With a whole month behind us, the year is moving at a crazy pace. So to keep up with all of the latest news in AI and information technology, we’ve got a few interesting highlights of January for you.
A new framework to ensure that IoT is nice to us. An elaborate rating system that measures public trust in AI-based solutions. And major tech skill shortages across the UK.
Check out what you might have missed in January.
An IoT Framework for The Good of The People
A new framework that will help policymakers focus on the good of the public has been introduced. It looks to help supervise and regulate IoT technologies to ensure that they pose no threat to humans.
Led by Francine Berman at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the “impact universe” is a model that policymakers can use to keep the public interest at the forefront of their decision-making.
“The impact universe is a way of holistically sketching out all the competing implications of a given technology, taking into consideration environmental, social, economic and other impacts to develop effective policy, law and other societal controls. Instead of focusing on a single desirable outcome, sustainability, say, or profit, the impact universe allows us to see that some outcomes will come at the cost of others.”
Researchers Develop Rating System to Measure Public Trust in AI
Wouldn’t it be great if AI researchers could gauge how their work is perceived by the public?
Well, a team of researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a rating system to determine public attitude towards certain AI applications.
Using 8 different measurements, the researchers were able to gauge public perception and their feelings towards AI. These were: Privacy; Accountability, safety and security; Transparency and explainability; Fairness and non-discrimination; Human control of technology; Professional responsibility; and promotion of human values.
“The team hopes the results could lead to the creation of a sort of universal scale to measure and compare ethical issues around AI.”
More than 50% of UK Managers Face Tech Skill Shortages
A little more than half of UK’s managers are facing a major shortage of necessary tech skills. With the spread of digitisation, organisations need the correct talent and technical skills to compete, innovate and bring opportunity.
Research by Udacity and Ipsos has found that 51% of managers in the UK have a lack of tech skills. And 51% have had to hire people who don’t have the skills they need for certain roles.
To top it off, this lack of much-needed skills is delaying digital transformation efforts. With 48% saying projects have been put on hold because of skills gaps.
More Great Content
January has been an interesting month for technology. As we move towards March, there are sure to be a range of exciting new discoveries throughout the course of this month.
Be sure to keep an eye open for some exciting news you might have missed in the month of February.
If you’re in the mood for more AI and digital transformation content, then be sure to check out our blog.