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The following article was written by Scott A. Snyder, a senior fellow at Wharton, adjunct professor at Penn Engineering, and chief digital officer at EVERSANA; and Hamilton Mann, group vice president, digital marketing and digital transformation at Thales.

In recent months, the rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), exemplified by OpenAIs software ChatGPT, has propelled AI into the global spotlight. However, amidst the fascination with the new super-human capabilities offered by AI, there is an emerging algorithmic divide fueled by both disparities in technology access and literacy, along with cognitive biases inherent in AI models trained on available data. Bringing these challenges to the forefront will allow us to openly manage them across industry, creators, and society.

While the ubiquity of AI in our lives is evident, it is important to acknowledge that its impact is not uniform across the globe. Beyond the well-known digital divide, the development and proliferation of AI have given rise to an algorithmic divide. This divide separates regions where AI thrives from those where it remains largely unexplored. Brookings Mark Muro and Sifan Liu estimate that just 15 cities account for two-thirds of the AI assets and capabilities in the United States (San Francisco and San Jose alone account for about one-quarter). As humans increasingly interact with algorithms, we are bound to undergo adaptations that could reshape our thinking, societal norms, and rules. And while new AI technologies such as large language models are poised to disrupt white-collar jobs maybe even more so than blue-collar jobs, professionals from underserved communities face a major gap in access to broadband and computing technologies that are vital to upskilling ahead of this shift. The algorithmic divide needs to be front and center for business and political leaders as we navigate this new wave of AI-driven transformation so this disparity does not get worse.

As AI becomes an integral part of our lives, its imperative to examine the ethical and responsible principles associated with its presence in society. While the focus often rests on biases transmitted from humans to machines, it is essential to recognize the vast array of biases ingrained in human cognition. These biases extend far beyond our individual or collective awareness and include confirmation bias, survivor bias, availability bias, and many others. Acknowledging these biases is crucial because attempting to eliminate them from the intelligent systems we develop is an unattainable goal for humanity. Just as data privacy has become more of a universal right for citizens, proposed legislation like the European Unions AI Act and The Algorithmic Accountability Act in the U.S. are attempting to add transparency and protect consumers against AI bias.

Eliminating one bias often introduces another. The impact of AI on human existence becomes a paramount concern, surpassing the issue of biases themselves. Creators of artificially intelligent entities bear the responsibility of continuously auditing the societal changes caused by these systems and optimizing positive effects while minimizing harm. As cognitive biases can have profoundly negative consequences, their amplification through AI raises critical questions. What are the potential negative effects of artificially augmented cognitive biases when computing power acts as an amplification factor? Are companies prepared to take responsibility for the unintended consequences that AI-based agents may impose on humans as we rely more on machines to augment our decisions? Can AI aid in reducing biases in datasets, and how do we determine which biases are tolerable or dangerous?

The algorithmic divide needs to be front and center for business and political leaders as we navigate this new wave of AI-driven transformation so this disparity does not get worse.

A vital concept for AI creators to grasp is that the introduction of one AI in society inevitably gives rise to another a counterpart or alter ego. As AI advances and achieves unprecedented efficiency, a complementary AI emerges to restore equilibrium. This Dual-Sided Artificial Intelligence (DSAI) effect ushers in an era of machine-to-machine interaction and competition. It is crucial for AI creators to ensure that human agency remains central in this landscape. The defects and qualities of AI, which derive from their human creators, present a superhuman challenge due to the often-invisible biases inherent in these systems. OpenAI has developed its own classifier to allow users to understand if a written response was generated by a human or AI and also the ability to reference where the underlying data was sourced from.

As the new wave of AI technologies propels us towards a new paradigm for work and life with both promise and peril ahead, what can leaders do now to head off the looming algorithmic divide that will grow if left unchecked?

The algorithmic era, already unfolding in various parts of the world, necessitates contemplation of humanitys role in the face of AI-driven machine-to-machine interactions. Developing responsible practices that prioritize humans is not merely a competitive advantage or a localized endeavor. It is not a competitive advantage that would be the exclusive property of any specific company. Any other practice could not, and should not, be contemplated.

Just like any other disruptive tech wave like the internet, it will be critical for society to guide the evolution of generative AI in a direction where the benefits are available to the full spectrum of innovators and end-users who want to leverage this powerful technology, especially those with the least access today.

Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and notable scientists are asking for a break on the development of artificial intelligence superior to version 4 of ChatGPT. Now is the time for leaders to define the fundamental and universal principles to guide their organizations use of powerful AI technologies in the future, to ensure we shape an ethical AI landscape that serves humanitys best interests.

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The Looming Algorithmic Divide: Navigating the Ethics of AI - Knowledge@Wharton

Stuff

Ikea held a ceremony last week to kick off construction of its first Auckland store in Sylvia Park.

Ikea has acquired a 12.5% stake in an Auckland company that turns plastic waste into roading and resins used in the creation of flooring and furniture.

Six-year-old start-up Nilo and a subsidiary of the Swedish furniture giant have entered into a development and access agreement that will see Inter Ikea able to use Nilos patented plastic waste-derived adhesive in the production of wood-based boards.

Nilo converts waste plastics into commercial resins that replace harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, still commonly used for engineered timber.

Andrew McIntosh of Ikea Innovation Ventures has joined Nilos board of directors to help accelerate the technology, as part of the buy-in arrangement.

Nilos team of chemists and engineers were motivated to create technology that repurposed plastic waste after finding just 9% of the 350 million tonnes of plastic waste generated every year is recycled.

Nilos approach to the creation of this adhesive shows real potential, and we are hopeful the collaboration will be mutually beneficial, McIntosh said.

Ikea is committed to our strategy of being people and planet positive. The investment in Nilo shows our commitment to working with innovative startups that can support and help accelerate the Ikea material innovation agenda.

Ikea last week held a groundbreaking ceremony in Auckland to mark the start of construction on its first New Zealand store in Sylvia Park. The 34,000m store is set to open at the end of 2025.

Nilo won financial backing from Sir Stephen Tindalls K1W1 fund and Icehouse Ventures Sustainable Technology Fund two years ago.

At the time Icehouse commented on how Nilo was making an impact by transforming waste streams into wealth.

Supplied

Waste plastic like this can be turned into resins and roading by Nilo.

The business was founded by internet marketing entrepreneur Tim Williams, who currently serves as managing director, and is led by chief executive Glen Willoughby, an adviser to the Nasa Jet Propulsion Laboratory and virtual CIO for San Francisco-based Singularity Labs.

The companys original investor was an indigenous tech company which invited First Nation Canadian and Mori investors on board, including a collective of more than 50 Mori whnau.

Chris McKeen/Stuff

Ikea madness has building in New Zealand for almost three years now. This clip of the announcement that Ikea is committed to New Zealand is from 2021.

McIntosh said the performance and physical qualities of Nilos technology showed promise. We want to support Nilo and help develop the adhesive with a mutual ambition to get it into scaled trials. From our position as a shareholder we can support the path forward and look forward to working closely with the management and board.

Nilo chief executive Glen Willoughby said Ikeas investment in Nilo was a fabulous moment.

Our team has worked tirelessly on this, and to have our technology recognised by one of the worlds leading firms with deep expertise in the wood-based board market provides huge validation of what Nilo has created. The knowledge and expertise Inter Ikea will bring will help Nilo progress our technology immensely.

Read the rest here:
Ikea invests in Auckland plastics deep tech firm Nilo - Stuff

To varying degrees and from varying perspectives, news media cover many boilerplate issues: the economy, immigration, abortion, racism, foreign policy, defense, crime, gender identity, parental rights, election integrity, and bureaucratic meddling in the political process among them.

These and other issues impact our lives to varying degrees, but the way they are covered - or not covered - often exposes media bias that fuels the debate and brings the nation's political temperature to a rapid and perilous boil.

An October 2022 Gallup Poll reported that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed have little or no trust in the media to report "fully, fairly and accurately." Of those, 38 percent said they have "no trust at all" in the media while only 7 percent expressed "a great deal of trust" in the media.

Before conservatives nod in agreement, however, it should be noted that media bias exists at both ends of the political spectrum. Fox News is at least as guilty from the right as any liberal outlet like CNN or MSNBC is from the left. Both sides abandoned objectivity and subtlety a long time ago, and they're not likely to ever go back.

Witness Thursday night's political "town hall" with former President Donald Trump and Fox News pal Sean Hannity. The only unknown coming into the event was whether Hannity would bring roses or a box of Godivas to the one-hour lovefest. Hannity and, later, Trump supporters in the audience lobbed soft questions at their favorite candidate and teed him up with criticism of incumbent President Joe Biden. Hannity couldn't resist showing a replay of Biden falling down earlier in the day during his commencement appearance at the Air Force Academy.

It was a far cry from CNN's 90-minute "town hall" on May 10 when interviewer Kaitlan Collins grilled the former president but got run over by him any time she tried to dispute his false claims about a stolen 2020 presidential election.

Last year, Hannity was an on-air cheerleader for Trump-endorsed Senate candidates, including football star Herschel Walker, the GOP nominee in Georgia. Just before the election, Walker appeared on Hannity's prime-time show with South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who not only rooted for Walker but urged viewers to contribute to his ultimately unsuccessful campaign.

And this is what passes for political commentary on Fox News.

However, liberal media - a redundancy if ever there was one - have nothing to be proud of, either. Their bias is almost as conspicuous and as much omission as commission.

Once upon a time, objective media would have pounced on evidence that the FBI had pre-emptively hoodwinked media into blocking news coverage about Hunter Biden's incriminating laptop. Instead of investigating even a little, most media willingly believed the FBI's pre-election lie that the laptop story was merely Russian disinformation - nothing to see here.

Real and social media either panned, ignored - or in some cases outright censored - the story shortly before the 2020 election when it first appeared in the conservative New York Post. They made little if any effort to verify its authenticity, even after the election. Such verification and subsequent coverage of what the laptop supposedly contains might have changed the election outcome, but the FBI left nothing to chance. A year later, CBS News quietly acknowledged the laptop does in fact belong to Hunter Biden. Better late than never? Not really.

However, there has been no sense of urgency outside of the New York Post and its corporate partners Fox News and the Wall Street Journal, to report what the laptop contains and its possible links to the president himself.

That Trump lies is a foregone conclusion, and media are justified in pointing that out. But when President Bill Clinton looked the nation in the eye in 1998 and said he hadn't had sexual relations with Monica Lewinski, his lie was rarely if ever called that by the media. It was, instead, called a "denial," "a claim," or at worst a "false claim," as was Hillary Clinton's simultaneous insistence that the scandal was merely a "vast, right-wing conspiracy."

More recently, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, past-chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said there was "plenty of evidence of collusion or conspiracy in plain sight" between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia. Outside of Fox, the New York Post and Wall Street Journal, no one in the mainstream media has said Schiff lied after a lengthy federal investigation turned up no evidence of collusion between Trump and Russia. That the investigation even originated under false or flimsy circumstances has also been largely ignored by most of the mainstream media, most conspicuously the major television networks.

Some media bias is less tangible. It's often not difficult on Sunday mornings, for example, to determine the political persuasion of guests on NBC's Meet the Press. Liberals/Democrats are greeted like close friends by host Chuck Todd, and the questioning more resembles an amiable lounge chat than a news interview. Conversely, conservative/Republican guests often spend most of their air time on the defensive, often interrupted and challenged during Todd's more pressing interrogation.

During his record 16+ years as host of Meet the Press, the late Tim Russert would affably grill guests from all persuasions. Russert was a liked and respected newsman whose interviews could take guests to hell and back, but most of them enjoyed the ride. Despite having worked for Democratic officials before joining NBC, Russert never showed his political stripes on the air.

At ABC, the Sunday morning news program is anchored by George Stephanopoulos, who served as communications director and senior advisor during Clinton's first term as president. Like Todd, Stephanopoulos often comes off as an attack dog with Republican guests and a lap dog for Democrats.

In fairness, though, they at least invite differing political views. On Sunday mornings, Fox's Maria Bartiromo all but waves pom poms for her exclusively Republican guests while chiming in to advance their conservative views. You won't see many Democrats on other Fox News programs, either.

American viewers, however, seem to be voting with their cable boxes. CNN, which long ago lived up to its claim as "the most trusted name in news," is now a shell of its former self. Having veered hard left with its commentators and content, CNN now ranks a distant third in ratings behind Fox and MSNBC.

It would be nice to find a TV network that simply reports the news, the way Fox once claimed it did with those "fair and balanced" and "We report, you decide" schticks or the way CNN did when it really was "the most trusted name in news."

We know that a house - and a nation - divided cannot stand. Sadly, however, if we're waiting for any media to heed and adhere to that by simply reporting instead of editorializing and taking sides, it's not likely to happen anytime soon.

The time for some very intensive news media introspection is at hand, but don't hold your breath waiting for that, either.

Read more here:
Right or left, the media doesn't hide its bias - theday.com

Those afraid that the 2024 GOP presidential contest will become a repeat of 2016 need not worry. The race is radically different this year; it will not play out the same.

First, former President Donald Trump is greatly diminished compared to 2015, when he first glided down his escalator in front of all those paid "volunteers."

Second, the rest of next year's budding GOP candidates are well-acquainted with the former president's playbook and will know how to fight him.

Third, the "unstoppable" sheen that Trump once had has vanished after losses in every major election from 2018 onward. He must now labor under the worst label any politician can have: Loser.

Instead of a repeat of 2016, 2024 looks more like a continuation of what we saw in 2020: Trump cannot compete anywhere new, and he cannot put any new voters or states in play. In short, he's playing a losing game of being able to attract only voters who had previously supported him.

While he can still persuade many GOP donors to send their hard-earned dollars to his campaign, his political message now falters more than it inspires. Plus, the party has produced a few non-Trump grievance candidates, so voters still attracted to that style of messaging now have options they didn't have in 2016.

More GOP primary voters will cast strategic votes in the 2024 primary because they know we need a stronger general election candidate than Trump. And now the balance of the Republican field can't be snuck up on, as so many of them were back in 2016.

Trump is a one-trick pony. His trick is a good one, but, simply put, his opponents know what's coming.

(A word of advice to them: Don't go easy on Trump out of fear that his voters won't return to you in the fall. None of them will ultimately vote for President Joe Biden.)

Finally, Trump's opponents know the American people have rejected him, not once but three times: In 2018, when the GOP lost the House; in 2020, when it lost the presidency and the Senate twice (on election night and again on runoff day in Georgia); and once again last year. Trump's invincibility cloak is tattered, torn and useless.

This is driving the entry of so many new candidates and so much new funding.

And don't forget the myriad legal issues Trump faces in multiple jurisdictions from local, state and federal prosecutors. Unlike the civil trial he legally skipped recently in New York, he would need to actually attend any criminal trial, say in Fulton County, Georgia, or in federal court. Besides sapping his time, this would forcefully reiterate to the country in general, and to Republican primary voters in particular, that Trump is damaged goods, on the decline and -- most important -- the only GOP nominee who could lose to Biden.

In 2016, Trump barely beat Hillary Clinton, the most compromised Democratic nominee in modern history. In 2020 he lost decisively to the second most compromised Democrat nominee. Let's hope the other candidates in the Republican field act accordingly and that GOP voters realize our 2024 nomination needs to be stronger and more decisive.

Christopher Nicholas is president of Eagle Consulting Group Inc. He wrote this for InsideSources.com.

Tribune Content Agency

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Opinion: Next year will not be a 2016 rerun - Chattanooga Times Free Press

ANKARA: Turkiyes President Recep Tayyip Erdogan unveiled his new Cabinet on Saturday night during his inauguration ceremony, with the appointments providing some indication on the direction the new government is heading on the economy and foreign policy.

The fact that the new vice-president, Cevdet Yilmaz, has a background in economic governance may be an indication that the economy will be a priority as Erdogan embarks on his third decade at the helm of the nation.

Mehmet Simsek, an advocate of investor-friendly and orthodox economic policies, and viewed positively by the financial markets, was named as treasury and finance minister.

Simsek, a former economy chief and deputy prime minister between 2009 and 2018, will be responsible for restoring the confidence of the markets post-elections.

In his previous post, he urged for tighter monetary policy but was replaced by Berat Albayrak, Erdogans son-in-law.

Whether his presence in the cabinet will see a departure from the current unorthodox economic policies, with its low interest rates, remains to be seen. But his appointment is already an important signal to the markets that there will be some changes.

Rather than an abrupt shift in economic policy, gradual steps are expected to be taken in an environment where the lira is sliding to record lows against the dollar.

In his post-election speech, Erdogan said: We are designing an economy focused on investment and employment, with a finance management team that has a global reputation.

Turkiyes economy expanded 4 percent in the first quarter of the year, remaining just above expectations.

Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at The Washington Institute, told Arab News: If he is also given some independence to adjust ultra-low interest rates, the Turkish economy can make a comeback. But I expect first a devaluation of the lira, which will make Turkiye very cheap for the tourists and affordable for the exports.

If Simsek is given enough flexibility, the markets will believe that he has the mandate to (do) what he has to do for restoring the Turkish economy, said Cagaptay.

With reserves diminishing, some changes in economic governance in the short term are inevitable.

But how substantial and sustainable these changes will be in a centralized decision-making structure remain uncertain and depends on the new roadmap announced.

Experts believe that if Erdogan insists on keeping interest rates low rather than taking austerity measures ahead of local elections that are 10 months away, Simseks appointment would not result in much change to economic policy.

According to Wolfango Piccoli, co-president of London-based Teneo Intelligence, Simseks return would result in a partial re-adjustment of Turkiyes current economic policy, while a dramatic U-turn embracing an outright conventional monetary policy approach remains unlikely.

It is also unclear for how long Erdogan may tolerate a more pragmatic stance on the economic front, given the priority he assigns to the March 2024 local elections, said Piccoli.

In the meantime, former intelligence chief Hakan Fidan joined the cabinet as the new foreign minister. Fidan is known for initiating rapprochement with multiple countries, especially Egypt and those in the Gulf.

He is highly respected in Washington and he is seen as a reliable counterpart, said Cagaptay.

He had been also handling key international portfolios, especially Syria and Russia policies. His appointment is really significant. He is now in the drivers seat.

Cagaptay expects the new cabinet to be friendlier toward Western nations and less antagonistic with regional countries.

In late April, Fidan attended a meeting with his Russian, Iranian and Syrian counterparts in Moscow as part of a rapprochement process with the Bashar Assad regime.

Last year, the handshake between Erdogan and Egypts President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar, was also believed to be the result of meetings between the two sides intelligence organizations and foreign ministries.

According to Cagaptay, Erdogan wants top-notch experts on economic and foreign policy, so that he can focus on domestic areas which require almost daily macro-management, including social issues and drafting a new charter.

That he has saved parliamentary seats while forming his cabinet tells us he wants to quickly get to a referendum-triggering legislative majority, he added.

Meanwhile, although Turkiye has already started the process of normalizing ties with Syria and the Assad regime through several high-level meetings under Russian mediation, the Turkish military presence in northern Syria is not expected to end soon.

But new moves for facilitating the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homeland might be taken to fulfil the pledges made by Erdogan during his reelection campaign.

The counterterrorism campaigns in northern Iraq and Syria are also set to continue in the light of the composition of the new cabinet.

Dalia Ziada, director of the Cairo-based MEEM Center for Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean Studies, believes that Fidan is the right man for the job at this particular time with Turkiye rising as a key regional player.

He holds all the important cards and knows by practice the behind-the-scenes issues in Turkiyes foreign policy, she told Arab News.

Fidan enjoys a deep understanding of the situation in the hotspots of the Middle East, ranging from Libya to Sudan and Syria, and he is the only Turkish official to continue to be part of the four-way meetings in Moscow that brought together senior officials from Turkiye, Syria, Russia and Iran in the past few months, Ziada said.

According to Ziada, tangible progress on Turkiyes foreign policy in Syria and the mediating role of Turkiye in the Russia-Ukraine conflict can be expected in the short run with Fidans active role in the foreign policy apparatus.

As Fidan has been the behind-the-curtains architect of the rapprochement in the past two years to fix broken ties with Egypt and Arab Gulf countries, Ziada thinks that his appointment may accelerate the reconciliation process between Turkiye and the North African country.

This will consequently lead to mitigating the civil conflicts in Libya, facilitating the political solution process, and may eventually bring Libya to elections sooner than we think, she said.

El-Sisi and Erdogan have agreed on the immediate start of upgrading diplomatic relations, exchanging ambassadors, Egypts presidency said in a statement last Monday.

Ziada added that Fidans background could enhance Turkiyes relationship with the Arab Gulf countries.

I wont be surprised to see Fidan being involved in talks between Arab Gulf countries and Iran in the near future. In reverse, this will be reflected positively on Turkiye by increasing Gulf countries investments and thus enhancing the struggling Turkish economy, she said.

Fidan is expected to be Turkiyes winning horse on the chessboards of the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and the Black Sea.

Yasar Guler, the countrys chief of general staff, was appointed as the defense minister in the renewed cabinet.

Although not announced yet, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin is expected to be named as the new intelligence chief.

The governor of the central bank has not been announced yet but the name of Hafize Gaye Erkan has come up.

Erkan holds a doctorate from Princeton University, worked for many financial institutions in the US, including Goldman Sachs as a financial services executive, and is the former president of First Republic Bank.

Over the past four years, Turkiye has seen four governors at the helm of the central bank.

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Syrian top diplomat discusses aid on visit to key ally Iraq - Arab News