Predictions 2016 - Paul Fletcher

Following the wrong advice in these difficult times could be dangerous. BCS looks at 10 ways we can all help to combat the rising tide of misinformation on the web.

As we increasingly turn to social media to stay in touch as we practise social distancing, social media companies Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit and YouTube are responding to the proliferation of fake information about Covid-19, which is spreading faster than the virus itself (and arguably causing more harm).

Concerns about the dangers of AI are older than the field itself, dating at least as far back as Isaac Asimov’s 1942 three laws of robotics writes Nic Oatridge, MSc, MBCS. Since then many international bodies have identified broad principles for the use of AI, e.g. the ICDPPC, OECD, EU and ACM.

From driverless cars to health research, the debate on the future of GDPR at the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence proved to be fascinating and far-reaching.