AIAAIC Alert #27
The weekly update on incidents and issues driven by AI, algorithms and automation.
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In the crosshairs
Image: @shahv4012
‘All eyes on Rafah’ deepfake criticised for ‘sanitising’ Gaza invasion
When you’re sitting in Malaysia and the gates of Gaza are firmly locked, perhaps santisation and slacktivism can be forgiven if the overarching message goes viral.Israel runs AI-powered covert US political influence campaign
Not a good look. Israel should surely know that sock puppet campaigns, not least AI-powered ones, are regularly exposed.US Veterans Affairs suicide prevention algorithm favours white men
Designed to prevent suicide amongst military veterans, REACH VET prioritises white men and overlooks survivors of sexual violence, according to an investigation by The Markup (AIAAIC partner).Adobe called out for selling AI-generated 'Ansel Adams' images
Despite the company 's guidelines for AI-generated images prohibiting the use of names of people or artists whose work is still in copyright.Youth advocacy worker misidentified by Met Police facial recognition system
Resulting in a legal challenge against London’s Met Police force.Home Bargains shopper misidentified by Facewatch
Resulting in a legal challenge against Facewatch.Eventbrite recommendation algorithm promotes illegal opioid sales
Over 7,400 times, no less, somehow evading Eventbrite’s algorithm and human reviewers every time.UK privacy watchdog investigates Microsoft Recall AI feature
Privacy and security concerns aside, fancy Microsoft taking a posterity shot of your screen every few seconds?
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System spotlight - Adobe Firefly image generator
Image: Adobe Firefly
Once considered a rather staid, quasi-monopolistic creative technology outfit, Adobe has ventured into providing a suite of AI services, including its Firefly image generator, whilst trying not to alienate its community of artists and designers.
The yang: By training Firefly on content with an explicit license to allow AI training and by offering creators extra compensation when their content is used to train AI models, Adobe considered itself able to position itself as an ethical and responsible player - not that the bar had been set very high.
The yin: Firefly has received criticism for potential copyright violations and inadequate and 'woke' use restrictions resulting in its inappropriate use, as well as accusations of censorship. Adobe has also come under fire for making apparently misleading marketing claims, and for its potential impact on jobs, especially those of emerging artists and designers.
Incidents associated with Adobe Firefly: