How AI is a menace today

+ why George Santos' lies feel especially egregious US Edition - Today's top story: Forget dystopian scenarios – AI is pervasive today, and the risks are often hidden [View in browser]( US Edition | 22 November 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Voting Rights Act ruling would gut decades-old law]( - [How skeletal remains tell stories of the unknown dead]( - [Small towns’ ‘Try That’ ethos can be bad for democracy]( Lead story Shockwaves swept through Silicon Valley and rippled across the media landscape this past weekend when the board of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT and DALL-E, fired its superstar CEO, Sam Altman. In the latest twist, Altman was restored to his old post late Tuesday after a staff and investor revolt. The drama came as a surprise, but in one way it was emblematic of what gets attention in the world of AI: exciting new tools like ChatGPT and tantalizing visions of artificial general intelligences capable of doing many tasks. This focus on the new and the future helps keep the attention off the reality that AI has become pervasive, in sometimes worrisome ways. Much of what you do with your smartphone involves AI algorithms to some degree. But AI also plays a more hidden role in many people’s lives: the algorithms that decide who gets the loan, the job, parole, the hospital bed and so on. Michigan State University’s Anjana Susarla, who studies responsible AI, [explains that these algorithms can cause real harm]( – and deserve time in the spotlight. [ [Science from the scientists themselves. Sign up for our weekly science email newsletter.]( ] Eric Smalley Science + Technology Editor The AI most likely to cause you harm is not some malevolent superintelligence, but the loan algorithm at your bank. AP Photo/Mark Humphrey [Forget dystopian scenarios – AI is pervasive today, and the risks are often hidden]( Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University The explosion of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and fears about where the technology might be headed distract from the many ways AI affects people every day – for better and worse. Ethics + Religion - [Why George Santos’ lies are even worse than the usual political lies – a moral philosopher explains]( Michael Blake, University of Washington A political philosopher writes that voters may put up with some degree of deception from politicians, but they may not accept being lied to unnecessarily. Politics + Society - [Who can defend voting rights? An appeals court ruling sharply limiting lawsuits looks likely to head to the Supreme Court]( Anthony Michael Kreis, Georgia State University The ruling could make it impossible for groups like the ACLU to file lawsuits to protect people’s right to vote – significantly changing how the Voting Rights Act has been interpreted so far. - [Small-town America’s never-ending struggle to maintain its values hasn’t always been good for US democracy]( Joseph Patrick Kelly, College of Charleston Country singer Jason Aldean’s hit song triggered renewed attention on vigilante justice, racism and urban America. Science + Technology - [Forensic anthropologists work to identify human skeletal remains and uncover the stories of the unknown dead]( Madeline Atwell, Clemson University; Katherine Weisensee, Clemson University Forensic anthropologists are specialized scientists who analyze the skeletal remains of the recently deceased to help authorities figure out who the person was and what happened to them. Environment + Energy - [Digitized records from wildlife centers show the most common ways that humans harm wild animals]( Tara K. Miller, University of Virginia; Richard B. Primack, Boston University Hundreds of wildlife rehabilitation centers across the US and Canada treat sick and injured animals and birds. Digitizing their records is yielding valuable data on human-wildlife encounters. Arts + Culture - [In the face of death, destruction and displacement, beauty plays a vital role in Gaza]( Stephanie Acker, Clark University When people find themselves displaced from their homes, finding or creating beauty can be just as vital as food, water and shelter − and serves as a form of resistance and resilience. - [Are rents rising in your Philly neighborhood? Don’t blame the baristas]( Geoff Moss, Temple University When it comes to gentrification, Philadelphia baristas say they’re ‘part of the problem.’ But as low-wage workers, where else should they live and work? International - [Under pressure, Netanyahu agrees to a ceasefire and hostage deal with Hamas. Are his days now numbered?]( Ran Porat, Monash University Despite mounting public anger, the veteran leader has proven time and again that it is not wise to bet against him. - [The world’s 280 million electric bikes and mopeds are cutting demand for oil far more than electric cars]( Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Edith Cowan University; Waqas Uzair, Edith Cowan University Electric vehicles get all the press – but it’s the smaller unsung two wheelers cutting oil demand the most. Trending on site - [West Bank’s settler violence problem is a second sign that Israel’s policy of ignoring Palestinians’ drive for a homeland isn’t a long-term solution]( - [Forget ‘Man the Hunter’ – physiological and archaeological evidence rewrites assumptions about a gendered division of labor in prehistoric times]( - [Immune health is all about balance – an immunologist explains why both too strong and too weak an immune response can lead to illness]( Today's graphic 📈 [The amounts of federal grants to expand access to broadband internet vary by state according to need. The amount ranges from $300 million to over $1500 million.]( From the story, [Every state is about to dole out federal funding for broadband internet – not every state is ready for the task]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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