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People in the UK want to know how artificial intelligence works, how to use it to make money and whether it will take their jobs, according to Google. The search engine company revealed the UK’s most googled questions about AI over the past three months ahead of Rishi Sunak’s AI summit. Here, PA takes a look at some of the burning questions the UK wants the answers to. What is AI? In a nutshell, AI refers to the training of machines to solve problems and make decisions in a way that is similar to how the human brain works. However, to boil AI down to a short definition would be to underestimate its complexity and variations. For example, “weak” or “narrow” AI is AI trained to perform specific tasks and enables technology people may be familiar with in their home, such as Amazon’s Alexa or autonomous vehicles, while “strong AI”, comprised of Artificial General Intelligence and Artificial Super Intelligence, refers to AI where a machine would have an intelligence equal to or surpassing humans. What is generative AI? Generative AI refers to models which can create something completely new based on the vast data they have been trained on. Recent examples of this include ChatGPT, where users can make requests such as “write a poem that features the Battle of Waterloo”. ChatGPT would then produce a new poem based on the material it had been trained on, in this case vast quantities of history books and poetry. How to make AI song covers? Much like the production of a new poem using AI, it is possible to create new music using models which have been trained on previously recorded sounds. However, this is proving tricky ground for human musicians who fear their work may be used without their consent to produce brand new creations, or even to imitate them. Spotify boss Daniel Ek told the BBC he thought there were legitimate use cases for the technology in music, but that it should not be used to impersonate real artists without their consent. He said there were three “buckets” of AI use in music: tools such as auto-tune, which he said was acceptable; software which impersonated artists, which was not; and a more controversial middle ground where AI-generated music was inspired by a specific artist but did not directly mimic them. How to make money with AI? The possibilities for making money using AI are seemingly endless, with people using it to produce music, books, essays, translations and much more. AI can also be used to streamline processes in existing jobs, producing presentations or documents in a fraction of the time it would usually take. However, the issue of copyright looms large over AI’s creative uses. Who created AI? While the concept has been discussed in art and culture for centuries, the 20th century will be remembered as the period when AI began to take practical shape. In 1950, wartime codebreaker Alan Turing published a paper called Computing Machinery and Intelligence in which he considered whether machines could think, introducing what became known as the Turing Test where a human would attempt to distinguish between the responses of another human and a computer. Six years later computer scientist John McCarthy coined the term “artificial intelligence” during the inaugural AI conference at Dartmouth College, while in the same year the first running AI software programme was created by Allen Newell, JC Shaw and Herbert Simon. Is AI dangerous? Tesla, SpaceX and X owner Elon Musk told the PA news agency at the UK’s AI Safety Summit: “I think AI is one of the biggest threats (to humans). “We have for the first time the situation where we have something that is going to be far smarter than the smartest human. “We’re not stronger or faster than other creatures, but we are more intelligent, and here we are for the first time, really in human history, with something that is going to be far more intelligent than us. “It’s not clear to me if we can control such a thing, but I think we can aspire to guide it in a direction that’s beneficial to humanity.” Will AI take my job? As with all technological advances, AI will change the way we work, making some jobs redundant but creating others too. Rishi Sunak recently attempted to assuage people’s fears, saying: “It’s important to recognise that AI doesn’t just automate and take people’s jobs. “A better way to think about it is as a co-pilot. “As with all technologies, they change our labour market, I think over time of course they make our economy more prosperous, more productive. “They create more growth overall but it does mean that there are changes in the labour market.” Read More Big tech poses ‘existential threat’ to UK journalism, survey of editors finds King warns of urgent need to ‘combat significant risks of powerful AI’ Kamala Harris arrives in the UK ahead of AI safety summit Study finds ‘deepfakes’ from Ukraine war undermining trust in conflict footage More than 500 potential cyber attacks logged every second, BT says AI being used to create child abuse imagery, watchdog warns

Artificial intelligence (AI) could reshape jobs or be used to create conspiracy theories that could cause political instability, according to a document outlining the possible threats facing Ireland. The National Risk Assessment report, which began in 2014, aims to outline economic, security or political risks to Ireland in the coming years, with the aim of informing decisions and to prepare for those possibilities. It also aims to guard against “group think”, and states that it highlighted the risk of Brexit in its 2014 report, and the housing challenge in its 2015 report. In the introduction to the report, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the list of 25 risks range from climate change to newer risks such as the security of Ireland’s energy supply and the proliferation of disruptive technology like AI. The report stated that as disruptive technology trends develop, “these advances create a range of opportunities” but also pose a possibility for malign use. Coastal erosion, which can impact upon infrastructure and human settlement, will accelerate in the coming years National Risk Assessment report It said that disruptive technologies such as AI could cause automation that could “displace or reshape” jobs and sectors, or be used for “malign” purposes. “Generative AI systems, which make the rapid production of content based on a variety of source material (text, moving or still images, computer code) easily available to the public, will bring extraordinary change, but will also pose a challenge for societal resilience, in particular how we counter the harms that could flow from their malicious use. “This could include the use of AI to generate disinformation and misinformation, deepfakes, or conspiracy theories, with the potential to distort markets, undermine cohesion or cause political instability.” It added: “The spread of mis/disinformation, including via social media and other digital platforms, has the potential to undermine the State, the integrity of elections, social cohesion, and the functioning of the economy.” In relation to Northern Ireland, the report said that certain groups with “very limited levels of support” are “intent on disrupting the significant progress” to bring about peace on the island of Ireland. “The risks to Ireland posed by armed conflict, terrorism and hybrid security threats are potentially compounded by our having one of the lowest levels of investment in military and defence capabilities within Europe,” it said. The assessment also stated that Ireland’s housing shortage and pricing issues “are unlikely to rectify themselves over the short term”, with inflation and skilled labour shortages impacting supply. It said that high rent costs create a risk of a “locked-out generation”, and is impacting on homelessness, which is at record high monthly rates. “The housing challenge risks increasing social exclusion and impairing labour mobility,” it said, adding that the growing number of asylum seekers highlighted the “undersupply of appropriate housing and the inflexibility of the sector”. It highlights that climate change is happening at “an accelerating and alarming rate”, and that Ireland needs to urgently “step up” efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy. “…Failure to meet obligations and targets on emissions, energy usage, and renewable energy, set both by the EU and in national legislation, is a risk. “Inertia and resistance to change risks Ireland’s efforts at adaptation and mitigation.” It also highlighted extreme weather events in Ireland such as flooding and extreme temperatures, which have “major” impacts on the environment, people and economy. “Coastal erosion, which can impact upon infrastructure and human settlement, will accelerate in the coming years,” it said. “In this regard, it is notable that much critical infrastructure, such as power stations, wastewater treatment plants, and rail infrastructure can be found along our coastline. “Very significant investment, with associated delivery risks, will be necessary to build climate resilience into flood defences and water management systems, in order to secure communities and the infrastructure they depend on.” The assessment added: “Trade-offs and public expenditure choices will be required.” It also warned that vulnerabilities in global financial markets “have grown more pressing” and highlighted “a wide range of financial vulnerabilities and elevated uncertainty”. It said that Ireland’s post-Brexit relationship with Great Britain “will continue to present challenges”, particularly on trade as the UK moves to introduce checks and controls on imports. It warned that while Ireland is “a strong supporter” of EU enlargement it also poses a risk to cohesion across the bloc and may lead to changes in how the EU operates. The report said that the most extreme risks to Ireland “are outside exclusive national control”, and as a result, international relations, such as Ireland’s EU membership, are important. The development of the National Risk Assessment is overseen by a group of departmental officials and members of relevant agencies, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach. A proposed list of strategic risks is drafted which is then published for public consultation, which took place from December 7 2022 to February 17 2023. The proposed risks are then reviewed and further considered by Government departments and agencies, and the final draft was considered by government on July 25. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Harry and Meghan ring young online innovators after funding awards James Bulger’s mother condemns ‘disgusting’ AI clips on TikTok of murdered son Police use AI camera van to spot drivers using mobile phones

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