John Ohab, Ph.D.

The 2024 Election Results & #AI Policy: Here Comes the Mother of All State Regulatory Patchworks my quick thoughts on what the election results mean for AI policy going forward at the state level. More thoughts to come about what happens at the federal level, which is far more uncertain. https://lnkd.in/dAAWhnyX #artificialintelligence #machinelearning #techpolicy #regulation #innovation #states #federalism #preemption

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The first question we ask about a public policy when we analyze it is this: does it work? New research suggests "wraparound services"--providing a range of services to people who are at risk or receiving one type of support--at least improve employment prospects. Check out more information in my new blog post.

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Insightful panel discussion on #AI today covering trust, assurance, privacy, workforce support and how the newest AI models are game changers in allowing people to glean insights from their data- without being a data scientist. Keeping a human centric approach and consistently evaluating what is working - or not working- is key to responsible deployment. #THISisITS

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CfPs open for the AVERT Research Network 2024 international symposium in Melbourne, Australia. Please share with your networks: PEOPLE, PLACES AND SPACES: NEW DYNAMICS AND SHIFTING RESPONSES TO VIOLENT EXTREMISM In recent years there have been demographic shifts in the people drawn to or participating in #violentextremism, the places they come from and the spaces where they participate in and mobilise to #violence. The age range of those involved in violent extremist movements and networks has now expanded to include both younger and older cohorts. Violent extremist networks and movements are emerging in rural and semi-rural locales in addition to urban/suburban areas that formerly produced the greatest concentrations of violent extremist engagement.  In addition to offline mobilisation and participation, there has been significant growth and diversification in the virtual spaces where violent extremism manifests including enhanced virtual spaces, like the metaverse and other virtual realities, which blur the dichotomy between online and offline spaces and behaviours. These shifting dynamics present new challenges for #PCVE analysis, policy and practice, including how we identify, prevent or address emerging threats within this space.   This year’s symposium invites proposals that explore various dimensions of these shifting dynamics around people, places and spaces.  We welcome proposals that provide insights into what these emerging dynamics mean for #violentextremism #risk and #threatanalysis and their implications for policy and practitioner responses.

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To all those who saw or followed our post about the new U.S. Congress dataset on Hugging Face for policy areas and subjects... At the suggestion of Marci Harris of POPVOX Foundation, our team at DreamProIT now created a new dataset that includes Congressional committees: https://lnkd.in/gzACiADG With this data set, it should be possible to suggest committees to refer any bill to. As with subjects and policy areas, automating recommendations would not replace the judgment of subject matter experts, but could provide a baseline to show what committee would be assigned based on prior precedents of the House and Senate Parliamentarians. #data #uscongress #library

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The National Science Foundation recently hosted an interagency meeting focusing on disruptive technologies and edge science, including advancements in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) technologies and Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP). With over 120 experts attending, the event brought together thought leaders from aerospace, quantum propulsion, biology, and more. Speakers like Ryan Graves, Hal Puthoff, and Jay Stratton highlighted the importance of advancing frontier science to maintain national security and technological dominance. Jay Stratton, former director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force (UAPTF) and Chief Operating Officer with QuantumFrontier, LLC, tells The Debrief, “Investing in edge science, or what I call frontier science, is essential to maintaining national security, driving economic growth, and giving the U.S the ability to help shape the future by using technological advancements for good. Whether it’s UAP research or quantum physics, leading in frontier science challenges what we know, pushes innovation forward, and impacts our future. Falling behind risks not only losing our nation’s competitive edge but also leaves critical discoveries in the hands of adversaries, giving them an incredible advantage on both the battlefield of the future and the global stage of technological and economic dominance. I’m committed to helping make sure the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence on the global stage.” Julia Mossbridge, PhD, Jay Stratton, Charles Chase, Chance Glenn, Ryan Graves, Olivia G., Harold White

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Are you interested in digging deeper into the numbers behind the US science agency budgets? … then check out our interactive data portal powered by AIP’s FYI: Science Policy News. The American Institute of Physics is focused on Empowering Physical Scientists with content, connection and context. https://lnkd.in/eUUK-NvU

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Today in the Society for Scholarly Publishing #ScholarlyKitchen, I consider the motivations for scholarly authors and why building attribution into #ArtificialIntelligence systems is vital to continuing the recognition ecosystem that motivates their writing. After announcements by Wiley, Taylor & Francis Group and Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), there is growing momentum to license #Scholarly content to #AI developers. While not discounting the author's motivations of income, nor the desire to control the distribution of their work—both of these require authors to negotiate better in copyright transfers—, publishers need to make explicit requirements for attribution in their contracts with tech companies.

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It was great discussing SB 1047, California's controversial AI regulation bill, with legal and policy experts Cecilia Ziniti, CEO of GC AI, Todd O'Boyle at Chamber of Progress, and August Gweon at Covington & Burling. I learned a lot. SB 1047 is causing significant concern for firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Y Combinator, prompting their lobbying efforts. Opponents of the bill highlight three main issues: (1) it places the onus on developers rather than users of AI models, (2) the heavy cost of regulatory compliance discourages smaller developers, and (3) it may stifle open-source AI development and research. If passed, the bill will apply to AI companies, developers, and labs doing business in the state, regardless of where they are based. Governor Newsom's decision will be crucial once the bill reaches his desk. Note: This piece was written before Sen. Wiener responded to a16z and YC. https://lnkd.in/eiYJFDeq Article Link: https://lnkd.in/efiDJyC6

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Join FutureEd and a national panel of experts for a lively webinar conversation on Nov 13 at noon about the future of state standardized testing, a critical but controversial issue in the national education conversation. Register here: https://lnkd.in/exdAGnfV  #standardizedtesting #ESSA #schoolaccountability

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Experiment - Using Google Gemini Flash to help apply for #SNAP Benefits in #Alaska - #LocalGovernments should make sure there is info (or refine info) available for #GenAI #Agents to help residents access government services. Try it yourself (it is magic) - https://lnkd.in/gYhr-fcs Not the best example video because you can't hear the audio of me asking for help, but you can hear the response and Gemini Flash can see the shared web browser screen. Basically I can ask about wanting to apply for SNAP benefits in Alaska and ask about particular form questions and get audio response back as I navigate the application. This could be a hugely useful tool for people in libraries who can only access a computer for 1/2 hour at a time and get help filling forms out. I also see a use case with using the Internal Revenue Service Free Direct File tool for eligible people, that is now available in Alaska for 2025 (2024 taxes) to ask questions in real time. Tons of privacy and security issues to figure out but I can think of hundreds of use cases. I can also see a tool my mom could use to help navigate her iPhone. Governments should make this easier for residents to use but also improve the underlying systems to reduce the need for detailed help. #Gemini #Flash #Google #GenAI #MultiModal #LocalGovernment #Government ELGL: Engaging Local Government Leaders Bloomberg Cities Food Bank of Alaska State of Alaska #FoodSecurity

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The Center for Democracy and Technology in congressional testimony offered an extensive critique of AI-powered facial recognition while emphasizing the need to establish safeguards before the federal government and other entities deploy technologies that could pose challenges to civil rights and civil liberties. “Facial recognition serves as a premiere example of why responsible use of AI technologies is critical to ensuring safety as well as civil rights and civil liberties,” Jake Laperruque, deputy director of CDT’s Security and Surveillance Project, testified May 22 before the House Homeland Security Committee. “Facial recognition is especially fitting in evaluating responsible use because it is an AI technology that the government has used for law enforcement and security purposes for roughly a decade. Facial recognition can provide a roadmap of why key principles are essential, as well as offer clear warnings about how irresponsible and careless uses undermine public safety,” he said. READ MORE: #artificialintelligence

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There were too many great moments from IPA’s third Embedded Labs Cross Country Learning Exchange (CCLE - https://lnkd.in/eik6KjyR), so I’m going to highlight them one by one. First, the basics: The CCLE, co-hosted by IPA and Uganda’s Ministry of Education and Sports, brought together 12 Ministries of Education to discuss the embedded evidence labs they are building in their contexts - all with the goal of getting evidence to inform policy in their own settings. One big theme to highlight first: *ownership*. One of my favorite quotes of the week was from a government official who, after describing why the lab was placed in *another* Director’s department (not his!), concluded “And that shows that the lab belongs to everybody” - because as a Ministry, this government placed the lab where they all could use it best, and where it can best fulfill its mission of making learning, evidence, and data a routine part of education policymaking.  Hearing government colleagues talk about their labs—and hanging out in the background while they advise each other on strategies to strengthen their labs, based on their experiences shared so openly and authentically—clarifies who owns the labs, and it’s not IPA! The tone and strength of this message is hard to express without being in the room, and that’s one of the reasons to bring 12 education ministries together in person. What a privilege.

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It is time for a transparent robust scientific evaluation of the health risks of cell phone radiation and an assessment of the adequacy of the FCCs 1996 human exposure limits. Common sense public health policies are needed to inform the public and mitigate risk. Industrial solutions exist that can allow internet connections without RF radiation exposure. In a recent meta-analysis published in Environmental Health, researchers found a statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer in people who used cell phones for over 10 years.  As Dr. Joel Moskowitz shared on his blog www.saferemr.com, this is one of seven meta-analyses that has linked higher cell phone use to tumors. They found an increased risk of brain tumors in studies where individuals had cumulative call times of 896 hours or more. Relative Risk 2.89 People who typically held the phone against one side of their head during calls had a higher risk of developing cancer on that side. Relative Risk 3.53 https://lnkd.in/erVpMNXy

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Raeanne C. Moore, Ph.D., a Doctor of Psychiatry and Professor at UC San Diego and the Co-Founder of NeuroUX, a health-tech that is changing the way medical professionals collect cognitive and psychological data in studies and in clinical work joins eHealth Radio and the Health News and Psychology Channels. #brainhealth #psychologicaldata #psychology #healthtech #healthnews #healthpodcast

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