The AI Pulse

Issue #11 — 2nd December 2024

Editor: Alan Brown

Welcome to the latest edition of The AI Pulse for Digital Leaders. An expertly curated collection of essential articles, commentaries, and news stories from reputable sources. Do you know anyone who might be interested in AI Pulse. Have some news or looking to partner? Just get in touch at: [email protected]

Highlights in this edition include:

AI technology continues to frustrate in driving public sector productivity .

UK government is failing to list use of AI on its mandatory register .

Can AI help connect more solar and wind farms to the power grid ?

AI for Good

With tensions high between China and the US on the future of AI, The Economist reports that computer scientists are reaching out across the geopolitical divide to try to stop an apocalypse.

McKinsey believe that companies can shed some light and drive adoption of AI by building solutions that users trust and understand .

The EU Public Sector Tech Watch has produced a substantial review of the adoption of AI , Blockchain and other emerging technologies within the European public sector reviewing 1,617 use cases.

Fast Company asks if AI will be a game changer for developing countries .

Bias and Ethics

Joan Westernberg reminds us that no algorithm can replace human wisdom and analysis. But no algorithm will need to if we have abandoned — wholesale — a millennium of critical reading and thinking skills.

Does it sometimes feel like you’re being sold AI snake oil? Wired reviews the new book “AI Snake Oil” to learn more.

Cyber Security

UK has announced a new Laboratory for AI Security Research to keep one step ahead in the new AI arms race.

Microsoft specialists consider the emerging AI tactics in use by threat actors.

Data & Decision Making

Menlo Ventures have surveyed 600 U.S. enterprise IT decision-makers to reveal the emerging winners and losers.

CIO Magazine worries that with no set framework for GenAI success, and few production successes to learn from, IT leaders are left with sketchy roadmaps for moving forward.

Innovation & Collaboration

MIT Technology Review considers why many of the ways we measure AI models are outdated and ineffective.

The UK's Minister for the Future Digital Economy and Online Safety, Baroness Jones, provided a helpful summary of the UK’s AI position in a keynote speech at the WTO's AI Conference in Geneva.

Bloomberg notes that Wall Street's biggest firms are investing heavily and taking a massive gamble on AI’s future.

Why small language models are the next big thing in AI, according to an article in Forbes.

Productivity & Efficiency

Is AI improving productivity? The New Statesman reminds us that from Whitehall to the town hall, AI technology continues to frustrate in driving public sector productivity.

McKinsey is rewiring the way it works with Lilli, its generative AI platform.

Regulation and Compliance

AccountingWeb reports that Jim Harra, HMRC’s Chief Executive, has announced plans to trial the use of GenAI in a bid to deal with complaints and meet efficiency targets.

The Guardian reports that the UK government is failing to list use of AI on mandatory register. No Whitehall department has registered the use of AI systems since the government said it would become mandatory.

Sustainability

Deloitte has produced a useful study of AI’s power footprint. Spoiler alert: its big!

Can AI help connect more solar and wind farms to the power grid ? The Verge notes that the US Department of Energy is investing $30 million to speed up interconnection using AI.

A report from the Hinrich Foundation concludes that the escalating competition for energy and physical space, driven by geopolitical tensions and climate change, threatens the stability and sustainability of the global digital economy.

User Experience

Restack looks at the future of AI in user experience design.

Workforce & Skills

Mark Benioff has written an opinion piece in Time discussing why he thinks this AI technology evolution will fundamentally reshape how we work, live, and interact.

The US National Academy of Sciences published a detailed report on the future of work addressing possible economic consequences of LLMs.

Despite modernisation and the potential presented by AI, work feels harder and more chaotic than ever, say 35,000 employees surveyed by Qualtrics.

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