Day: May 2, 2023

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UN says artificial intelligence needs to be regulated to prevent abuse

The UN said Tuesday that artificial intelligence (AI) needs to be monitored and regulated as it expressed concern about abuse. The request came as Geoffrey Hinton, known as the godfather of AI, resigned from Google and warned of growing dangers from developments in the field. There are concerns and calls for slowing the pace of new developments in artificial intelligence that has rapidly expanded in recent months as companies like OpenAI, Google and Microsoft continue to build systems. Several notables in the field, including Elon Musk, demanded a pause on rapid developments citing ”profound risks to society.” The UN previously expressed concern about the use of AI technology and its abuse. ”As artificial intelligence develops it needs to be monitored carefully and the right regulations and standards need to be put in place to make sure that this type of technology is not open to abuse” said UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. He said companies developing AI should pause and put forth further perspective for governments to consider as they go about determining how these technologies should be developed.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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Pentagon to send additional 1,500 troops to US-Mexico border: Statement

The Biden administration announced Tuesday that 1,500 troops will be sent to the US-Mexico border in anticipation of a surge in migrants following the ending of coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions. The Pentagon approved a temporary increase of 1,500 military personnel to supplement US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) efforts on the southwest border at the request of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder in a statement. “For 90 days, these 1,500 military personnel will fill critical capability gaps, such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support, until CBP can address these needs through contracted support,” said Ryder. “Military personnel will not directly participate in law enforcement activities. This deployment to the border is consistent with other forms of military support to DHS over many years,” he added. DHS earlier said that due to an anticipated increase in migration, the Defense Department will augment 2,500 military personnel currently providing support at the southwest border with an additional 1,500 personnel for 90 days. It added that the two agencies have been working together to address the challenges of irregular migration and ensure the safe and orderly processing of migrants. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has used the tools that he has in front of him to prepare for the lifting of Title 42 — a health policy of former President Donald Trump’s administration that allows US authorities to remove migrants without processing because of the pandemic. The US announced Monday that COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal employees and international air travelers will be lifted May 11.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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Health systems give 1st ‘major sign of recovery’ since COVID-19 outbreak: WHO

Health systems around the world have given the first “major sign of recovery” after three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Health Organization (WHO) official said on Tuesday. Presenting the results of WHO’s fourth global pulse survey on the continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rudi Eggers told a UN briefing that by early 2023, countries had reported experiencing reduced disruptions in the delivery of routine health services. “It is welcome news that health systems in the majority of countries are starting to restore essential health services for millions of people who missed them during the pandemic,” said Eggers, the director of Integrated Health Services at WHO. “But we need to ensure that all countries continue to close this gap to recover health services, and apply lessons learned to build more prepared and resilient health systems for the future,” he added. The countries that responded to the survey reported continued disruptions in almost one-quarter of services on average, according to the survey. In 84 countries where trend analysis is possible, the percentage of disrupted services declined on average from 56% in July-September 2020 to 23% in November 2022-January 2023. Another important step towards system recovery and transition, he said, was that most of the countries had made progress in integrating COVID-19 services into routine health service delivery. Most of the 139 countries that responded to the survey had also begun to put what they had learned during the COVID-19 pandemic into practice, including the incorporation of a number of innovative service disruption mitigation strategies into routine healthcare delivery, he added.

Source: Anadolu Agency