Welcome back AI fans!

This week, we explore two pivotal developments shaping the AI landscape. First, the UK’s AI Safety Institute has launched a £4 million grant program aimed at enhancing systemic AI safety, empowering researchers to tackle risks like deepfakes and misinformation. Meanwhile, the UK government is considering an "opt-out" model for AI content-scraping, sparking controversy among publishers who fear it could lead to widespread copyright infringement without fair compensation. Join us as we uncover the balance between innovation and protection in the ever-evolving world of AI!

This week’s edition:

• UK Launches £4 Million Initiative to Enhance AI Safety

• UK Proposes Controversial 'Opt-Out' Model for AI Content Scraping, Drawing Publisher Backlash

• Your 5-Min AI Learning: Find the Perfect Gift with Giftassistant.io

• New AI Tools

• More AI News

• AI Image of the Week

Read time: 8 minutes

LATEST NEWS

AI in the Defense Sector

Empowering AI Safety: UK Launches £4 Million Research Initiative to Mitigate Risks and Boost Public Trust

What you need to know: The UK government has launched a £4 million research programme to ensure the safe use of AI in the economy. The Systemic Safety Grants Programme, delivered by the AI Safety Institute (AISI), will provide up to £200,000 in grants to around 20 projects focused on addressing AI-related risks such as deepfakes, misinformation, and cyber-attacks. The programme aims to boost public confidence in AI technology while positioning the UK at the forefront of responsible AI development.

The finer details:

Researchers from academia, industry, and civil society can apply for funding until November 26, 202413. The programme is a collaboration between the AISI, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and Innovate UK. Successful applicants will be announced in late January 2025, with funding awarded in February. The total fund is worth £8.5 million, with additional phases to be launched in the future.

So what? This initiative demonstrates the UK government's commitment to harnessing AI's potential for economic growth and public service improvement while prioritising safety and public trust. By supporting research into systemic AI safety, the programme aims to identify and mitigate risks associated with AI deployment across various sectors. This proactive approach to AI safety is crucial for ensuring responsible AI development and widespread adoption of the technology.

AI Nobel Prize

UK Government Proposes Controversial 'Opt-Out' Model for AI Content Scraping, Sparking Outcry from Publishers

What you need to know: The UK government is planning to consult on an "opt-out" model for AI content-scraping, allowing AI companies to mine internet content unless copyright owners explicitly deny permission. This approach mirrors the EU's AI Act and is favoured by tech giants like Google. However, publishers and creatives strongly oppose this model, arguing it would lead to widespread copyright infringement without compensation.

The finer details:

The proposed system would place the burden on content creators to actively opt out of AI scraping. Critics argue this creates significant administrative challenges, especially for smaller companies. Publishers prefer an "opt-in" model that would enable licensing agreements and fair compensation. The government's decision follows failed attempts by industry stakeholders to agree on a voluntary code of practice.

So what? This move could significantly impact the creative industry, potentially allowing widespread use of copyrighted material without remuneration. It highlights the ongoing tension between fostering AI innovation and protecting intellectual property rights. The decision may also reflect the influence of tech companies on government policy, raising concerns about balancing interests in the rapidly evolving AI landscape.

YOUR 5 MIN AI LEARNING

Find the Perfect Gift with Giftassistant.io

What you need to know:  Giftassistant.io is your go-to AI buddy for finding the perfect gift in a flash! No need to sign up or worry about your data being stored—just hop on, share a few details about who you’re shopping for and the occasion, and voilà! In seconds, you’ll get a list of tailored gift ideas that fit your needs.

But it doesn’t stop there! GiftAssistant.io makes shopping super easy by providing direct links to buy the suggested gifts. It’s all about making your life simpler and your gift-giving more thoughtful. Plus, with a strong focus on privacy, you can browse without any hassle.

Step-by-step:

1. Visit giftassistant.io and you will be taken to the homepage that has three textboxes. In the first box, enter who you wish to buy a present for. In the second box, write what occasion you are gifting for and in the final box, type in any interests or items the person likes. 

2. Once filling in all the boxes, click the green button at the bottom of the screen titled ‘Show Me Ideas’ to reveal your personalised ideas!

3. Scroll through the different options that giftassistant.io has generated and feel free to click on the green ‘Shop Now’ button on the right of each suggestion, to take you to webpages to buy these gifts.

And just like that, trying to figure out the perfect present for the loved one who is always hard to buy for has become much easier. We hope it’s as helpful for you as it is for us!

LATEST AI TOOLS

MinutesLink 🗣️

A solution for attending virtual meetings, recording them, transcribing discussions, and summarising key points. (Freemium)

“Get transcripts and minutes of every meeting, even if you're not there. MinutesLink AI Assistant records, transcribes, and summarizes every meeting, providing you with short insights and action items.”

Designify 📷

A solution for automating image editing processes. (Paid)

“Pick any image to create AI-powered designs by automatically removing backgrounds, enhancing colors, adjusting smart shadows, and so much more. Save, download, or share your designs right away.”

FastTrackr AI 📧

A tool for managing emails, calendars, and tasks via WhatsApp. (Paid)

“No new app or logins, FastTrackr AI resides in WhatsApp. Seamless productivity at your fingertips—just text, and let FastTrackr AI handle the rest.”

Fontjoy 🔠

A tool for creating complementary font pairings. (Free)

“The goal of font pairing is to select fonts that share an overarching theme yet have a pleasing contrast. Which fonts work together is largely a matter of intuition, but we approach this problem with a neural net.”

AI HIGHLIGHTS

AI-Generated Images: A New Form of Election Propaganda
AI-generated images have emerged as a powerful tool for spreading partisan narratives during the 2024 US election season, often proliferating on social media platforms following politically charged events. These synthetic visuals, which can blur the lines between fact and fiction, are being used to evoke strong emotional responses and advance political agendas, potentially undermining voter trust and exacerbating polarisation in the electoral process.

Penguin Random House Bolsters Copyright Protection Against AI
Penguin Random House, the world's largest trade publisher, has updated its copyright pages across all imprints globally to explicitly prohibit the use of its books for training artificial intelligence technologies or systems. This move aims to protect authors' intellectual property from being used without permission in AI development, reflecting the publishing industry's growing concerns about the potential misuse of copyrighted content in AI training.

AI in the Armed Forces: Opportunities and Challenges
A recent event at King's College London brought together academics, charity leaders, industry members, and civil servants to explore the potential applications of artificial intelligence in the Armed Forces sector. The discussions highlighted both the opportunities AI presents for improving charity functions and service delivery, as well as the need to address concerns around data privacy, ethics, and the development of appropriate guidelines for AI implementation in the military and veteran support context.

London AI Creative Summit Explores GenAI Content Creation
The second annual AI Creative Summit, scheduled for November 6 at BFI Southbank in London, will feature key sessions focused on content creation using GenAI text-to-video platforms. Filmmakers will share their experiences with various generative text-to-video tools, offering insights into the process, time investment, output refinement, and the future of GenAI-driven content creation.

AI Mediation Tool Shows Promise in Reducing Cultural Divides
Researchers have developed an AI system called the "Habermas Machine" that can generate group statements reflecting both majority and minority views, potentially helping to bridge cultural divides. In experiments involving over 5,000 UK participants, the AI-generated statements were preferred 56% of the time over those created by human mediators and increased overall group agreement by an average of eight percentage points.

AI IMAGE OF THE WEEK

This week, we were struggling to think of what to do for our AI image, so it’s a bit random! However, we are all big foodies, so what better than a planet made of food? All my dreams were answered! (The river doesn’t look very saucy but I’ll give it a pass)

The prompt we used to generate this image in Bing Image Creator:

"A planet shaped like a giant pizza, with rivers of marinara sauce and mountains of cheese. Chefs from various cultures are cooking dishes using ingredients from the landscape—like pasta trees and salad hills—creating a vibrant culinary paradise."

Send us your AI generated art for a chance to be featured.

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