Hub AI and society

Artificial Intelligence is a key technology that can help us solve major societal challenges such as climate change, energy supply, healthcare, education or logistics. AI can solve specific problems more effectively by supporting us in decision-making, automating solutions and thus scaling them, or discovering completely new solutions. But the use of AI also poses new risks, for example when it comes to surveillance or questions of social justice.

What is our society doing with AI – and what is AI doing to our society? We shed light on this question in our AI and Society Content Hub.

AI and society

Feb 19, 2025Feb 19, 2025

"Unlimited genius" for all: Altman's naive dream of AI equality

AI and society

Feb 6, 2025Feb 6, 2025

Study warns: creeping AI development could lead to our 'gradual disempowerment'

AI and society

Dec 28, 2023Dec 28, 2023

OpenAI and Microsoft may be in trouble

AI and society

Jul 7, 2024

What will a robot make of your résumé? The bias problem with using AI in job recruitment

AI and society

Jul 6, 2024Jul 6, 2024

AI's trillion-dollar bet: Tech giants gamble big on uncertain returns

AI and society

Jul 6, 2024Jul 6, 2024

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The German Bundesrat, the upper house of parliament representing the 16 federal states, is pushing for stricter laws against deepfakes. It has proposed a bill to protect personal rights from such realistic-looking media content, which is increasingly being generated using AI. The core of the draft is a new paragraph 201b of the German Criminal Code (StGB), which would punish the dissemination of computer-generated or altered recordings that violate personal rights with a fine or imprisonment of up to two years. Those who make such content publicly accessible or distribute deepfakes related to highly personal matters could face up to five years in prison. The Bundesrat justifies its proposal by stating that deepfakes pose "considerable dangers both to individual personal rights and assets and to the democratic process of forming opinions." The bill will now be introduced in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, which will then decide on it. The government has previously acknowledged that instruments to combat AI-generated videos have not been sufficient so far and that action is needed.

Heise

AI and society

Jul 5, 2024Jul 5, 2024

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Germany is a leader in AI research, but lags behind the US and China when it comes to translating it into products, according to an analysis by KfW. According to chief economist Fritzi Köhler-Geib, Germany is struggling to translate research into applications. Germany imports significantly more AI products than it exports and is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign providers, Köhler-Geib told DW. Germany also lags far behind China (29 percent) and the US (27 percent) in terms of AI patent applications (6 percent). Professor Alexander Löser of the Berlin University of Applied Sciences also sees Germany primarily as a customer for AI services from abroad. Many local talents would work abroad. Strict regulations also hinder access to training data. KfW and Löser call for better access to data, more investment in AI research and development, and more training opportunities.

AI and society

Jul 3, 2024Jul 3, 2024

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Apple is sending App Store boss Phil Schiller to the board of OpenAI. According to Bloomberg, Schiller will be given an observer role without voting rights. As an observer, he will not become a full member of the board, but will have insight into the company's decision-making processes. This puts Apple on an equal footing with Microsoft, OpenAI's largest financial backer and technology partner. The agreement follows Apple's announcement in June that it would also integrate ChatGPT into its devices with Apple Intelligence. At present, the partnership is not of a financial nature. Instead, OpenAI gains access to hundreds of millions of potential users, while Apple gains access to the technology. Apple is also in talks with Google, Anthropic, Baidu and Alibaba about further AI offerings.

Bloomberg

AI and society

Jul 2, 2024Jul 2, 2024

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YouTube now allows users to request the removal of AI-generated content that simulates their face or voice. The change allows affected individuals to request the removal of this kind of AI-generated content as a privacy violation under YouTube's privacy request process. When deciding whether to remove AI-generated content, YouTube considers whether the content is labeled as synthetic or AI-generated, whether it uniquely identifies a person, and whether the content could be considered parody, satire, or something else of value and public interest. YouTube warns its users that removal means the video is completely taken down from the site and that simply labeling it as AI content does not necessarily protect it from removal. YouTube gives the uploader 48 hours to respond to the complaint.

YouTube

AI and society

Jun 30, 2024Jun 30, 2024

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Microsoft founder Bill Gates is not worried about the rising electricity consumption caused by AI applications. Speaking at an event in London, Gates said that AI will ultimately help reduce energy consumption and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy sources. According to Gates, data centers would only cause an additional 6 percent of electricity consumption in the worst case, but more likely just 2 to 2.5 percent. "The question is, will AI accelerate a more than 6 percent reduction? And the answer is: certainly," he said. Gates also believes that the increasing demand for electricity will lead to new investments in green energy, as technology companies are willing to pay more for green electricity "to say that they're using green energy." However, studies by Goldman Sachs and the Electric Power Research Institute predict that data centers could account for up to 9 percent of U.S. electricity consumption by 2030. Critics worry that the AI boom could increase the use of fossil fuels.

The Register

AI and society

Jun 30, 2024Jun 30, 2024

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The EU Commission is looking into a possible antitrust probe into the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI after dropping a merger review. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said on Friday: "The key question was whether Microsoft had acquired control on a lasting basis over OpenAI. After a thorough review we concluded that such was not the case. So we are closing this chapter, but the story is not over." The European Commission investigated whether Microsoft's multi-billion dollar investment in OpenAI falls under the EU merger control regulation. According to Vestager, the EU is now investigating whether "certain exclusivity clauses" in the contract between Microsoft and OpenAI "could have a negative effect on competitors." The US and UK are also investigating the Microsoft-OpenAI alliance. The Commission has also announced that it will investigate Google's agreement with Samsung to pre-install Gemini on the company's smartphones.

Financial Times