"This report is intended to provide a broad review of the use and emerging governance of AI technology in Southern Africa. It aims at initiating public discussions and policy dialogue not only on the technological implications of the use of AI, but also on the social, political, and ethical signific
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ance and consequences of it. Through this report, UNESCO’s objective is also to provide the evidence that AI technologies are already being used in many domains and sectors in Southern Africa, thus countering the narrative that the ethics of AI is still premature to be discussed and taken seriously by the local actors in the region. The analysis comprises four parts that, read together, present a review of key policies, use cases, risks and opportunities for the design, development, governance and usage of responsible AI in the region. These are: (i) AI Regulatory and Policy Mapping; (ii) Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Applications; (iii) Ethical Risk of AI Use (derived from the findings in the policy mapping and use case analysis); and (iv) Key Opportunities and Recommendations." (Introduction)
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"This paper aims to unpack a structured overview of previous research topics and findings and identify gaps. Our goal in this systematic review is to (a) synthesize the selected earlier studies, (b) offer researchers a structural framework for future COVID-19 and fake news research, and (c) recommen
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d relevant areas for future research. In this study, we focus on eighty conceptual and empirical studies on misinformation of COVID-19-related news on social media. We identify vital publications and methodological and theoretical approaches that exist in the COVID-19 literature. The articles were systematically analyzed, focusing on the research context and time frame, data collection/analysis procedures, and equivalence issues. While COVID-19 research has been advancing significantly over the past couple of months, numerous questions remain unexplained in the domain of the social media landscape. For example, our review suggests that researchers should begin to concentrate on a process framework blending Artificial Intelligence (AI) to curb the fake news problem. This can be achieved in all three phases, e.g., the study of individual decisions and experiences, the experiences of groups and organizations and the interactions between them, and finally, the interactions at the broadest level (micro, meso, and macro stages)." (Abstract)
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"Artificial intelligence (AI) is presented as a solution to the greatest challenges of our time, from global pandemics and chronic diseases to cybersecurity threats and the climate crisis. But AI also contributes to the climate crisis by running on technology that depletes scarce resources and by re
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lying on data centres that demand excessive energy use.Is AI Good for the Planet? brings the climate crisis to the centre of debates around AI, exposing its environmental costs and forcing us to reconsider our understanding of the technology. It reveals why we should no longer ignore the environmental problems generated by AI. Embracing a green agenda for AI that puts the climate crisis at centre stage is our urgent priority." (Publisher description)
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"This paper is the second in a series of three papers that explore the relationship between women in Africa today and Artificial Intelligence. In it, the authors explore the threats and benefits Artificial Intelligence brings to African women in different sectors; what it means to be an African woma
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n today from a pre-colonial, colonial, and postcolonial lens and how the intersection of various forces of production and society give insight into the ways African women's lives are currently being and will continue to be impacted by this technology." (Executive summary)
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"As we move forward in deepening our collective understanding of how AI is reshaping our societies, and what policy models are required to best manage its effects in service of human and planetary wellbeing, information is needed on the global state of implementation of the UNESCO principles and the
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barriers countries are facing in protecting people from risks to human rights and democratic freedoms AI may bring. This is the premise for the new Global Index on Responsible AI (Global Index)." (Page 2)
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"The fifth edition of the AI Index Report includes data from a broad set of academic, private, and nonprofit organizations as well as more self-collected data and original analysis than any previous editions, including an expanded technical performance chapter, a new survey of robotics researchers a
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round the world, data on global AI legislation records in 25 countries, and a new chapter with an in-depth analysis of technical AI ethics metrics." (Introduction, page 2)
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"Der Atlas der digitalen Arbeit blickt auf viele verschiedene Branchen: Auto, Chemie und Pharma, aber auch die Pflege und die öffentliche Hand. Es geht um grundlegende Fragen: Wie weit sind smarte Computer und Roboter in diesen Bereichen auf dem Vormarsch? Welche Folgen hat das für die Beschäftig
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ten? Wie viel verdienen Menschen in digitalen Berufen? Was verändert sich in der Berufsausbildung? Macht Homeoffice glücklich? Profitieren Frauen und Männer gleichermaßen von den Vorteilen der digitalen Arbeitswelt?" (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"Hivos sees vital opportunities to support creatives and build alternative digital spaces and activist communities that will stand up to the digital monoculture. They are essential if we want to imagine and work towards a more humane and sustainable digital future. In 'Counter the Digital Monocultur
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e', the team interviews seven future-oriented activists, artists and academics to answer the question 'How can we counter the digital monoculture?' The interviews cover a wide range of topics, from indigenous futurism to afro-feminism, speculative storytelling, and the need for a fossil-free internet. A recurring theme is the importance of amplifying the work of activists, artists, and filmmakers to reach wide audiences with narratives that focus on humane digital futures." (Publisher description)
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"Eine Zahl taucht immer wieder in der Diskussion zur Nachhaltigkeit von KI auf: Die Emissionen, die in der Forschungs- und Entwicklungsphase großer Sprachmodelle anfallen, entsprechen den Emissionen von fünf Autos während ihrer gesamten Laufzeit. Diese Zahl stammt aus einer wegweisenden Analyse v
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on Emma Strubell, Ananya Ganesh und Andrew McCallum. Wenig hilfreich sind jedoch die vielen ungenauen oder falschen Aussagen, die sich seitdem auf diese Berechnung beziehen – oft mit zweifelhaften Aussagen über die CO2-Kosten von KI-Systemen. Die Diskussion über die Nachhaltigkeit von KI verdient mehr Genauigkeit, mehr Differenziertheit, mehr Analyse und mehr Fakten. KI hat ökologische, soziale und wirtschaftliche Kosten zur Folge. Wissenschaft, Industrie, Zivilgesellschaft und Politik müssen dringend auf der Grundlage von Fakten über diese Kosten sprechen und handeln. Mit dem ersten SustAIn-Magazin wollen wir unseren Beitrag zu solch einem Austausch leisten. Das Magazin ist das Ergebnis des Forschungsprojekts SustAIn, in dem wir einen Rahmen zur Bewertung der Nachhaltigkeit von KI-Systemen entwickelt haben. Hier stellen wir Ihnen vor, wie eine nachhaltigere KI in der Praxis bereits umgesetzt wird. Wir brauchen Good-PracticeBeispiele, methodische Innovationen und differenzierte Perspektiven darauf, wo Forschung und politisches Handeln notwendig sind, um nachhaltigere KI zu fördern." (Seite 3)
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"This handbook offers a comprehensive overview of international and regional standards and commitments related to the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, political participation, and privacy in the area of the internet, social media and Artificial Intelligence in elections. It al
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so maps a series of good practices implemented by diverse stakeholders worldwide during electoral processes. It is organized in eight sections: six sections dedicated to the analysis of the challenges and the general situation of elections in digital times, a section dedicated to conclusions and a section with suggestions for possible action. Each of the first six sections has a guide of suggested questions at the end in case the publication is used for trainings and workshops." (Methodological note, page 14)
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"Platforms have power. But this power is not unchecked. Governments have an important role to play in protecting their citizens' rights vis-à-vis third parties and ensuring a communication order in which rights are not violated. (And in addition, of course, they need to respect human rights themsel
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ves and not arbitrarily shut down sites or use their power to make the Internet less free and open). As leader of working group 2 it is my distinct privilege to present this collection which unites studies by researchers within the Global Digital Human Rights Networks on issues connected to the overarching question of how platforms deal with human rights and their human rights obligations. This study is a key deliverable of our working group in the second year of the Global Digital Human Rights Network's activities. We will follow-up with Guidelines for platforms and an Assessment Model for states and other stakeholders in 2024. We developed this study under Corona conditions but were able to meet in the Tyrolean Alps in Obergurgl, Austria, in July 2022 to finalize this study." (Preface, page 7)
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"Structured along two broad themes and providing empirical examples for how socio-technical changes and political responses interact, the first part of the book looks at the current use of cyberspace in conflictual settings, while the second focuses on political responses by state and non-state acto
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rs in an environment defined by uncertainties. Within this, it highlights four key debates that encapsulate the complexities and paradoxes of cyber security politics from a Western perspective – how much political influence states can achieve via cyber operations and what context factors condition the (limited) strategic utility of such operations; the role of emerging digital technologies and how the dynamics of the tech innovation process reinforce the fragmentation of the governance space; how states attempt to uphold stability in cyberspace and, more generally, in their strategic relations; and how the shared responsibility of state, economy, and society for cyber security continues to be re-negotiated in an increasingly trans-sectoral and transnational governance space." (Publisher description)
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"This report aims to introduce techniques and procedures of NLP (Natural Language Processing), the computational preparation and analysis of text data, to map the public voice and aid development. First, the report introduces essential concepts of communication and elaborates on the theoretical foun
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dations of natural language analyses. Second, the report reviews research on NLP of social media text data by showcasing studies that have applied the techniques to the Sustainable Development Goals. Third, the report reviews specific NLP techniques, including data preprocessing, and dicusses libraries and programming procedures. It also reviews concepts such as keyword extraction to identify relevant terms, topic modeling to detect common themes, and text classification to recognize language features. These NLP techniques are showcased in two case studies. The first shows how topic modeling can be applied to derive insights on the public debate over climate change in Australia. The second demonstrates how text classification can be leveraged to analyze public sentiment on COVID-19 in the Philippines. Finally, the report discusses the challenges and limitations, as well as the potentials, of NLP." (Foreword)
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"This open access book deals with cultural and philosophical aspects of artificial intelligence (AI) and pleads for a “digital humanism”. This term is beginning to be en vogue everywhere. Due to a growing discontentment with the way digitalization is being used in the world, particularly formula
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ted by former heroes of Internet, social media and search engine companies, philosophical as well as industrial thought leaders begin to plead for a humane use of digital tools. Yet the term “digital humanism” is a particular terminology that lacks a sound conceptual and philosophical basis and needs clarification still – and this gap is exactly filled by this book. It propagates a vision of society in which digitization is used to strengthen human self-determination, autonomy and dignity and whose time has come to be propagated throughout the world. The advantage of this book is that it is philosophically sound and yet written in a way that will make it accessible for everybody interested in the subject. Every chapters begins with a film scene illustrating a precise philosophical problem with AI and how we look at it – making the book not only readable, but even entertaining. And after having read the book the reader will have a clear vision of what it means to live in a world where digitization and AI are central technologies for a better and more humane civilization." (Publisher description)
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