The end of intelligence as we know it

Artificial intelligence techniques have become an essential part of the technology industry, helping to solve many challenging problems in computer science, software engineering and operations research. At the same time, notes Legalbrief, there are growing concerns over the laws and ethics that are involved with AI and how to minimise security risks. These and other issues were unpacked at the AI Expo Africa 2018 in Cape Town and the Deep Learning Indaba in Stellenbosch last week. The two-day conference in Cape Town focused on real-world applications of AI in a business context, including machine learning, deep learning, robotic process automation, natural language processing, imaging processing, Internet of Things, data analytics, ethics, home and business devices, voice interfaces and cloud platform components. Promise Group’s director of strategy and digital Verushen Reddy gave insights and identified trends on 'How Artificial Intelligence is shaping the future of the advertising and marketing landscape'. Media Update reports that Reddy says that there have been some essential shifts in the digital marketing and advertising world; the flood of fake news and click-baiting content have proliferated social media networks and the emergence of ad-blockers have made it increasingly difficult for advertisers to reach and communicate with relevance to desired audiences. ‘While this poses some substantial challenges, the advertising industry has a plethora of data available to attempt to solve them. Consumers are becoming equally aware of the data they are parting with and want to be communicated to in this new world of perpetual context,’ Reddy added.

Full Media Update report

One of the world’s leading thinkers in machine learning said fundamental research in AI and machine learning is essential if Africa wants to have control over some of the really big ideas in the world. Professor Nando de Freitas presented the keynote address at the Stellenbosch University indaba. The Cape Times reports that the indaba is a volunteer-driven grassroots organisation aimed at building pan-African capacity in AI by creating communities, building leadership and recognising excellence across the continent. During the week, more than 500 students and researchers from 30 African countries and 19 overseas countries are exposed to several of the world’s leading thinkers in this field. De Freitas said it is still very difficult for machines to recognise shapes or to emulate even the most basic of human actions. ‘Hard coding has its limits and it is very hard to get machines to do what human minds can do.'

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The two events herald a new era for AI on the continent. That’s the view of analyst Bitango Ndemo. Writing for The Nation, he notes that Africa is taking up and embracing this emerging technology that teaches machines to do things that require intelligence when done by humans. ‘Indeed, these conferences come on the heels of new reports that has reassured sceptics that AI will create as many jobs as it will destroy. Among other technologies that jointly work with AI is Blockchain. The fusion of these technologies is redefining organisations across the world and giving rise to new business models that no one could have imagined only a few years ago. To put this into perspective, I have attempted to explain how different technological waves have enabled different business models and challenged us to think of what could be emerging out of these transformative technologies in our time.’

Full analysis in The Nation

Meanwhile, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, Christina Blacklaws, has questioned whether new entrants to the profession are prepared for the growing reality of working alongside AI. ‘At the moment we’re training lawyers for 20th-century practices, not even for current practice,’ a Law Gazette report quotes her as telling an international conference on AI in London last week. ‘There is a mismatch with what they are doing in practice today, let alone what they will be doing in future.’ Blacklaws was chairing a panel at the AI Congress at which lawyers spoke of their experience of working with AI systems already implemented at magic circle firms. Sonia Cissé, managing associate at Linklaters in Paris, said her firm was already sifting through unstructured data with systems including its self-developed tool Nakhoda. Linklaters was one of the first magic circle firms to install an AI system from RAVN, now part of iManage, to organise, discover and summarise documents. Tests show that the AI system cut on average 26% of the time taken per document, displaying an average accuracy of 75%, according to Cissé who said: ‘These time savings are reflected in the fee we propose to clients.’ Cissé stressed that machines were not replacing humans. ‘How do we know there’s 75% accuracy? Because we did a close check and will keep checking what happens on the machine.’ AI is helping lawyers focus on the more important strategic things, she said. ‘It also improves morale among junior lawyers – they are not expected to work such long hours.’

Full Law Gazette report