AI-enabled deception now permeates our online lives. There are the high-profile cases you may easily spot. Other times, it slips quietly into social media feeds and racks up views.
It is into this mess that Microsoft has put forward a blueprint, shared with MIT Technology Review, for how to prove what’s real online.
An AI safety research team at the company recently evaluated how methods for documenting digital manipulation are faring against today’s most worrying AI developments, like interactive deepfakes and widely accessible hyperrealistic models. It then recommended technical standards that can be adopted by AI companies and social media platforms. Read the full story.
—James O’Donnell
Community service: a short story
In the not-too-distant future, civilians are enlisted to kill perceived threats to human life. In this short fiction story from the latest edition of our print magazine, writer Micaiah Johnson imagines the emotional toll that could take on ordinary people. Read the full story and if you haven’t already, subscribe now to get the next edition of the magazine.
Measles cases are rising. Other vaccine-preventable infections could be next.
There’s a measles outbreak happening close to where I live. Since the start of this year, 34 cases have been confirmed in Enfield, a northern borough of London.
It’s another worrying development for an incredibly contagious and potentially fatal disease. Since October last year, 962 cases of measles have been confirmed in South Carolina. Large outbreaks (with more than 50 confirmed cases) are underway in four US states. Smaller outbreaks are being reported in another 12 states.
The vast majority of these cases have been children who were not fully vaccinated. Vaccine hesitancy is thought to be a significant reason children are missing out on important vaccines. And if we’re seeing more measles cases now, we might expect to soon see more cases of other vaccine-preventable infections, including some that can cause liver cancer or meningitis. Read the full story.
