The United States has undertaken an ambitious programme that seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) to train officers in charge of reviewing applicants for refugee status in the country.&nbsp;

Talking to reporters on Tuesday (May 7), Alejandro Mayorkas, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security said that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has undertaken the AI programme to undertake work he described as "labour-intensive".

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<h2>Trauma, empathy and more</h2>

As per Reuters, Mayorkas said that the AI would address the "labour-intensive" instructions that typically involved senior personnel.&nbsp;

For its pilot, the DHS is training machines to simulate refugees so that the department's officers can practice interviewing the vulnerable people applying for refuge in America.

Speaking on the sidelines of the security-focused RSA Conference in San Francisco, Mayorkas said, "Refugee applicants, given the trauma that they have endured, are reticent to be forthcoming in describing that trauma."&nbsp;

"So we're teaching the machine to be reticent as well," adopt other "characteristics"&nbsp;of applicants, he added.

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<h2>How will the AI trainer work?</h2>

Elaborating on the AI initiatives it announced earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security said it planned to develop an interactive app to supplement its training of immigration officers.&nbsp;

The application will draw on the so-called generative AI that creates novel content based on past data to build training materials tailored to the needs of the officers. As per the DHS, it will prepare immigration officers to make more accurate decisions.

It will be built by DHS' United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

However, it must be noted that the AI will not make immigration decisions themselves. Speaking to Reuters,&nbsp;Mayorkas said that the AI will know country-specific conditions and provide&nbsp;other information to help officers.

(With inputs from agencies)

The United States has undertaken an ambitious programme that seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) to train officers in charge of reviewing applicants for refugee status in the country.

The United States has undertaken an ambitious programme that seeks to use artificial intelligence (AI) to train officers in charge of reviewing applicants for refugee status in the country. Talking to reporters on Tuesday (May 7), Alejandro Mayorkas, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security said that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has undertaken the AI programme to undertake work he described as "labour-intensive". Also read | Warren Buffett likens AI to nuclear weapons, warns 'genie part way out of the bottle' Trauma, empathy and more As per Reuters, Mayorkas said that the AI would address the "labour-intensive" instructions that typically involved senior personnel. For its pilot, the DHS is training machines to simulate refugees so that the department's officers can practice interviewing the vulnerable people applying for refuge in America. Speaking on the sidelines of the security-focused RSA Conference in San Francisco, Mayorkas said, "Refugee applicants, given the trauma that they have endured, are reticent to be forthcoming in describing that trauma." "So we're teaching the machine to be reticent as well," adopt other "characteristics" of applicants, he added. Also read | Researchers use AI to identify hundreds of thousands of 'missing' holocaust victims How will the AI trainer work? Elaborating on the AI initiatives it announced earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security said it planned to develop an interactive app to supplement its training of immigration officers. The application will draw on the so-called generative AI that creates novel content based on past data to build training materials tailored to the needs of the officers. As per the DHS, it will prepare immigration officers to make more accurate decisions. It will be built by DHS' United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. However, it must be noted that the AI will not make immigration decisions themselves. Speaking to Reuters, Mayorkas said that the AI will know country-specific conditions and provide other information to help officers. (With inputs from agencies)

What a turn of events! Apparently, AI will teach US immigration officers a basic human emotion

US&nbsp;government funding in artificial intelligence has fallen short and the country needs to invest in research, train an AI-ready workforce and apply the technology to national security missions, a government-commissioned panel led by Google's former CEO said in an interim report on Monday.

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), created by Congress last year, raised concerns about the progress China has made in this area. It also said the US&nbsp;government still faces enormous work before it can transition AI from "a promising technological novelty into a mature technology integrated into core national security missions."

The commission thinks an allied effort on AI in the realm of national security is important, Robert Work, vice chairman of the NSCAI and a former deputy secretary of defense, told reporters. The NSCAI has spoken with Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union, Work said.

China is investing more than the United States in AI, said the report, which referred to the Asian nation more than 50 times.

"China takes advantage of the openness of US&nbsp;society in numerous ways - some legal, some not - to transfer AI know-how," the report said, at a time of heightened tensions between the countries.

A spokeswoman for China's embassy in Washington did not immediately return a request for comment.

"China is ahead in two areas. One is in the face recognition surveillance area. And another one is in financial technology. This does not mean that they’re ahead (in) AI overall," Eric Schmidt, the panel's chairman and one of several US&nbsp;tech industry executives on the commission, told reporters.

A poll the commission conducted of researchers found that China is a "fast follower" but that "the best and the most original papers are still occurring in the West," Schmidt said. There is still a way forward for the United States to win the high-stakes technological race, he said.

Schmidt is a technical advisor to Google's parent Alphabet Inc. He was previously the company's executive chairman and before that was Google's chief executive officer. Others on the commission include Andrew Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, and Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corp.

China's research ties

Part of the commission's report addressed whether the United States should restrict American cooperation with Chinese AI researchers, including through visa and export controls. The challenge US&nbsp;officials face is that American industry and academic leaders have said that any such restrictions would harm the US&nbsp;economy, the report said.

The commissioners did not specify solutions, saying instead that "the choice need not be a binary one between cooperating and disentangling."

It said, however, the United States should be open to cooperating with China on promoting the responsible use of AI, including for example jointly banning use of AI to authorize the launch of nuclear weapons.

The commission also expressed concern that China, by allegedly using AI to violate human rights, will set a bad example for authoritarian regimes. It noted that beside China, "at least 74 other countries are also engaging in AI-powered surveillance," including half of "advanced liberal democracies."

Calling attention to activism by tech workers who have protested industry partnerships with the US&nbsp;military, the report said, "ethics and strategic necessity are compatible with one another." There is widespread support for making the technology unbiased and safe, the report said, but "the Commission is concerned that debate will paralyze AI development."

Last month, the Pentagon awarded a controversial contract to Microsoft Corp, protested by some of the company's workers, that will help the military better access data and cloud computing services from battlefields and other remote locations.

The final report from the commission will be ready in about a year, the commission said. 
&nbsp;

US government funding in artificial intelligence has fallen short and the country needs to invest in research, train an AI-ready workforce and apply the technology to national security missions, a government-commissioned panel led by Google's former CEO said in an interim report on Monday.

US government funding in artificial intelligence has fallen short and the country needs to invest in research, train an AI-ready workforce and apply the technology to national security missions, a government-commissioned panel led by Google's former CEO said in an interim report on Monday. The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI), created by Congress last year, raised concerns about the progress China has made in this area. It also said the US government still faces enormous work before it can transition AI from "a promising technological novelty into a mature technology integrated into core national security missions." The commission thinks an allied effort on AI in the realm of national security is important, Robert Work, vice chairman of the NSCAI and a former deputy secretary of defense, told reporters. The NSCAI has spoken with Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and the European Union, Work said. China is investing more than the United States in AI, said the report, which referred to the Asian nation more than 50 times. "China takes advantage of the openness of US society in numerous ways - some legal, some not - to transfer AI know-how," the report said, at a time of heightened tensions between the countries. A spokeswoman for China's embassy in Washington did not immediately return a request for comment. "China is ahead in two areas. One is in the face recognition surveillance area. And another one is in financial technology. This does not mean that they’re ahead (in) AI overall," Eric Schmidt, the panel's chairman and one of several US tech industry executives on the commission, told reporters. A poll the commission conducted of researchers found that China is a "fast follower" but that "the best and the most original papers are still occurring in the West," Schmidt said. There is still a way forward for the United States to win the high-stakes technological race, he said. Schmidt is a technical advisor to Google's parent Alphabet Inc. He was previously the company's executive chairman and before that was Google's chief executive officer. Others on the commission include Andrew Jassy, CEO of Amazon Web Services, and Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle Corp. China's research ties Part of the commission's report addressed whether the United States should restrict American cooperation with Chinese AI researchers, including through visa and export controls. The challenge US officials face is that American industry and academic leaders have said that any such restrictions would harm the US economy, the report said. The commissioners did not specify solutions, saying instead that "the choice need not be a binary one between cooperating and disentangling." It said, however, the United States should be open to cooperating with China on promoting the responsible use of AI, including for example jointly banning use of AI to authorize the launch of nuclear weapons. The commission also expressed concern that China, by allegedly using AI to violate human rights, will set a bad example for authoritarian regimes. It noted that beside China, "at least 74 other countries are also engaging in AI-powered surveillance," including half of "advanced liberal democracies." Calling attention to activism by tech workers who have protested industry partnerships with the US military, the report said, "ethics and strategic necessity are compatible with one another." There is widespread support for making the technology unbiased and safe, the report said, but "the Commission is concerned that debate will paralyze AI development." Last month, the Pentagon awarded a controversial contract to Microsoft Corp, protested by some of the company's workers, that will help the military better access data and cloud computing services from battlefields and other remote locations. The final report from the commission will be ready in about a year, the commission said.

US urged to invest more in Artificial Intelligence; ex-Google CEO warns of China's progress

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What a turn of events! Apparently, AI will teach US immigration officers a basic human emotion

US urged to invest more in Artificial Intelligence; ex-Google CEO warns of China's progress