Wednesday, July 22, 2020

An invisible hand: Patients aren’t being told about the AI systems advising their care

I believe one should design for the advantage of the largest mass of people, first and always. That takes care of ideologies and sociologies.
— Raymond Loewy, who died  in 1986

World needs Walkley award-winning journalists like Mike West ( www.michaelwest.com.au/ ) and websites that are independent now more than ever:
"It is a privilege to announce we have struck an alliance with John Menadue's independent website Pearls & Irritations.

Besides our longstanding yet informal deal to share content, John and Susie Menadue have contracted Michael West Media to do their website production. Traffic for both websites has risen strongly this year and our alliance will deliver independent media a greater voice in public debate, which is critical at this time when mainstream media is increasingly compromised.

Both of our websites are fiercely independent. We carry no advertising, nor are there any commercial arrangements influencing our content. While MWM focuses on investigations and the rising power of corporations over democracy, P&I is focused on high-level public policy debate.

John's host of contributors include former state premiers, politicians and leading academics and public service chiefs. P&I is the destination for quality comment and analysis of Australian public policy and foreign affairs.

John, formerly head of Prime Minister & Cabinet in both the Whitlam and Fraser governments, went on to become ambassador to Japan and chief executive of Qantas. Earlier, he had also been managing director for News Limited in Sydney.

It is a great privilege to be working with John and Susie and we urge you to sign up to the weekly Pearls & Irritations newsletter here.
 

WHEN THE GOING GETS WEIRD, THE WEIRD TURN PRO: Happy Birthday, Hunter S. Thompson.

Paperback writers. How Carr, Hobsbawm, Taylor, and Trevor-Roper became the first generation of British historians who wrote for a large, mainstream  audience  





Whittlestone, J. Nyrup, R. Alexandrova, A. Dihal, K. Cave, S. (2019) Ethical and societal implications of algorithms, data, and artificial intelligence: a roadmap for research. London: Nuffield Foundation. “The aim of this report is to offer a broad roadmap for work on the ethical and societal implications of algorithms, data, and AI (ADA) in the coming years. It is aimed at those involved in planning, funding, and pursuing research and policy work related to these technologies. We use the term ‘ADA-based technologies’ to capture a broad range of ethically and societally relevant technologies based on algorithms, data, and AI, recognising that these three concepts are not totally separable from one another and will often overlap. A shared set of key concepts and concerns is emerging, with widespread agreement on some of the core issues (such as bias) and values (such as fairness) that an ethics of algorithms, data, and AI should focus on. Over the last two years, these have begun to be codified in various codes and sets of ‘principles’. Agreeing on these issues, values and high-level principles is an important step for ensuring that ADA-based technologies are developed and used for the benefit of society. However, we see three main gaps in this existing work: (i) a lack of clarity or consensus around the meaning of central ethical concepts and how they apply in specific situations; (ii) insufficient attention given to tensions between ideals and values; (iii) insufficient evidence on both (a) key technological capabilities and impacts, and (b) the perspectives of different publics.


The Increasingly Essential Role Of The Law Librarian

Above the Law – Robert Ambrogi – Robots are not coming for law librarians’ jobs. “…Already, law librarians’ evolving roles require them to wear a variety of hats. Increasingly, one of those is legal technologist. These days, one can hardly be an information professional without also becoming a technology professional because the two disciplines overlap in almost every way. For that reason, law librarians have begun to fill the role of technology  gatekeeper within their firms and organizations. I hear this repeatedly from the vendors who sell to firms. Law librarians get it. They understand the importance of technology in advancing the legal profession, and they are more likely than other legal professionals to understand the mechanics of technology, to be able to get under the hood and size up whether a product is what it claims to be. We see this at law firms, where law librarians are often the screeners for new technology, helping to vet and evaluate products before their firms plunk down precious dollars. We see this at law schools, where law librarians are often at the forefront of pushing for teaching and program initiatives in technology innovation and competence. We see this in court systems and government agencies, where law librarians are often helping to lead the charge for expanding access to justice…”


Microbiologists at Caltech discovered a bacteria that feeds on manganese metalSlashgear 

An invisible hand: Patients aren’t being told about the AI systems advising their careStatNews

Summers could become ‘too hot for humans’ BBC 

The Scandal of Our Drug Supply New York Review of Books 


Arturo Tedeschi redesigns historic ATM Class 1500 tram for a post-Covid worldDezeen 

Why governments have the right to require masks in public ScienceBlog 

The New Must-Have Museum Souvenir: Face Masks New York Times 


Nigeria’s Zamfara state offers repentant bandits cows for AK-47s BBC 


Nazis are VICTIMS of hate crime? Police launch probe into graffiti on monument to SS soldiers, Canadians stunned it even exists RT 


Allison Christians (McGill), Really Basic Rules for Writing Good Papers in Law School, 23 Green Bag 2d 181 (2020)

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