AI doesn’t create bias, it inherits it – how do we ensure fairness when it comes to automated decisions?

Hiring algorithms are one of the systems that could be affected by discrimination. PeopleImages If artificial intelligence (AI) systems shape decisions that affect people’s lives, they should do so fairly. This should be a given considering that potential applications for AI include automated hiring systems, as well as tools used in education, finance and criminal […]

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AI doesn’t create bias, it inherits it – how do we ensure fairness when it comes to automated decisions?

Hiring algorithms are one of the systems that could be affected by discrimination. PeopleImages If artificial intelligence (AI) systems shape decisions that affect people’s lives, they should do so fairly. This should be a given considering that potential applications for AI include automated hiring systems, as well as tools used in education, finance and criminal […]

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Africa has the world’s greatest genetic diversity, yet it’s missing from research: we’re filling the gap

Throughout history, most of the world’s genomic research has relied on DNA data from people of European ancestry. A genome is the full DNA code of about three billion (a thousand million) bases, including all the chromosomes. Each person has two genomes: one from their mother and the other from their father. Well resourced environments […]

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Amazon is making drone deliveries in the UK – here’s why nimbyism could hamper a wider rollout

Amazon's MK30 drone is now being used to deliver packages in Darlington, County Durham. Photograph: Amazon Prime Air There is a new buzz around Darlington: the sound of delivery drones. This northern English town is now the only place outside the US where retail giant Amazon offers airborne delivery to people’s homes via its Prime […]

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New UK centre to fast-track brain-inspired computing for AI – UKRI

Aston University and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) Hartree Centre are joining forces to accelerate the development and industrial adoption of neuromorphic computing across the UK. The initiative focuses on brain-inspired computing technologies with the potential to transform the design, power and real-world application of future artificial intelligence systems. The collaboration will set […]

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Canada’s Bill C-22 Is a Repackaged Version of Last Year’s Surveillance Nightmare

Last year, the Canadian government pushed Bill C-2, which would erode Canadian digital rights in the name of “border security.” The bill was so bad it didn’t even make it to committee because of the backlash from the privacy community. Now, the spring’s worst sequel, Bill C-22, aka The Lawful Access Act, is trying it […]

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EFF Stands in Solidarity With RightsCon and the Global Digital Rights Community

When governments shut down spaces for dialogue, dissent, and collective organizing, the damage extends far beyond a single event. The abrupt cancellation of RightsCon 2026—the world’s largest annual global digital rights conference—is not just a logistical disruption for thousands of researchers, journalists, technologists, and activists—it is part of a growing global pattern of shrinking civic […]

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What it would have been like to experience the dinosaur-killing asteroid armageddon: a blow-by-blow account

serpeblu/Shutterstock A great Tyrannosaurus rex strides through the conifer trees of her territory, sniffing the air. She picks up the scent from the carcass of a dead horned dinosaur, Triceratops, that she was feeding on yesterday. She walks over and strips off some more shreds of meat, but the smell is foul even for her. […]

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Can plants hear? Latest research offers new insights

DOERS/Shutterstock Researchers at MIT have suggested that rice seeds can hear the sound of rain, according to a new study. MIT calls it “the first direct evidence that plant seeds and seedlings can sense sounds in nature”. Perhaps surprisingly, the effects reported in this new study are not as radical as they may appear. Playing […]

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What happens when scientists trust AI more than colleagues?

Shutterstock/PeoplesImages Artificial intelligence has crossed a threshold in the modern workplace. It is being used for everything from helping employees manage schedules to supporting financial forecasts. A similar shift is now unfolding inside research laboratories. There is currently a boom in national initiatives to accelerate the integration of AI into science. These include the US […]

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