and strength of the broader equity market. I dont believe thematic investing has gone away but is simply playing a different role in the portfolios of clients.

In your opinion, which thematic investing topics are popular and unpopular currently?

At J.P. Morgan Asset Management we divide thematic investing into three main categories. The first category is disruptive technologies, such as AI, cybersecurity, and robotics. Unsurprisingly this area had a relatively strong performance year, and we believe interest will remain.

The second category is people and demographics, which deal with more social oriented themes such as healthcare. This category was slightly more muted in 2023 but is certainly top-of-mind in the long-term.

And what is the last category?

Lastly, environmental themes, such as the energy transition and biodiversity, form a category. These portfolios were a bit varied. On the one hand, some of the narrower themes, such as companies focusing on renewable energy had a difficult performance year, but also because it is compared to a very strong performance year in 2022. On the other hand, certain companies innovating in technologies to support environmental themes performed quite well.

Financial stocks had a successful year on the stock exchange in 2023. How useful are financial stocks in thematic funds currently?

We do hold financials in many of our thematic portfolios. For instance, we hold them in our carbon transition portfolio, in which we are looking for companies across all sectors that are transitioning their business. Furthermore, we also see financial companies held in more social oriented portfolios, for example when banks are potentially providing lending to underserved areas of the market or populations.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues worldwide and you are already actively managing a climate change solutions fund. How do you further incorporate risks associated to climate change into your investment strategy?

In some strategies, we lean into innovative companies that are providing solutions to this challenge, such as renewable energy and energy efficient heating and ventilation systems. Furthermore, we also have portfolios where the broad transition to a lower carbon world is the central theme.

How does that work?

Weve brought together inputs from the sustainable investing team, as well as thoughts from our quantitative solutions group to develop an overall framework to evaluate the carbon transition readiness of companies. Therefore, we have a broad and holistic view on both the risks and opportunities that are presented to companies across all sectors when it comes to climate change, which we then use to build portfolios of clients.

How do you approach risk diversification in your investment strategy, such as for example in your carbon transition strategy?

Our carbon transition strategy tracks risk metrics very closely relative to a broad benchmark. Hence, we keep regions and sectors in line with a traditional index and then we want to slightly overweight companies with the best carbon transition scores and underweight companies with weaker scores. Thus, we have a very risk managed approach to portfolio construction that gives clients what looks and feels like a traditional benchmark but also reduces their carbon footprint.

And what other measures do you take?

Moreover, we have a very robust process within J.P. Morgan Asset Management which includes regular reviews with our independent risk teams and investment directors that are stress testing these portfolios to ensure they are delivering the expected outcomes of our clients.

And lastly, how do you integrate artificial intelligence into your investment strategy?

Artificial intelligence has been utilized for managing thematic portfolios since 2019. Furthermore, we have even developed a themebot, which is based on machine-learning and uses natural language processing.

How does thisthemebot work?

Through the themebot our portfolio managers can type in a theme, and it will develop a list of related words and terms. Followingly, it will scan through millions of documents to try to identify how much companies are talking about this specific theme in their earnings transcripts and records. Moreover, it can scan how much revenue is generated by the company in relation to this specific theme.

What do you do with this information then?

We can partner with our team of more than 90 fundamental research analysts to analyze this potential list identified by thethemebot and chose the companies that are most aligned but also the best investment opportunities. I believe this combines the power of artificial intelligence with the power of bottom-up fundamental human insights.

Katherine Magee is an executive director and works as an Investment Specialist in the Asset Management Solutions business at J.P. Morgan Asset Management (JPMAM). Beforehand, she worked in various positions at JPMAM, such as an Associate in the Multi-Asset Solutions and as an Institutional Sales Analyst. Magee obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Economics at Northwestern University and is a CFA Chart holder.

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This combines the power of artificial intelligence with human insights - finews.com

Canadian artificial intelligence (AI) startupCohereis reportedly in advanced discussions to raise $500 million.

That funding would value the company which makes foundation models to compete with ChatGPT creator OpenAI at $5 billion, Reuters reported Thursday (March 21), citing a source familiar with the matter.

According to that source, Coheres annualized revenue run rate has climbed to $22 million this month from $13 million in December as it debuted its new model Command-R. Cohere was valued at $2.2 billion in June of 2023after raising $220 million.

The Reuters report notes that Cohere has tried to sell its potential to backers by developing enterprise-focused AI models. The company has a partnership with Oracle and also aims to make its models available through other major cloud providers, the report said.

PYMNTS has contacted Cohere for comment but has not yet gotten a reply.

The company was founded by formerGoogleresearchers, among them CEOAidan Gomez, co-author of a landmark paper in AI research. That paper, titled Attention is All You Need, led to significant advancements in the way computers analyze and generate text.

Last year, Gomez wrote a letter to staff criticizingeffective altruism, a movement focused on how to do the most good for humanity, and which has been critical of AI.

Gomez argued the movement has become dogmatic and self-aggrandizing, and warned of people who believe they are uniquely qualified to help others, stating that they may be inclined to take extreme actions to achieve their goals.

The philosophy became famous thanks to one of its most high-profile adherents: FTX founder and convicted cryptocurrency fraudsterSam Bankman-Fried.

Elsewhere on the AI front, PYMNTS this week examinedApplesrecent deal with Google to bring that companys artificial intelligencetech to the iPhone.

Speaking with PYMNTS,Michael Jaconi, CEO of the AI marketing tech companyButton, touched on a few different ways the deal could impact the AI landscape, including the potential for Apple to drive consumer adoption of AI.

They could enable consumer adoption atunparalleled scaleby enabling seamless AI integration into iPhone search and Siri functions, Jaconi said. Unlocking AI-powered app connections that control both your digital and physical world at a pace no other company could rival. With this, Apple would bring the concept that the iPhone is a remote control for daily life closer to reality than ever before.

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Cohere Targets $5 Billion Valuation for ChatGPT Rival - PYMNTS.com

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV lifted its holdings in shares of iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (NYSEARCA:IRBO Free Report) by 18.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,463 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 1,024 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADVs holdings in iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF in the third quarter worth approximately $305,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF by 248.5% in the third quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 157,340 shares of the companys stock worth $4,804,000 after purchasing an additional 112,194 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF in the third quarter valued at $90,000. Baystate Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF by 133.8% in the third quarter. Baystate Wealth Management LLC now owns 933 shares of the companys stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tsfg LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF in the third quarter valued at $92,000.

NYSEARCA IRBO opened at $34.60 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $505.16 million, a P/E ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.13. iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF has a 1 year low of $28.23 and a 1 year high of $35.39. The businesss fifty day moving average is $33.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $32.39.

The iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (IRBO) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in stocks based on a particular theme. The fund tracks an equal-weighted index of global equities involved in robotics and artificial intelligence. IRBO was launched on Jun 26, 2018 and is managed by BlackRock.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IRBO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (NYSEARCA:IRBO Free Report).

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iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF (NYSEARCA:IRBO) Shares Acquired by Creative Financial ... - Defense World

More important than the speed of bringing artificial intelligence (AI) into widespread use in American health care, is ensuring we do it correctly. To unlock the innovation’s greatest positive impact, assurance of integrity and transparency must take the highest priority. This can be accomplished by applying the principles that guide clinical research, including the respect for the human person, maximization of benefits and avoidance of harms to patients, just distribution of benefits, meaningful informed consent and protection of patient confidential information. 

The emergence of artificial intelligence is reminiscent of the great Gold Rush, a frenzied time bursting with unlimited potential yet filled with uncertainty, speculation and unforeseen consequences. The advancement of AI brings medicine to the precipice of truly transformational change that can help reduce existing burdens and inefficiencies while at the same time improve patient care and experience. Examples range from ambient voice transcription tools that enable doctors or nurses to spend more time with their patients to diagnostic devices that detect diabetic retinopathy or colon polyps, with the list growing daily. Its applications are nearly limitless; a new revolution has arrived.

This technology has galvanized the field of health care, but its broad implementation is a road yet to be traveled. It remains to be seen how medical professionals and patients will interact with and utilize artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, the potential for harm has already been demonstrated with examples of substantial algorithmic bias and the use of AI to deny patient care authorizations. Experts use the term human-in-the-loop (HITL) to describe requisite human involvement within the system of automated processes. However, this is inadequate as we must not merely be one dimension of the progressive machine learning system, but atop the hierarchy. The last line bears repeating: Humans must remain atop the hierarchy. We need to control AI, not the other way around.

The complexity of artificial intelligence will require significant bandwidth to properly oversee its application and erect sensible guardrails that enable innovation and at the same protect patients and other key stakeholders. The size and scope of this undertaking far exceeds what can be accomplished by the federal government alone. Unlike the top-down approaches pursued in other parts of the world, we must utilize public-private partnerships to develop these guidelines and guardrails and validate that what is produced is trustworthy and of value. This can be achieved, in part, by creating independent assurance laboratories that evaluate AI models and their applications using commonly accepted principles. We need more than one hen guarding the chicken house.

Avoiding similar missteps that hindered the integration of now mature technologies, such as Electronic Health Records, is paramount. National standards are critical to establish health AI best practices for the use of emerging innovations, and adoption of these benchmarks should be as close to the end beneficiaries as possible. Federal authority has an important role to play here, that of a convener and enabler of creation of these standards. However, their implementation should be deferred as much as possible to the local governance at the health system level with federal authorities intervening only when necessary. Progress will not be free, but we must learn from past mistakes.

In our pursuit of bringing artificial intelligence into mainstream medicine, ethical considerations must maintain supremacy. Patients in rural or low-income communities must have access to the benefits of this technology. Further, it is imperative AI used on or by these communities is as trustworthy as those used by premier health systems. Just as access to health care is not a guarantee of quality, access to artificial intelligence systems will not certify the capacity or reliability of what is available.

Reducing clinician burden, improving patient health and experience, and introducing new, life-saving technologies to the burgeoning world of health care is an exciting endeavor. Traversing these unknowns in a way that circumvents avoidable hazards will allow human intelligence to harness the power of unlimited computations to create better and more affordable care. Practitioners and patients alike eagerly anticipate the powerful capabilities and practical benefits of artificial intelligence in the delivery of health care. It is essential to ensure that its imminent and explosive entrance into care settings is executed judiciously and strategically to maximize its positive impact for all.

Greg Murphy, MD, a practicing urologist, represents North Carolina’s 3rd District. Michael Pencina, PhD, serves as chief data scientist in Duke Health and professor of biostatistics and bioinformatics in the Duke University School of Medicine. 

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Artificial intelligence will radically improve health care, but only if managed carefully - The Hill

The floor in front of the stage at Roberts Western World, a beloved lower Broadway honky-tonk in Nashville, was packed on Thursday afternoon.

But even with the country music superstar Luke Bryan and multiple other musicians on hand, the center of attention was Gov. Bill Lee and his Elvis Act.

And Mr. Lee did not disappoint, signing into law the Ensuring Likeness, Voice and Image Security Act, a first-in-the-nation bill that aims to protect musicians from artificial intelligence by adding penalties for copying a performers voice without permission.

There are certainly many things that are positive about what A.I. does, Mr. Lee told the crowd. But, he added, when fallen into the hands of bad actors, it can destroy this industry.

The use of A.I. technology and its rapid fire improvement in mimicking public figures has led several legislatures to move to tighten regulations over A.I., particularly when it comes to election ads. The White House late last year imposed a sweeping executive order to push for more guardrails as Congress wrestles with federal regulations.

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Tennessee Makes A.I. an Outlaw to Protect Its Country Music and More - The New York Times