Beyond Our Shores - March 2023 summary

8 March - The UK government publishes a new Data Protection and Digital Information Bill. This is the second iteration of a set of proposals to reform the U.K. GDPR. The first iteration — the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill — was published July 2022 and will now not proceed further in Parliament: British Businesses to Save Billions Under New UK Version of GDPR - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

8 March - The International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) publishes its analysis of the draft proposals to reform the UK's data protection legislation: Top ten takeaways from the draft UK GDPR reform (iapp.org)

14 March - American linguist, philosopher, author and activist Noam Chomsky reflects that "advancements in artificial intelligence are indeed cause for both concern and optimism": The false promise of ChatGPT | The Straits Times

15 March - The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) publishes updated guidance on AI and data protection: Guidance on AI and data protection | ICO

16 March - The BBC reports that the technology behind "the world's most talked about artificial intelligence (AI) system, Chat GPT, is being added to its most ubiquitous work software, Microsoft 365":   ChatGPT-style tech brought to Microsoft 365 - BBC News

17 March - The CEO of OpenAI, the company that developed the controversial consumer-facing artificial intelligence application ChatGPT warns that the technology comes with real dangers as it reshapes society: ‘We are a little bit scared’: OpenAI CEO warns of risks of artificial intelligence | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian

20 March - The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which regulates artificial intelligence asks "what happens when none of us can tell real from fake?"  Chatbots, deepfakes, and voice clones: AI deception for sale | Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov)

22 March - Researchers at Stanford University wanted to see if AI-generated arguments could change minds on controversial hot-button issues. It worked: AI’s Powers of Political Persuasion (stanford.edu) 

23 March - Lord Davies of Brixton asks the UK government when it intends to introduce legislation on the United Kingdom’s data protection framework. 

23 March - The godfather of virtual reality has worked beside the web’s visionaries and power-brokers – but likes nothing more than to show the flaws of technology. He discusses how we can make AI work for us, how the internet takes away choice – and why he would ban TikTok: Tech guru Jaron Lanier: ‘The danger isn’t that AI destroys us. It’s that it drives us insane’ | Jaron Lanier | The Guardian 

25 March - Euronews examines a worrying trend in deepfake scams: Audio deepfake scams: Criminals are using AI to sound like family and people are falling for it | Euronews

25 March - Using the recent fake Trump arrest images, the BBC shares tips to spot AI generated images:  Fake Trump arrest photos: How to spot an AI-generated image - BBC News