Humane AI

Humane AI explores the intersection of technology and human rights, focusing on the societal impacts of AI, privacy, surveillance, online governance, and ethical implications of emerging technologies. It emphasizes the need for responsible development and regulation to safeguard human rights and proposes collaborative efforts across disciplines and sectors.

Societal Impacts of AI Human Rights and Technology Consumer Privacy and Data Protection Surveillance Technologies Social Media Governance Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies Corporate Social Responsibility Algorithmic Bias and Fairness Cybersecurity and Threat Prevention Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The hottest Substack posts of Humane AI

And their main takeaways

Old Advocacy, New Algorithms: How 16th century "Devil's Advocates” Shaped AI Red Teaming

20 HN points • 11 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Cybersecurity Generative AI Red-Teaming Language Models
  1. The practice of 'Devil's Advocates' shaping decision-making dates back centuries, like in the case of determining the legitimacy of saints.
  2. Red teaming has evolved from military war games to modern applications in cybersecurity and ensuring ethical implications in generative AI systems.
  3. Guidelines for effective red teaming include partnering with civil society organizations, collaborating with humanities departments, and expanding efforts for diverse linguistic contexts.

Regulating Online Platforms: By Whom, and for Whom?

0 implied HN points • 24 May 18
  1. Online platforms are gaining significant power, resembling nation states.
  2. Regulating online platforms requires aligning national laws and platform terms of service.
  3. Maintaining freedom of expression online involves navigating cultural differences in regulations.

Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Social Responsibility

0 implied HN points • 01 Feb 18
  1. Companies should be held accountable for their social responsibilities, especially in the era of AI.
  2. Technology companies should conduct human rights impact assessments for their products to address risks like privacy violations and discriminatory impacts.
  3. Implementing guidelines on corporate social responsibility for emerging technologies like AI requires real-life examples and industry-specific versions of the guidelines.

Swipe Left: Privacy Practices of Online Dating Apps

0 implied HN points • 20 Jul 17
  1. Free dating apps likely rely heavily on ads, making it important to consider how they handle user data.
  2. User reviews can provide insights into potential safety and privacy concerns with dating apps.
  3. Both Zoosk and Tinder lack transparency in areas like encryption and data retention, making it challenging for users to fully control their information.
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When AI Meets Nowruz

0 implied HN points • 15 Apr 19
  1. The importance of standardization and review in AI research
  2. Utilizing AI for early warning systems in natural disasters
  3. Preserving cultural heritage with AI through historical manuscripts and calligraphy

The origin of the Mechanical Turk and Stalin’s “deepfakes”

0 implied HN points • 21 Nov 18
  1. The Mechanical Turk revealed the importance of understanding the role and rights of humans behind AI technology.
  2. It is crucial to recognize the limitations of automated social media content analysis tools and ensure fairness in their application.
  3. Learning from history, we must be vigilant about the ethical implications of deepfake technology and advocate for responsible use.

Developers, Choose Wisely: a Guide for Responsible Use of Machine Learning APIs

0 implied HN points • 12 Aug 20
  1. Developers should carefully consider the terms and policies of machine learning APIs before use.
  2. When choosing an API, developers should prioritize criteria like privacy, security, fairness, and transparency, not just accuracy and speed.
  3. Service providers should be transparent about their APIs, document fairness practices, and encourage developers to discuss ethical issues.

Technology and Human Rights… in Comics!

0 implied HN points • 03 Jan 20
  1. The intersection of technology and human rights is a tangible and relevant issue in our daily lives.
  2. Unintended consequences of technology can have real-world impacts on individuals, such as in cases of privacy violations or discrimination.
  3. There is a critical need to consider human rights implications in the development and use of technology, from automated decision-making systems to social media platforms.

Human Rights Implications of IBM Watson’s ‘Personality Insights’ Tool

0 implied HN points • 29 Aug 19
  1. IBM Watson's Personality Insights tool analyzes individuals' intrinsic characteristics, needs, and values from digital communications.
  2. The tool's model is trained using surveys and user data, with output showing personality traits in percentage scores.
  3. There are concerns about potential discrimination, privacy violations, and impacts on human rights when using tools like Personality Insights.

Human Rights Advocacy in the Dawning Age of AI

0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 18
  1. The intersection of technology and human rights is a crucial area of focus, especially regarding investigations and accountability efforts.
  2. Using new technologies for human rights requires ethical considerations and sensitivity to social contexts, to ensure effectiveness and sustainability.
  3. Collaborations between human rights practitioners and technologists can lead to innovative solutions, such as utilizing AI to flag graphic content and bridging the gap in documenting different types of crimes in various communities.

Ethics in Machine Learning

0 implied HN points • 22 Jan 18
  1. Fairness in machine learning involves avoiding bias in data and algorithms.
  2. Challenges in modeling fairness include lack of a concrete definition and the need for collaboration between social scientists and AI researchers.
  3. To address lack of representation of women in tech, early STEM motivation, initiatives like role model exposure, and strong self-confidence are important.

Designing for Ethics

0 implied HN points • 18 Apr 18
  1. Algorithms are not magic bullets for solving misinformation; it's crucial to consider the people designing and using them.
  2. Working directly with technologists to understand the human perspective behind technology development is important in combating computational propaganda.
  3. Ethical training for technical employees should focus on designing tools with foresight, considering potential misuse scenarios, and promoting clarity in ethical decision-making.

In the age of growing cyber-threats, how do philanthropic organizations have our back?

0 implied HN points • 08 Mar 18
  1. Philanthropic organizations like the Hewlett Foundation play a crucial role in supporting research on cybersecurity through initiatives like the Cyber Initiative program.
  2. Automation and AI are changing the landscape of cybersecurity by enhancing detection and prevention of cyber threats.
  3. Foundations like the Hewlett Foundation are focusing on educating policymakers through resources, training sessions, and promoting data-driven research to improve policy-making decisions.

Gazing at the Mother Tongue

0 implied HN points • 10 Aug 21
  1. Twitter held its first bias bounty challenge to investigate potential ethical harms in its image cropping algorithm.
  2. The experiment found that Twitter's algorithm consistently favors cropping Latin scripts over Arabic scripts in memes, leading to under-representation and access limitations for Arabic-script users.
  3. There is a need for more diverse and larger datasets to further analyze bias in cropping algorithms, especially in multi-lingual settings.

Announcing the Technology and Human Rights Fellows

0 implied HN points • 25 Jan 21
  1. Decisions in technology creation impact society with positive and negative effects.
  2. Human rights should guide the development of technologies.
  3. A fellowship program supports research at the intersection of technology and human rights.