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Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining more attention as its role in the future of work becomes increasingly apparent.

Last week, the Writers Guild of America (WGA), went on a strike because of the proposed use of AI, specifically ChatGPT, in television and film writing. The guild argued that the use of AI would replace jobs, increase compensation disparities and lead to greater job insecurity for writers, reported Time. While this was happening, Geoffrey Hinton, the 75-year-old scientist widely seen as the godfather of AI, announced his resignation from Google, warning of the growing dangers in the field.

The BBC reported that Hinton, whose research on neural networks and deep learning has paved the way for AI systems like ChatGPTwhich according to the Wall Street Journal is causing a stock-market ruckusexpressed regret over his work and raised concerns about bad actors potential misuse of AI. Hintons departure comes at a time when AI advancements are accelerating at an unprecedented pace. For example, KPMG announced last week that they would make generative AI available to all employees, including partners, for both client-facing and internal work.

Meanwhile, during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis expressed his belief that a form of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could be developed within a few years. Elsewhere, implications for medical leaders are becoming apparent. According to Erwin Loh, who explained in BMJ Leader, new technologies like ChatGPT and generative AIhave the potential to transform the way we practice medicine, and revolutionize the healthcare system. Lohs article provided a great explanation of AI technologies in the context of healthcare and also offered insights into how they could be used to improve delivery.

So, its clear there is enormous potential to revolutionize the world of work. The question now is: how do we make sure that AI works for us rather than against us? After all, the opportunities are vast and growing. For example, research published by MIT Sloan Management Review concluded that Data can help companies better understand and improve the employee experience, leading to a more productive workforce. But, it must be remembered that job displacement is a genuine concern. Insider reported that CEOs get closer to finally saying itAI will wipe out more jobs than they can count.

One study conducted by researchers from OpenAI, OpenResearch, and the University of Pennsylvania, revealed that around 80% of the US workforce could see at least 10% of their tasks affected by the introduction of GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers), with around 19% of workers experiencing at least 50% of their tasks impacted. Having reviewed the study, Natalia Weisz, a professor at Argentinas IAE Business School, concluded in an interview that, unlike previous technological revolutions, higher-paying occupations with more education requirements, such as degrees and even doctorates, are more exposed compared to those that do not require a profession. We are moving into a phase in which traditional professions may very well be disrupted, said Weisz.

We are living in a time of rapid technological change. We must be mindful to ensure that these advances do not lead to job losses or create an unequal playing field, said Shrenik Rao, editor-in-chief of Madras Courier, in an interview. Rao predicted that Bots could replace journalists and columnists. Illustrators, cartoonists and artists could lose their jobs, too. Instead of telling stories in the public interest, stories will be produced based on what will garner views or clicks.

Rao, who is also a columnist at Haaretz, went on to probe the ethical implications of AI-driven news production. What will happen with journalistic ethics? Will the news be produced to serve certain political agendas? Will there be an objective filter for news and images? He concluded that a lack of transparency over how AI is used in journalism could lead to further mistrust in the media.

Governments, industries, and individuals need to engage in a collaborative effort to navigate this brave new world. By fostering open conversations, creating robust regulatory frameworks, and prioritizing education and adaptation, we can ensure that artificial intelligence serves as a force for good, empowering humanity to overcome challenges and reach new heights. Leadership is, therefore, required to ensure that AI is used responsibly and ethically: it is time for all to come together and propel AI forward in a way that works for everyone.

Disclaimer: The author of this article is an Associate Editor at BMJ Leader. This role is independent and distinct from his role as the author of this article. It should be noted that despite his position at BMJ Leader, he had no participation in the review, production, or publication of the academic paper referenced in this articlespecifically, the work by Erwin Loh on the potential of AI technologies in healthcare.

I'm a leadership professor writing expert commentary on global affairs

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AI At The Crossroads: Navigating Job Displacement, Ethical Concerns, And The Future Of Work - Forbes

Chinese company iFlytek yesterday threw itself at OpenAI's bread and butter by announcing a product that's aimed to compete with ChatGPT. The company's "Spark Desk" was described by the company's founder and president Liu Qingfengas a "cognitive big model" and even as the "dawn of artificial general intelligence." Beyond those buzzwords was also a promise, however: that Spark Desk would surpass OpenAI's ChatGPT by end of year.

We should be happy that we can chalk some of the above to corporate marketing buzzwords. I can assure you my mind will be elsewhere if/when I have to write an article announcing that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is here. Perhaps even more so if that AGI was Chinese, as I'm unsure I can trust an AGI that thinks social scoring systems are the bread and butter of its "cognitive big model."

All that aside, however, there are a number of interesting elements to this release. Every day we hear of another ChatGPT spawn, whether official or unofficially linked to the work of OpenAI. With the tech's impact being what it is (even if that impact is still cloudy and mostly unrealized), it was only natural that every player with enough money and expertise to pursue its own models adapted to their own public and stakeholders would do so.

Of course, the question is whether iFlyTek and Spark Desk can actually deliver on its claims, specifically that of one-upping OpenAI at its own game. The answer will likely depend on multiple factors and how you view the subject.

ChatGPT wasn't made for the Eastern public. There's a training data, linguistic and cultural chasm (opens in new tab) that separates ChatGPT's impact on the Eastern seaboard compared to the Western world. And by that definition, it's entirely possible that "Spark Desk" will offer Eastern users a much improved (and more relevant) user experience compared to ChatGPT, given enough maturation time. Perhaps that could even happen before the end of the year. It certainly already offers a better experience for Chinese users in particular, as the country pre-emptively banned ChatGPT from passing beyond its Great Firewall (except in Hong Kong).

The decision to ban ChatGPT likely stifled innovation that it would have otherwise triggered. We need only look to our own news outlets to see the number of industries being impacted by the tech. That's something no country can willingly give up on at a whim; it really was simply a matter of time before a competent competitor was announced.

We'll have to wait for years' end to see whether iFlytek's claims materialize or evaporate. It'll be hard enough to quantitatively compare the two LLMs, especially when their target users are so culturally different. One thing is for sure: OpenAI won't simply rest on its laurels and wait for other industry players to catch up, especially not when there's a target date for that to happen.

The ChatGPT version iFlytek's Spark Model will have to contend with won't be the same GPT we know today. Perhaps OpenAI's expertise and time-to-market advantages will keep it ahead in the race (and that's what we'd expect); but we also have to remember there are multiple ways to achieve a wanted result. It's been shown that the U.S.'s technological sanctions against China have had less of an effect than hoped for, and that the country is willing to shoulder the burden (and costs) of paying for the training of cutting-edge technology in outdated, superseded hardware millions of dollars and hundreds of extra training hours be damned.

A few extra billions could be just enough to bridge the gap. That's China's bet, at least.

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China's State-Sponsored AI Claims it Will Surpass ChatGPT by End ... - Tom's Hardware

The emergence of artificial general intelligence (AGI) brings both positive and negative implications. On the positive side, AGI has the potential to significantly enhance the productivity and effectiveness of professionals in various fields. By leveraging its capabilities, experts can achieve higher levels of efficiency and accomplish tasks more effectively than ever before. However, alongside these advancements, the rise of AGI also raises valid concerns. One major worry is the potential loss of jobs due to automation.

Along the same lines, Nithin Kamath, founder and CEO, Zerodha tweeted that while they would never fire any of their employees over a piece of technology, the concerns about AI taking away jobs and disrupting the society on the whole was real. Weve just created an internal AI policy to give clarity to the team, given the AI/job loss anxiety. This is our stance: We will not fire anyone on the team just because we have implemented a new piece of technology that makes an earlier job redundant. In 2021, wed said that we hadnt found AI use cases when everyone was claiming to be powered by AI without any AI. With recent breakthroughs in AI, we finally think AI will take away jobs and can disrupt society, he said.

As AGI becomes more sophisticated, there is a risk that certain professions might be replaced by intelligent machines, leading to unemployment and economic disruption. This calls for thoughtful consideration of strategies to address the impact on the workforce and ensure a smooth transition to the era of AGI. Kamath, quoting an internal chat, said. AI on its own wont wake up and kill us all (for a while, at least!). The current capitalistic and economic systems will rapidly adopt AI, accelerating inequality and loss of human agency. Thats the immediate risk.

Another concern is the ethical and safety implications associated with AGI development. AGI systems possess immense computational power and may exhibit behaviors and decision-making processes that are difficult to predict or control. Ensuring that AGI systems align with human values, ethics, and safety standards becomes paramount to prevent unintended consequences or misuse of this powerful technology.

In todays capitalism, businesses prioritize shareholder value creation above stakeholders like employees, customers, vendors, the country, and the planet. Markets incentivize business leaders to prioritize profits over everything else; if not, shareholders vote them out. Many companies will likely let go of employees and blame it on AI. In the process, companies will earn more and make their shareholders wealthier, worsening wealth inequality. This isnt a good outcome for humanity, opined Kamath.

Moreover, there are broader societal and philosophical concerns regarding AGIs impact on human existence. Questions about the potential loss of human uniqueness, the boundaries of consciousness, and the moral responsibility associated with creating highly intelligent machines raise profound ethical dilemmas that require careful reflection and regulation. While the hope is for governments worldwide to put some guardrails, it may be unlikely given the deglobalization rhetoric. No country would want to sit idle while another becomes more powerful on the back of AI, cautioned Kamath.

In summary, while the advent of artificial general intelligence offers significant benefits, such as improved professional efficiency, it also introduces legitimate concerns. It is crucial to address the potential socioeconomic impacts, ethical considerations, and philosophical questions associated with AGI to harness its potential for the betterment of humanity.

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Artificial Intelligence Will Take Away Jobs and Disrupt Society, says Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath - DATAQUEST

Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Heng Chee How officiated the inaugural AI Student Developer Conference at the Lifelong Learning Institute today. Organised by AI Singapore (AISG) and attended by more than 300 participants, the conference allowed attendees to gain insights into Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the AI industry through panel discussions, interactive booths and workshops, as well as explore career opportunities with industry partners. As part of the conference, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between AISG and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) was signed.

Delivering the opening address at the conference, Mr Heng said that, "Outside of the defence-specific sector partners, DIS is also enlarging its engagement with the wider technology ecosystem, including engagement with the commercial sector and academia This MOU is another example of DIS's pursuit in this direction of engagement, augmenting our ongoing efforts to build and sustain a strong and capable workforce and talent pipeline to strengthen and sharpen the SAF's digital cutting edge."

The MOU between AISG and the DIS was signed by Head of LearnAI at AISG, Mr Koo Sengmeng and DIS Chief Digitalisation Officer Military Expert 7 (ME7) Guo Jinghua. Senior Director of AI Governance at AISG, Prof Simon Chesterman and Chief of Digital and Intelligence Service/Director Military Intelligence, Brigadier-General Lee Yi-Jin witnessed the signing of the MOU, which formalises the collaboration in deepening national AI expertise for Singapore's digital defence.

The MOU will further collaboration and strengthen the DIS's capability development in Data Science and AI (DSAI). The DIS will need to keep pace with, and agilely harness the rapid pace of AI innovation in academia and industry, to complement the strong AI capabilities of the Defence Technology Community. This is crucial for the DIS to better exploit the vast and growing volume of data in the digital domain, and effectively detect and respond to the increasing digital threats facing Singapore and Singaporeans. The DIS will leverage AISG's industry and talent development programmes including the 100 Experiments (100E) and AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP) to expand the DIS's capacity to deploy advance AI techniques, such as the use of Large Language Models and Reinforcement Learning, and integrate them into operations of the DIS and the SAF.

The DIS will also work with AISG to develop and expand its workforce. Through the introduction of AISG's LearnAI courses, the DIS will expand its course offerings for DIS personnel's professional upskilling. The DIS will also leverage AISG's existing networks of students to sustain the DSAI talent pipeline, while supporting AISG's mandate of growing and developing a national digital workforce. The DIS will enable national talents in AISG's AIAP, who are undergoing AI deep-skilling, to contribute to national defence via their involvement in the various projects supporting the DIS. The DIS will also offer employment opportunities to these talents where suitable. In addition, AISG will share about National Service (NS) and career opportunities in the DIS, such as the Digital Work-Learn Scheme[1], with students from the AISG Student Outreach Programme.

Highlighting the importance of the MOU for Singapore's digital defence, Mr Koo said, "Our partnership with the DIS will ensure that Singapore has a robust and resilient pipeline of AI talents that have knowledge of issues related to national defence and possess the relevant expertise to protect our digital borders and safeguard Singapore. We look forward to working closely with the DIS to collectively deepen the core competencies of our next-generation Singapore Armed Forces to stay ahead of the threats of tomorrow."

ME7 Guo said, "The DIS and AISG are working towards our common goal of strengthening digital capabilities to safeguard Singapore. The effective use of AI is crucial for the SAF's mission success. We need to better reap the dynamic AI innovations in academia and industry, and integrate them into SAF operations. Our partnership with AISG is therefore an important part of our approach to leverage cutting-edge AI innovations. Beyond AI capability development, our partnership with AISG will help grow the DIS digital fighting force to defend Singapore in the digital domain, and contribute to the national AI talent pipeline through various schemes as the Digital Work-Learn Scheme."

[1]Servicemen under the WLS will serve for four years as Digital Specialists in the SAF, in a combination of full-time National Service and Regular service, developing data science, software development and AI skills through vocational, on-the-job and academic training.

About AI Singapore

AI Singapore (AISG) is a national AI programme launched by the National Research Foundation (NRF), Singapore to anchor deep national capabilities in artificial intelligence (AI) to create social and economic impacts through AI, grow the local talent, build an AI ecosystem, and put Singapore on the world map.

AISG brings together Singapore-based research institutions and the vibrant ecosystem of AI start-ups and companies developing AI products to perform applications-inspired research, grow the knowledge, create the tools, and develop the talent to power Singapore's AI efforts.

AISG is driven by a government-wide partnership comprising NRF, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO), Economic Development Board (EDB), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), SGInnovate, and the Integrated Health Information Systems (IHiS).

Details of some of its programmes can be found below:

-100 Experiments (100E)

-AI Apprenticeship Programme (AIAP)

-LearnAI

For more information on AISG and its programmes, please visit: http://www.aisingapore.org

AI Singapore's Social Media Channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aisingapore

Instagram: @ai_singapore

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aisingapore/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AISingapore

About The DIS

As part of the transformation of the Next Generation SAF, the Digital and Intelligence Service, the fourth Service of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) was established in 2022. The DIS sees the consolidation and integration of existing Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) as well as cyber capabilities of the SAF. As a dedicated Service, the DIS will raise, train and sustain digital forces and capabilities to fulfil its mission to defend the peace and security of Singapore from the evolving and increasingly complex threats in the digital domain.

The mission of the DIS is to defend and dominate in the digital domain. As part of an integrated SAF, the DIS will enhance Singapore's security, from peace to war. The DIS plays a critical role in defending Singapore from threats in the digital domain, and allows the SAF to operate better as a networked and integrated force to deal with a wider spectrum of external threats to enhance and safeguard Singapore's peace and sovereignty. The DIS collaborates with partners across the MINDEF, SAF, Whole-of-Government agencies and like-minded partners in academia and industry in defending our nation against threats in the digital domain.

Building a highly-skilled digital workforce is key to the digital defence strategy of the SAF. The DIS continually attracts and develops both military and non-uniformed digital experts to grow the SAF's digital workforce.

The DIS leverages our National Servicemen to develop its digital workforce. Operationally Ready National Servicemen (ORNS) with matching talents and relevant civilian expertise may also express interest to serve in the DIS through the Enhanced Expert Deployment Scheme (EEDS). Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) with suitable skills are offered to participate in DIS-related Work-Learn Schemes (WLS) where they will be able to undergo military training and serve NS while attaining academic credits which will contribute to the eventual completion of a relevant university degree. There are currently two DIS WLS, namely the Digital WLS and Cyber WLS.

For more information on the DIS and its careers, please visit: http://www.mindef.gov.sg/dis

The Digital and Intelligence Service's Social Media Channels:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesingaporeDIS

Instagram: @thesingaporedis

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-and-intelligence-service

Twitter: @thesingaporeDIS

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AI Singapore and the Digital and Intelligence Service Sign ... - MINDEF Singapore

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Robots fitted with AI developed by Googles DeepMind have figured out how to play football.

The miniature humanoid robots, which are about knee height, were able to make tackles, score goals and easily recover from falls when tripped.

In order to learn how to play, AI researchers first used DeepMinds state-of-the-art MuJoCo physics engine to train virtual versions of the robots in decades of match simulations.

The simulated robots were rewarded if their movements led to improved performance, such as winning the ball from an opponent or scoring a goal.

Once they were sufficiently capable of performing the basic skills, DeepMind researchers then transferred the AI into real-life versions of the bipedal bots, who were able to play one-on-one games of football against each other with no additional training required.

The trained soccer players exhibit robust and dynamic movement skills, such as rapid fall recovery, walking, turning, kicking and more, DeepMind noted in a blog post.

The agents also developed a basic strategic understanding of the game, and learned, for instance, to anticipate ball movements and to block opponent shots.

Although the robots are inherently fragile, minor hardware modifications, together with basic regularisation of the behaviour during training led the robots to learn safe and effective movements while still performing in a dynamic and agile way.

A paper detailing the research, titled Learning agile soccer skills for a bipedal robot with deep reinforcement learning, is currently under peer-review.

Previous DeepMind research on football-playing AI has used different team set ups, increasing the number of players in order to teach simulated humanoids how to work as a team.

The researchers say the work will not only advance coordination between AI systems, but also offer new pathways towards building artificial general intelligence (AGI) that is of an equivalent or superiour level to humans.

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AI robots figure out how to play football in shambolic footage - The Independent