This section of Imminent Readings offers a variety of insights into how AI, politics, and economics intersect in a constantly evolving world.
Updated weekly (last update 10/12/24)
AI anxiety afflicts 90% of consumers and businesses – see what worries them most The article highlights the dual anxiety surrounding data security amid rising AI adoption. Consumers worry about businesses mishandling their personal data, while cybersecurity leaders fear that AI will be exploited by hackers. Both groups emphasize the urgent need for improved data governance and protection measures. Read the full article on ZDNet
The Wired AI Elections Project 2024 is a crucial year for global democracy, with over 2 billion people expected to vote, the largest turnout ever recorded. The WIRED AI Elections Project will monitor how generative AI, such as deepfakes and chatbots, is influencing elections by spreading disinformation and targeted messaging, raising concerns over AI’s impact on public opinion and electoral integrity. Explore the project on WIRED
How AI-generated memes are changing the 2024 election The elections next November in the US are highlighting the emergence of a great contradiction: the memes generated by AI. From the most discussed case, Trump’s claim that Taylor Swift and her fandom support him, more and more people have started to debate the topic. Read the full article on NPR
Artificial intelligence and modern planned economies: a discussion on methods and institutions This Spyridon Samothrakis’ article surveys the possible uses of AI in the construction of “computerized central economic planning.” It argues that the implementation of such principles would need to have a very different outlook from current market practices, with a focus on producing basic “interlinking” commodities (e.g. tools, processed materials, instruction videos) that consumers can use as a form of collective R&D. Article by Springer Link
India’s IT industry is paving the way for its AI future The Indian IT sector is a global powerhouse, accounting for 7% of the country’s GDP and employing nearly 5.5 million people. It is increasingly becoming a crucial component of the country’s economy. Therefore, it’s crucial to invest in workers with AI skills and foster a strong connection with academia. By pursuing this path, India will retain its international leadership in AI application. Read the full article on Business Standard
In Venezuela, AI news Anchors aren’t Replacing Journalists. They’re Protecting Them Following the July elections, Venezuela has been plagued by a climate of terror and censorship. This situation has caused many journalists to take a step back, but Venezuela Retweets has stood out as an exception. While maintaining the high-profile information created by human journalists, it has chosen to communicate this news through AI-generated presenters and solely through social media. This approach safeguards the identities of journalists while ensuring the necessary flow of information remains uninterrupted. Read the full article on CNN
Open source AI now has a definition. This it what it means and why it’s still tricky In the last two years, many high-tech companies have been promoting their AI systems as ‘open source’ leading models. However, Open Source Initiative (OSI) gave a new definition of ‘open source’ making the big companies’ models close source. Read the full article on Euronews
Robots sacked, screening shut down: a new movement of luddites is rising against AI As generative AI is more and more present in our lives and industry, a new movement “anti AI” is rising. They define themselves as “luddites” but they’re not rebelling, they’re looking for a compromise where AI is regulated. More and more industries, such as Lego or Nintendo, are walkbacking from their most innovative AI projects due to these protests. Read the full article on The Guardian
La Corsa al Ribasso del Commercio Online Shein and Temu are changing the way ecommerce is done internationally. Amazon is trying its best to face this competition, focusing on the fact that the asiatic competitors can afford these low prices thanks to the little respect of the environment and the workers. Is this the right answer to make ecommerce sustainable? How much longer will we be able to play on the downside? Read the full article on Internazionale
China deploys censors to create socialist AI The Beijing government is testing artificial intelligence companies’ LLM to ensure their systems “embody socialist core values”. The effort involves batch-testing an LLM’s responses to a litany of questions with many of them related to China’s political sensitivities and its President Xi Jinping. Read the full article on Financial Times
Do you really need a chief artificial intelligence officer? This article discusses how companies should adjust their internal organization to optimize the potential of artificial intelligence. Specifically, a new professional role is emerging, the Chief AI Officer, and it’s well suited to our business target. Read the full article on Forbes
Interviews with ChatGPT Photographer Barbara Zanon is experimenting with a series of conversations with AI software. The first is with ChatGPT and delves into a major theme: creativity. Read the full article on Talks about AI
Reskilling in the age of AI The upcoming changes will affect not only data scientists but all areas of business. Learn how to lead the entire company through this process, introducing five new paradigms for leaders and those who want to reposition themselves. Read the full article on the Harvard Business Review
What the hell is Elon Musk doing at X? 5 theories of the case In October 2022 Elon Musk acquired Twitter and turned it into X. Since then the social media platform has been in chaos. In this article, author John Hermann tries to make sense of what Musk is seeking to achieve. Read the full article on The Intelligencer
Open (for business): Big tech, concentrated power and the political economy of OpenAI This paper discusses the ambiguity surrounding “open” and “open source” in AI, emphasizing that true openness often falls short, limiting democratic access and competition. Read the full paper on Social Science Research Network
Paying ourselves to decarbonize When decarbonization occurs, will petrostates be left alone to face an inevitable crisis? This article analyzes the current global structure of the world economy and tells us why it is necessary to support the petrostates in this transition. Read the full article on Noēma Magazine
Is generative AI really ready for the enterprise? An interesting piece that dives into the uses of generative AI as a tool for enterprises. A matter of time with some adjustments, according to author Ron Miller. Read the full article on TechCrunch