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New Statesman
13-06-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
Local government is adopting AI, but careful thoughtis needed
Photo byArtificial intelligence is already being widely used across local government to deliver services. These involve everything from customer service chatbots to writing paperwork to preventing damp. Central government is currently piloting a set of AI tools for local government. Other councils are working with commercial AI providers. Somerset Council was one of the first local governments in the UK to join Microsoft's Early Access Program for AI. Somerset started with Copilot, a generative AI chatbot, and has now moved on to Magic Notes, which turns meeting recordings into a first draft of paperwork and forms and is now used by around half of social care teams in the UK as a way to improve the quality of paperwork while reducing the time spent on it by 50 per cent. Somerset Council says this has allowed frontline staff to free up time to be spent on 'person-centred work' and improved their work-life balance. AI has great potential to improve democratic processes and decision-making and from there flows improved services for citizens, according to Alexander Iosad, director, government innovation policy at the Tony Blair Institute. AI can be used to engage with citizens and get data from them to accelerate the back-office process and to improve decision making, he explains. One problem of the traditional process for policymaking is having 'more data than you can turn into actionable insights', Iosad says. AI is not just able to process all of that information, and to do it faster so the information is still current or in real time, but is able to cross-reference it across services. However, there are still significant hurdles to integrating AI tools into council services and realising its potential. A survey of county councils and unitary councils by the County Councils Network (CCN) found that while 85 per cent were using AI (and the remaining 15 per cent were considering using it), local governments felt that a lack of staff capacity, funding and training were holding them back. The Tony Blair Institute report says councils 'lack the confidence, capabilities and infrastructure required to unleash this innovation'. The Tony Blair Institute worked with a local council in the UK and estimated that AI could be applied to 26 per cent of tasks, resulting in a saving of one million work hours, or £30m in financial costs, each year. Scaled up nationally, this would mean around £8bn in cost savings. Organisations of all types, but particularly government and public services, are looking to AI to save them money, but less than half of those surveyed by the CCN said AI had resulted in savings so far. This compared to over 90 per cent reporting improved staff productivity and three quarters that said it improved services. Transformation of services usually requires significant investment in order to realise improvements to the quality of services and their savings. Big digital projects have historically been difficult to deliver and to realise their benefits, particularly in the public sector. In 2021, Birmingham City Council invested £19m in a new IT system with the aim of reducing costs, but spending on getting the system up and running has since spiralled to £90m. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe There are also questions over some of the ways AI has already been deployed. Several councils have bought and use AI systems to identify families in need of support and young people who may be at risk of becoming involved in gangs, while others use them to highlight potential council tax fraud. These have been mired in allegations of bias, consent and lack of transparency. In Rotterdam, an algorithm was used to assign a fraud risk score to residents based on data from 12,707 previous investigations. But in practice, women, young people, parents and migrants got higher scores and were more often flagged for investigation. Subjective assessments by caseworkers, such as whether a person was 'flexible' enough to deal with the challenges they were facing, were incorporated into the data, giving it the sheen of neutrality. The city suspended its use in 2021 following an external ethics review. In 2015, Hackney Council paid for an Early Help Profiling System provided by the company Xantura that used data collected by the council to identify families that were 'at risk' – the families were never informed their data would be used in this way. These challenges mean the governance, transparency and privacy policies around AI in local government need to be robust. The Local Government Association says 'councils must also be mindful of the risks and challenges associated with safe and responsible AI adoption', listing strong data foundations, data protection, bias and privacy as key issues to address. The Tony Blair Institute advises councillors to champion AI innovation, but to de-risk it by looking to tools that are already in use, collaborating, using existing standards and training the workforce to improve AI literacy. 'The biggest challenge is data,' says Iosad. 'It's getting the right data and then setting up the systems allowing you to work with data effectively.' Where the UK is arguably weakest, he says, is having data sets collected by government that can be linked and used together in order to really personalise services and to make effective decisions at local, regional and national levels. 'The blueprint for modern digital government has a very encouraging line on this, not just recognising that there is a challenge, but mostly setting out the ambition that every data set that is used in the public sector has an API,' Iosad says. He adds this will also put in place the safeguards required for data. What is clear is that AI tools and technologies will be taken and used by local government in the way that new technologies have been in the past. Some of the risks and challenges around technical literacy, training, choosing good suppliers and managing those contracts are familiar. However, the challenges of transparency, scrutiny and identifying bias in complex systems are more novel and require local government not just to look for an easy answer but the best solution to create a better place and life for residents. Related
Mid East Info
03-06-2025
- Business
- Mid East Info
Confluent Unites Batch and Stream Processing for Faster, Smarter Agentic AI and Analytics - Middle East Business News and Information
Confluent, Inc. (Nasdaq: CFLT), the data streaming pioneer, announced new Confluent Cloud capabilities that make it easier to process and secure data for faster insights and decision-making. Snapshot queries, new in Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink®, bring together real-time and historic data processing to make artificial intelligence (AI) agents and analytics smarter. Confluent Cloud network (CCN) routing simplifies private networking for Apache Flink®, and IP Filtering adds access controls for publicly accessible Flink pipelines, securing data for agentic AI and analytics. 'Agentic AI is moving from hype to enterprise adoption as organizations look to gain a competitive edge and win in today's market,' said Shaun Clowes, Chief Product Officer at Confluent. 'But without high-quality data, even the most advanced systems can't deliver real value. The new Confluent Cloud for Apache Flink® features make it possible to blend real-time and batch data so that enterprises can trust their agentic AI to drive real change.' Bridging the Real-Time and Batch Divide 'The rise of agentic AI orchestration is expected to accelerate, and companies need to start preparing now,' said Stewart Bond, Vice President of Data Intelligence and Integration Software at IDC. 'To unlock agentic AI's full potential, companies should seek solutions that unify disparate data types, including structured, unstructured, real-time, and historical information, in a single environment. This allows AI to derive richer insights and drive more impactful outcomes.' Agentic AI is driving widespread change in business operations by increasing efficiency and powering faster decision-making by analyzing data to uncover valuable trends and insights. However, for AI agents to make the right decisions, they need historical context about what happened in the past and insight into what's happening right now. For example, for fraud detection, banks need real-time data to react in the moment and historical data to see if a transaction fits a customer's usual patterns. Hospitals need real-time vitals alongside patient medical history to make safe, informed treatment decisions. But to leverage both past and present data, teams often have to use separate tools and develop manual workarounds, resulting in time-consuming work and broken workflows. Additionally, it's important to secure the data that's used for analytics and agentic AI; this ensures trustworthy results and prevents sensitive data from being accessed. Snapshot Queries Unify Processing on One Platform In Confluent Cloud, snapshot queries let teams unify historical and streaming data with a single product and language, enabling consistent, intelligent experiences for both analytics and agentic AI. With seamless Tableflow integration, teams can easily gain context from past data. Snapshot queries allow teams to explore, test, and analyze data without spinning up new workloads. This makes it easier to supply agents with context from historic and real-time data or conduct an audit to understand key trends and patterns. Snapshot queries are now available in early access. CCN Routing Simplifies Private Networking for Flink Private networking is important for organizations that require an additional layer of security. Confluent offers a streamlined private networking solution by reusing existing CCNs that teams have already created for Apache Kafka® clusters. Teams can use CCN to securely connect their data to any Flink workload, such as streaming pipelines, AI agents, or analytics. CCN routing is now generally available on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in all regions where Flink is supported. IP Filtering Protects Flink Workloads in Hybrid Environments Many organizations that operate in hybrid environments need more control over which data can be publicly accessed. IP Filtering for Flink helps teams restrict internet traffic to allowed IPs and improves visibility into unauthorized access attempts by making it easier to track the attempts. IP Filtering is generally available for all Confluent Cloud users. Now organizations can more easily turn the promise of agentic AI into a competitive advantage. To learn more about the other new Confluent Cloud features, including the Snowflake source connector, cross-cloud Cluster Linking, and new Schema Registry private networking features, check out the launch blog.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose new bill to lessen crypto industry's impact on households: 'We need to rise to the challenge'
Cryptocurrency miners and data centers have found a home in Texas because of abundant, cheap electricity. However, as CCN reported, newly proposed legislation could create stricter standards to limit these activities because they are raising utility rates for households. Cryptocurrency regulations focus on energy consumption, tax considerations, and environmental impacts. Multiple states have laws to manage the energy demand of crypto mining and to protect miners from regulations that might otherwise treat them like data centers. Regulations develop frameworks for the cryptocurrency industry and can help prevent legal issues like money laundering and fraud. Lawmakers in Texas have suggested new regulations on cryptocurrency mining out of concern for residents' energy bill costs. Mining consumes vast amounts of energy, and Texas has been able to supply that energy through natural gas, wind turbines, and other sources. Major mining operations have built enormous facilities in Texas because of dynamic pricing schemes that offer discounted rates and the opportunity to sell unused power back to the grid. However, these activities have contributed to strain on the Texas grid. Proponents of the Texas bill say that large mining operations now require more oversight to stabilize the energy grid. A big reason for this is that while crypto miners generate tens of millions of dollars monthly, ordinary Texas citizens are seeing their utility bills rise. "I think we need to rise to the challenge of getting the needed generation onto the grid," said bill sponsor Senator Charles Schwertner, per the Texas Tribune. "But there is eventually a prioritization that could be discussed, and obviously Texans — their families, their homes, their businesses — are the most important individuals, the most important clients for electricity." Laws like the proposed Senate Bill 6 (SB6) in Texas have the potential to keep utility costs affordable for homeowners while ensuring crypto operations are accountable for their energy usage. Do you think your city has good air quality? Definitely Somewhat Depends on the time of year Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Electricity used to power mining and AI data centers affects energy prices for people completely unaffiliated with those industries. To keep energy affordable in Texas and worldwide, it is crucial to invest in renewable energy, promote energy conservation, and improve energy efficiency. These goals can be achieved by developing clean energy infrastructure, implementing policies that reward clean energy adoption, and embracing smart grid technologies to minimize energy waste. Meanwhile, greener digital currencies and eco-friendly blockchains can help reduce excessive energy consumption. With energy demands growing rapidly due to advancing technology, it is important to balance profits with climate sustainability and people's livelihoods in our communities. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The South African
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Kim Kardashian finally graduates from law school
On 21 May 2025, the family and friends of media mogul, Kim Kardashian, took to Instagram to share news that the star had graduated from law school. Kardashian herself has been sharing her passion for criminal justice reform with fans for years through her reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. 'All of you have been on this journey with me. It started with the Twitter video that I saw that popped up and I was just dumbfounded', said Kardashian She has publicly spoken about failing the bar three times in her pursuit of a law degree. Despite of the failures however, she said she has been involved in criminal justice reform since 2018. THE STORY OF ALICE JOHNSON On 28 August 2020, Alice Marie Johnson received a presidential pardon on her sentence related to a drug offense. According to Johnson, this was after a series of events where the media mogul got to know of her story and began working towards getting her released from prison. Through criminal justice initiatives, Kardashian approached president Donald Trump about Johnson's case. At the time, Johnson had served 21 years in prison. Today Johnson runs a criminal reform project, where according to her website, she continues to get deserving women out of jail. In an interview with Fox News, Johnson credited the new law graduate for assisting her to make her efforts successful. 'I can always depend on her, that if I'm running into a brickwall, that she will help', said Johnson. Speaking at Kardashian's graduation ceremony that was held in her backyard, CCN journalist Van Jones, said when the star started this journey, it was a lonely road. 'Seven years ago when you were working on criminal justice, you were not embraced by anyone', said Jones. 'You were working with people who were thrown away by their own families. You were working with people who were literally just one step from the grave. There's no place to be in society except the graveyard, than to be thrown away in a prison cell for years and years', he continued. Jones said with her newly acquired degree, Kardashian was about to be unstoppable. 'She helped reunite families and brought national attention to the most broken parts of our legal system. Now she does so not with just passion and determination but with six years of legal training', Jones concluded. WOULD YOU CONTINUE PURSUING A DEGREE AFTER FAILING THREE TIMES, AND WHY? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
India Today
21-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Why Israel cannot strike Iranian nuclear facilities without US help
New intelligence obtained by the United States suggests that Israel is making preparations to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities. "The chance of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility has gone up significantly in recent months," CCN reported, quoting multiple US officials to indicate such preparations were comes even as the Trump administration pursues a diplomatic deal with Teheran, getting it to halt its nuclear weapons programme in return for a lifting of sanctions. Iran signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1968 and ratified it in the current Islamic regime, which took power in 1979, opposes the signing of this treaty as a relic of the previous monarchy. It has not pulled out of the NPT, but since the 2000s, Iran has embarked on a nuclear power generation program which many believe will give it nuclear India, Pakistan and Israel, whose nuclear weapons programme is a by-product of its civilian nuclear power generation facilities, Iran is believed to be pursuing twin routes to nuclear weapons: extracting plutonium from civilian nuclear plants, and enriching uranium, which it mines in the NUCLEAR WORRYIsrael acquired nuclear weapons in the 1960s. Like India and Pakistan, it is not an NPT signatory. Israel has fought and defeated its Arab neighbours in three wars since its independence in 1948. Israel has ensured no Arab country acquires nuclear weapons that could threaten its existence. It launched airstrikes against Iraq in 1981 and Syria in 2007 in order to destroy nuclear reactors it believed could create nuclear the 1979 revolution, the Iranian regime has directly targeted Israel, with successive leaders threatening to wipe it off the map. Israel has embarked on an extensive covert programme since the 1980s to ensure Iran doesn't get the bomb. It has assassinated Iranian nuclear weapons scientists and sabotaged reactor centrifuges using computer is yet to strike directly at Iranian nuclear weapons facilities for various reasons. But recent incidents where Israel has used its superior air force to destroy its adversaries at extended ranges indicate this could be a October 8, 2023, Israel has battled a range of Iranian proxies -- Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. Iran had ringed Israel with proxies to ensure it can fight a non-contact battle with Israel. But in 2024, Israel and Iran struck each other's territories using fighter jets, drones and missiles. This suggests an Israeli strike against Iran's nuclear weapons program is there are technical and geographical issues why an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear infrastructure could be an issue.1. Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure is undergroundIran has learnt from Israel's pre-emptive nuclear strikes against Syria and Iraq. Both those strikes were against single reactors: Osirak in Iraq in 1981 and at the Al-Kibar facility in Syria in 2007. Iran's nuclear programme is hence dispersed across its geography. At 1.6 million square kms, Iran is a country half the size of India. Iran's nuclear infrastructure includes uranium mines and facilities such as gas centrifuges, which enrich this uranium and process of these nuclear facilities -- the enrichment facilities in Fordow and Natanz -- are buried deep underground, under several metres of rock and reinforced concrete. These facilities can only be targeted by precise bunker-busting munitions.2. Limits of Israel's airpowerIran is 1000 kms away from Israel's border. Hypothetically, Israel could launch an extraordinarily complex military operation, primarily involving fighter jets, to knock out the country's nuclear facilities. These fighters would need to be refuelled in the air and fly extreme distances to get to their targets. But here again, there's a problem. Israel's air force lacks either the platforms or specialised munitions to destroy the destroy the underground facilities like Natanz and Fordow, Israel will need something like the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which weighs over 12 tonnes, and at 6 metres long, is half the length of a city bus. The MOP can penetrate and explode 61 metres below the soil. But it can only be carried by US heavy bombers like the B-52 and the B-2, which Israel does not have in its inventory. In short, Israel cannot destroy Iran's nuclear weapons sites on its Can Israeli innovation strike on its own?Israeli military innovators are second to none. In 1976, they carried out one of the world's greatest special forces operations. A hundred Israeli commandos flew over 4,000 kms to rescue 102 Israeli hostages in Entebbe, Uganda. The rescue force travelled back safely after killing the terrorists and destroying a fourth of the Ugandan air force on the ground. In 2024, Israeli intelligence killed and maimed over a thousand senior Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon by booby-trapping their radio could well create a home-grown MOP to target Iran's buried nuclear facilities. The Israeli MOP could either be launched from the back of a converted military transport aircraft like a C-130 Hercules or by a converted intermediate range ballistic missile. Using either of these platforms would be fraught with extreme risk and technological challenges. But as history shows us, Israel has always risen to these challenges in the Watch
