Taiwan's Realtek Semiconductor has launched legal action against rival chipmaker MediaTek, accusing the company of conspiring with IP patent licensing firm IPValue Management to disrupt competition and win market share. According to court documents, MediaTek signed a licensing agreement with IPValue's Future Link Systems unit in 2019 that included the payments. These were subsequently used to finance "meritless" patent lawsuits against Realtek, against which it seeks unspecified damages and an end to the alleged conspiracy. MediaTek currently owns almost 60% of the global market share for TV chips.
Britain’s Confederation for British Industry (CBI) has gained the support of 93% of its members in a vote on reforms needed to stave off insolvency and to tackle issues around workplace sexual harassment. A total of 345 members voted in favour of the changes, including restrictions on senior staff’s levels of alcohol consumption. However, several major companies, including BT, PwC and Scottish Power, abstained from the vote, and the government has refused to engage with the organisation.
Researchers are studying the impact of climate change on mental health, with growing awareness of "eco-anxiety," the phenomenon of hopelessness and fear of environmental doom. Bath University tracked data from 10,000 people between the ages of 16 and 25 living in ten countries and found that 50% reported feeling sad, anxious, angry or guilty because of climate change. Environmental change affects not just physical but also cognitive and emotional health. Psychotherapist Caroline Hickman said it was important to not become overwhelmed with these feelings, and to treat eco-anxiety as a healthy response to climate change.
Humans have been trying to predict the future for as long as civilisation has existed, with divination practices widespread in cultures globally. The art of liver divination dates back to ancient Rome, while scapulimancy, which involves divining the future from charred shoulder blades, continues in use today in Native American, Mongolian and Chinese cultures. Tasseomancy saw prosperity during the 18th century due to an increase in tea drinking, and was traditionally practised by Roma people across Europe. The Norse practice of molybdomancy sees practitioners interpret the shape and distribution of droplets of molten lead thrown into water.
Australia's proposed changes to the Your Future, Your Super test risks damaging millions of its citizens' retirement outcomes, according to Noel Whittaker, author of Retirement Made Simple. The test, now being applied to MySuper products, will be extended this year to certain products that have been selected by the individual rather than automatically. This includes important funds that help manage market volatility, provide steady income streams and generate tax benefits. While the overall goal is to increase savings for retirement, some investment products play a specific role. The test would also remove the ability to manage risks.
The deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by Middle Eastern governments has raised concerns among digital rights activists, particularly with regards to human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia. While Gulf states are spending more on AI than some European countries, recent attention has focused on governments’ use of digital technologies to monitor dissidents and their families, and to infiltrate Twitter to identify government opponents using anonymous accounts. Angela Mueller, head of policy and advocacy at Berlin-based organisation Algorithm Watch, said the deployment of AI "opens up novel ways of potentially infringing on people’s most basic rights by surveilling or manipulating them." Gulf economies perceive AI as important to diversify their economies away from oil. A recent International Data Corporation report suggests AI spending in the Middle East will rise from $3bn this year to $6.4bn by 2026, with a growth rate of almost 30% over the next three years – the fastest worldwide.
Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are rapidly increasing their investment in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with the region expected to spend $3bn on AI in 2022, rising to $6.4bn by 2026, according to the International Data Corporation. Wealthy oil-producing Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are among the biggest spenders on AI-related technology worldwide. Concerns exist that the absence of human rights protections in such countries could lead to abuses of privacy, surveillance and data security through AI-powered facial recognition, content filtering or propaganda, for instance. Researchers at multinational legal firm Covington and Burling observed in a 2022 summary of existing Middle East laws in relation to AI that there is no legislation on AI in the region as yet. While the UAE and Saudi Arabia have published ethical guidelines for AI, neither country's guidelines are legally binding, prompting concerns among human rights activists.
Silicon Valley's prioritisation of the future over present-day problems has caused angst among experts, according to artificial intelligence (AI) ethicist Margaret Mitchell. The Oxfam-backed ethicist and former Google employee was referring to longtermism, a philosophical idea developed by Oxford's Derrick Parfit in 1984 which argues that the future needs more attention than the present. This credo may have influenced philanthropy in Silicon Valley, where initiatives to ensure AI doesn't cause existential risk have ballooned. But such established philanthropic ventures as OpenAI have themselves been criticised for having agendas that centre on advancing corporate interests. Mitchell said that AI is being misused today, harming people now. The idea that "existential harm" isn't current is simply wrong, she said.
The Future of Independent Agencies: Highlights from an Expert Panel Discussion on Problems at the Federal Trade Commission
American Enterprise Institute
23-06-07 14:07
Former commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have called for greater guidance from Congress to help clarify the agency’s role and powers. The comments came during a discussion on May 25th organized by think tank the American Enterprise Institute. The panel featured former FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly, former FTC Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen, and AEI Senior Fellow Adam J. White, and focused on the future of independent agencies and how they can be run well—or poorly. The end of Republican Commissioner Christine Wilson’s term has left the FTC with no Republicans and so has raised questions around its independence.
Congress was urged to become more involved in defining regulation, particularly around nebulous concepts such as privacy law. However, the panel cautioned against an overzealous Congress controlling specific regulatory outcomes. They highlighted the dangers of regulators cutting across the mark-making process or interfering with specific outcomes. Instead, they would prefer transparency and the expansion of the court’s role to limit regulatory overreach. Something that has become a hot-button issue in America.
The panel highlighted the desire for stability in regulation and for current norms to be preserved, particularly during periods of transition between governments. The recent trend has been for swinging policy, partly created by many governments abdicating the responsibility for clear regulation. As a result, businesses have found themselves in a situation where expectations are constantly changing. Industry lobbyists are targeting regulators, for their part, for behaving in ways that are unacceptable, with transparency and the return to the norm becoming the key objective.
The London Irish rugby union team has entered administration following suspension from the sport’s governing body over failing to provide proof of funds and ownership for next season. With debts of over £30m and facing a wind-up petition from HM Revenue and Customs for an unpaid tax bill, the club claimed that the suspension was “bitterly disappointing” and that it would file for administration. Chairman Mick Crossan described it as the “tipping point where we will not be able to meet our current and future financial obligations”.
In Canada, half of all employees will need retraining by 2025 as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation continue to change the nature of the workplace, according to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2020. Data analysts, scientists, AI and machine learning specialists, along with business development professionals with AI skills, will be the most in-demand job roles until 2025. However, humans have a competitive edge when it comes to skills other than data analysis. To mitigate the impact of automation, companies can focus on issues such as creativity, critical thinking and service orientation. To prepare for the era of work governed by AI, workers should also hone their soft skills.
Facebook’s content moderation provider, Meta, has been ordered by a Kenyan employment court to provide adequate medical, psychiatric, and psychological care to a group of moderators after hearing testimony describing the traumatic nature of their work. The moderators had sued Meta for what they deemed a “sham” mass redundancy after the company switched its moderation provider from Sama to Majorel. The moderators claim they were given “varying” and “confusing” reasons for the mass layoffs, and believe it was an effort to suppress growing worker complaints over low pay and lack of mental health support. Meta intends to appeal.
Tracey Spicer’s new book, Man-Made: How the Bias of the Past is Being Built into the Future, examines how the misogynistic views of the past are being reinforced and entrenched into present day society through the development of artificial intelligence. The book covers diverse topics such as the use of disembodied female voices used in technology and the effect of the algorithms to choose men for certain jobs. Spicer draws attention to the danger of “untrammelled AI” and calls for inclusive product testing and regulation of auditing systems, in addition to reminding readers that by the time society “wakes up, it’s almost too late”.
How ‘Negativity Bias’ Skews the Conversation About Artificial Intelligence
American Enterprise Institute
23-06-07 21:01
While artificial intelligence (AI) brings a lot of benefits, concerns abound that it will lead to job losses and negatively impact lives. Much of this imbalance of perspective comes from negativity bias, which focuses on looking for problems rather than opportunities. Evolutionary psychology plays a role in this, as our ancestors were anxious and hyperaware of threats in order to survive. Negativity bias means that people are more attuned to potential dangers, leading to some ignoring potential benefits and focusing primarily on the risks.
Workers could have their brains monitored by employers in four to five years to measure safety, productivity and recruitment, according to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The newly-published Neurodata report warned of risks of discrimination and urged developers to consider the issue carefully. The report imagines the workplace in future routinely deploying neurotechnology and sees potential for wearables to measure student concentration and stress levels. The ICO acknowledged the technology was already being used for health monitoring but said "non-invasive devices" that could be used for neuromarketing were a particular concern.
Arizona president says realignment talk premature until Pac-12 has hard numbers on TV deal
The Toronto Star
23-06-08 04:55
The Presidents of the 10 Pac-12 schools learned very little at their meetings on Friday about what that future broadcast deal will look like. But they reportedly came away feeling optimistic about some of the things that Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff said during those meetings and via conversations in recent days. Although no details have been offered, some Pac-12 Presidents have speculated that Comcast and/or Amazon could end up being a part of the broadcast deal, and more news is likely over the coming weeks.
Ken Hinkley will hope to make it 10 consecutive wins as Port Adelaide coach at the weekend and prompt his club to re-sign him. Premiership captain Warren Tredrea recently said Hinkley’s future had been placed under threat by two early-season defeats. However, the South Australian side has subsequently moved to the top of the table alongside Collingwood. The side topped the league for scores taken from stoppages and time spent in the forward half after nine consecutive victories. It has also introduced new assistant coaches Chad Cornes and Nathan Bassett this season, with Bassett leading a newly formed undersized defensive unit. The fitness and medical department, led by Doctor Mark Fisher and high-performance boss Stuart Graham, has also fostered a successful culture.
Canada should rein in programmes that provide temporary work permits and study visas to overseas individuals instead of using them as a means to paper over demographic challenges, wrote The Globe and Mail. The news outlet highlighted how the numbers of international students and workers coming to Canada has more than doubled since the Liberals came to power in 2015. Observers are criticising the use of these temporary band-aids, which are distorting labour and housing markets in the country. Instead, they argue, growth should be capped to ensure long-term stability.
Economical Mutual Insurance Co. eschewed the opportunity to enrich its policyholders when it went public with its Definity Financial Corp offshoot. Following a decade-long demutualization process the policyholder's slice of the pie amounted to 7% of Definity despite requests for nearly twice that figure. As it became apparent that policyholders seeking to receive their payout entirely in shares would instead receive approximately 50% in cash, there is frustration that the remaining stock has achieved a total return of 70%, surpassing all Composite financial stocks by over 25%. Policyholders claim they have been denied higher returns and tax deferrals associated with holding shares rather than receiving a taxable dividend.
The UK Labour party would invest in British steel as part of its broader green plans, according to leader Sir Keir Starmer. As well as backing a proposed national wealth fund supporting new hydrogen and electric arc furnaces, Labour asserts that increased generation of green energy from sources such as offshore wind, solar, and nuclear power would secure demand for millions of tonnes of UK steel, enabling it to become carbon-neutral. Starmer said the government was “doing nothing on this,” but argued that green steel represented a “fantastic opportunity” that Labour would seize in government.
