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How big will the benefits of artificial intelligence be? Or will big tech companies keep the benefits for themselves?
In this episode of Tech & Science Daily, we explore the challenges of making AI fairer, the hunger for anti-monopoly legislation, and the rise of digital giants in our public services.
We asked Eleanor Shearer, senior researcher specializing in AI and corporate governance at the think tank Common Wealth.
At least two people have reportedly died when Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean with winds of up to 160 mph (257 km/h).
Thousands of residents are without power or have been forced to seek refuge in temporary shelters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Saint Lucia.
Research from the University of Hong Kong and Harvard shows that the use of statins offers benefits in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in older people.
The study found that statins used by retirees in Hong Kong led to a 21 percent reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease in people aged 85 and over.
And the rest
Space scientists at MIT have used simulations to suggest that the “coasts” of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, are formed by waves.
Meanwhile, NASA has released an animation that allows viewers to marvel at the so-called “Pillars of Creation” in a nebula 6,500 light-years from Earth.
Additionally, developer Capcom confirms that a new Resident Evil video game is in the works.
Listen via the player above, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you stream.
Here’s an automated transcript of today’s episode:
Hi, I’m Mark Blunden and this is The Standard’s Tech and Science Daily podcast.
Coming soon: Hurricane Beryl. Last but not least.
Artificial Intelligence: How Widely Will the Benefits of AI Be Noticed, or Will Big Tech Companies Keep the Benefits to Themselves?
In this episode of Tech and Science Daily, we explore the challenges of making AI fairer, the hunger for anti-monopoly legislation, and the rise of digital giants in our public services.
We asked Eleanor Shearer, Senior Research Fellow specializing in AI and corporate governance at the Commonwealth Think Tank.
This is not a market designed to fairly distribute the benefits of AI.
At any point in the supply chain, there are a handful of companies that hold the power. That could be Nvidia, which designs the chips, or Microsoft, Amazon and Google, which operate the data centers where the chips are deployed, or companies like OpenAI, which has a partnership with Microsoft and trains the models.
So you definitely see a very high level of market power.
And how these companies are consolidating their positions.
I think we should be especially careful about vertical integration.
This means that companies will essentially be doing multiple things in the supply chain.
For example, you can already see that Nvidia is investing in computing, which indicates that the company wants to focus not only on chips in the future, but also on data centers.
Companies like Amazon produce their own chips.
So you end up in a situation where one supplier supplies almost everything in the field of AI.
And as a consumer or user, you really only have one or two options.
Then you get locked into that one ecosystem, which is very bad for competition and very bad for innovation.
And also about the ecological impact of all that enormous computing power that is required for this.
These large AI models like ChatGPT, which many people have experimented with, are trained and run on large data centers that require a lot of electricity and water to cool the data centers.
This clearly has major consequences for the emissions and use of drinking water, often in areas where resources are scarce.
And we’ve seen protests recently around the world, for example in Mexico, where communities are saying they don’t want to build these data centers because they’re worried about the impact on their communities.
I think it boils down to the fact that every time you as an individual enter a prompt into ChatGPT, it’s the equivalent of emptying a bottle of drinking water.
And we’ve also seen companies like Microsoft, who have all made commitments to net zero by 2030, actually see their emissions go up because of the intensive deployment of resources into the AI that they’re using.
We also asked Eleanor about AI companies that are outsourcing the use of AI to future public services.
I think they definitely have an eye for public services, particularly in the US. But I think it’s becoming increasingly clear in the UK: there’s a real interest in defence applications.
There has been a huge increase in defense funding and investment in artificial intelligence in the US. In addition, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt is a big proponent of the military applications of AI, which has many people concerned.
In addition, with the general election just around the corner, Eleanor investigates the party’s willingness to curb the power of tech giants in the AI sector and what’s in their manifestos.
I did an exercise where I went through the manifestos to see what they say about artificial intelligence.
What strikes me most is that the parties have not yet agreed on the type of retail offering.
When they talk to voters, they don’t really know what to say about the benefits of AI for you and your life and why you should care.
And so it’s actually become such a big policy.
If you compare it with, for example, the climate, I think you see much less of a coherent strategy.
Governments say, ‘Oh, it’s really important and we’re going to do something’, but the language used for that is not the same as an industrial strategy around climate change, for example. Governments say, ‘Well, this is what we’re aiming for’.
This is the time frame in which we formulate our goals very specifically.
At least one death has also been reported as Hurricane Beryl made landfall in the Caribbean with winds of up to 160 mph (257 kph).
Thousands of residents are without power or have been forced to seek refuge in temporary shelters in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Saint Lucia.
Footage on social media shows roofs being blown off houses as residents try to save their belongings.
The hurricane has been upgraded to a Category 5 and is moving west towards Jamaica, dropping up to 30 centimetres of rain.
Research from the University of Hong Kong and Harvard now shows that the use of statins offers benefits in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease in the elderly.
The study found that statin use among retirees in Hong Kong resulted in a 21% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease in people aged 85 and over.
Subsequently, space scientists at MIT used simulations to suggest that the shores of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, are shaped by waves.
Their findings were based on images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which was the first to confirm the existence of methane on Titan.
It contributes to the understanding of how coastal erosion contributed to the formation of Titan’s climate and seas.
Saturn’s largest moon is also the only other solar system known to have active lakes and rivers.
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Stay tuned for more news from the world of technology and science.
And admire the impressive Pillars of Creation, located 6,500 light-years away.
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Welcome back.
NASA has released an animation that allows viewers to marvel at the so-called Pillars of Creation in a nebula 6,500 light-years from Earth.
It is the most detailed video ever taken of the star-bearing clouds, which are described as towering wisps of cosmic dust and gas.
The images were made possible by combining observations from NASA’s two most powerful galactic binoculars.
These are the James Webb Space Telescope and NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.
And thanks to James Webb’s infrared spectrum, you can even peer into pillars three light-years high to see the birth of young stars.
And finally, developer Capcom is working on a new Resident Evil game.
This was confirmed by the video game series’ director Kōshi Nakanishi during the company’s Capcom Next livestream events.
There are no details yet about the new title’s content or a release date, but it is a sequel to the eighth installment in the open-world horror franchise Resident Evil Village.
You are informed.
Come back at 4pm for the latest news, interviews and analysis from The Standard podcast here in London.
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See you then.