Tag: Ethics

Laser light can distinguish between legally and illegally acquired ivory. Whether books have been written by humans or machines, however, is increasingly hard to establish owing to the prevalence of AI. Which is why America’s largest professional writing organisation wants to highlight "human intelligence". Once the human-authored works have been registered through an online portal, a certificate can be...

Adding algae to food reduces emissions in livestock. Cultivating rice also generates methane, a fact that prompted a Swedish-based research team to take action. The source lies in substances secreted by rice roots and metabolised by microorganisms. Studies involving a bioengineered rice strain with low methane emission showed that two substances in particular had a decisive influence. Secreted salts...

In Africa, group purchases are helping local commerce, while smallholders would benefit from detailed satellite images. Into the mix comes a social organisation from Ghana, which helps women in West Africa grow and sell shea nuts. The fruits are used in food products and cosmetics; the global market is currently estimated at $2 billion annually. A digital platform is...

An app encourages school pupils to read. Authors benefit there too, as it drives sales and loans of books, and ultimately leads to royalty payments. But not if companies train their AI systems using pirate digital copies. Cue an American startup and its new licensing platform for AI firms, which aims at a fairer system for authors. Once authors...

Emotional intelligence can be enhanced. On social media, however, hate-filled comments are on the rise. That’s why a Slovakian startup is helping businesses and organisations remove hateful, inappropriate and conspiracy-driven comments. The work is carried out by an AI system, except when it’s less than 95% percent sure. Then cases are passed to a human moderator. Because machines don’t...

Subliminal noise protects music online as it confuses nosy AI systems. Some music can be confusing for humans too. Take this unusual streaming platform, developed by a British startup founder after years of research into animal wellbeing. Specially composed music, selected TV programmes and video blogs soothe animals when they feel stressed by fireworks or sirens, as well as...

When it comes to security, IT networks have a musical side. For composers of music, meanwhile, safeguarding copyright is important - particularly against unwanted use by AI systems. Enter a US-based university team and its new mechanism aimed at protecting musicians’ intellectual property. The tool embeds subliminal noise into original pieces of music. The noise is created individually for...

Banana paper protects potatoes from parasites. After harvesting, potato stems are often burned, since they are hard to compost and unsuitable as animal feed or fertiliser. A London-based startup has recognised their value. In their patent-pending process, fibres are extracted from stems using biological and mechanical processes and spun into yarn. Like cotton, linen or synthetic fibre, it can...