UK wants AI sans power to destroy human beings
London, April 16: The autonomous power to hurt, destroy or deceive human beings should never be vested in Artificial Intelligence (AI), said a UK parliamentary report on Monday.
It is essential that ethics take centre stage in AI's development and use, said the House of Lords Artificial Intelligence Committee's report -- AI in the UK: Ready, Willing and Able?
The report said that a cross-sector AI Code should be established, which can be adopted nationally and internationally.
Suggesting principles for such a code, the committee said that AI should be developed for the common good and benefit of humanity and that it should operate on principles of intelligibility and fairness.
AI should not be used to diminish the data rights or privacy of individuals, families or communities, the report said.
Moreover, all citizens should have the right to be educated to enable them to flourish mentally, emotionally and economically alongside AI, it added.
"AI is not without its risks and the adoption of the principles proposed by the Committee will help to mitigate these," said Lord Clement-Jones, Chairman of the Committee.
An ethical approach ensures the public trusts this technology and sees the benefits of using it. It will also prepare them to challenge its misuse," he added.
It is not currently clear whether existing liability law will be sufficient when AI systems malfunction or cause harm to users, and clarity in this area is needed, said the report.
In its report, the committee also pointed out that many jobs will be enhanced by AI, many will disappear and many new, as yet unknown jobs, will be created.
Warning of the dangers of a few technology firms dominating AI development, the report said that greater competition is required in this segment.
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Karnataka to introduce new affordable housing policy with EWS mandate for private developers
Bengaluru: Karnataka is drafting a new Affordable Housing Policy that may require private real estate developers to allocate a portion of their projects for economically weaker sections (EWS). This initiative is part of preliminary discussions aimed at addressing the state’s housing challenges.
The policy is being developed by the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS), an urban-focused research organization co-founded by Nandan Nilekani and Deepak Parekh. IIHS was chosen for this task without a tender process.
Housing Minister B.Z. Zameer Ahmed Khan's office has confirmed that discussions are underway to include a clause mandating private developers to reserve inventory for EWS buyers. At present, residential layouts are only required to allocate spaces for civic amenities such as parks and playgrounds.
The policy is a key component of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's agenda for affordable housing. It aims to streamline procedures in the housing sector while ensuring inter-departmental coordination. It will replace the 2016 housing policy and is expected to help Karnataka secure additional funding from union government housing schemes.
Funding challenges have hindered the state's housing programs, such as the Chief Minister’s One Lakh Housing Scheme, where the per-unit cost of ₹11.2 lakh places a significant financial burden on beneficiaries. With banks reluctant to lend, the government faces an estimated ₹3,700 crore shortfall.
The state is evaluating two affordable housing models proposed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The first model, the Land Sharing Model, involves the government providing land to private developers, who would dedicate 30-50% of the land to affordable housing. Once the housing units are completed, they would be handed over to the government for distribution, while the developers would monetize the remaining land.
The second model, the Interest Subsidy Model, suggests offering a 3-5% subsidy on home loan interest, which would reduce monthly installments for beneficiaries from ₹8,700 to ₹5,500-6,800. This approach is expected to cost the government ₹60-170 crore annually.
