Winchester Journalism Society

Author: winchesterjournalismsocietydaily

  • The Problems with Artificial Intelligence

    …when we start to treat artificial intelligence as what it actually is – artificial – we may be able to tackle it more appropriately.

    The development of Artificial Intelligence since the 2010s and its startling acceleration in the 2020s has left little opportunity to adapt to the reality that is automated AI chat bots and distortions of the truth. Or better described as the death of customer service; the erasure of critical thinking; the steady descent of humankind into madness.

    Its accessibility is attractive, with the vastly popular chat bot ‘ChatGPT’ capable of understanding and creating humanised texts, as well as formulating coherent and effective responses to its users. Just a Google search will reveal itself and it is available for free and is available for ‘premium’ service for paying users. It is a tool used by millions of people, in education and businesses, or even for personal use. And it does come with obvious benefits: the chat bot saves time; it is cost effective; it enhances creativity; it is available 24/7. Its capabilities are impressive and skilled.

    So, what makes it problematic? According to a report from the GDSA (Government Digital Sustainability Alliance) published on the UK’s government site, in ChatGPT’s developmental ‘pre-training phase’, 700,000 litres of water were used to allow the technology to successfully interact. The GDSA report also predicts that the global water usage will increase from 1.1bn to 6.6bn cubic metres by 2027. To put into perspective the staggering increase, this is equivalent to more than half of the UK’s total water shortage.

    The World Economic Forum Report on Global Risks has determined that ‘adverse impacts of AI technologies’ and ‘biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse’ are significant risks in the next 10 years. With the water demand from AI technologies like ChatGPT, water scarcity and water stress become a more intense challenge and threaten global and nation water security. In turn, the biodiversity of local areas and wildlife, as well as human populations, are under threat.

    Tackling AI and its readily attainable features are vital for protecting the environment, health and personal wellbeing. An investigation from the Guardian found that people were often being misled by false or deceptive information in AI Overviews on Google, in response to health queries. The Guardian said one case led experts to describe a ‘dangerous’ and ‘alarming’ situation in which AI Overviews provided false information regarding crucial liver function tests that could lead to people with serious liver disease being unaware of their conditions. In response to this, Google have since removed AI Overviews for the searches ‘what is the normal range for liver blood tests’ and ‘what is the normal range for liver function tests’.

    The Guardian’s investigation is thought-provoking and incredibly striking. It reminds me that AI should be known for what it is. And when we start to treat artificial intelligence as what it actually is – artificial – we may be able to tackle it more appropriately. This means acknowledging its purpose which is to imitate and mimic human intelligence and behaviours. It means harnessing its accessibility to allow it to be used for its potential benefits like revolutionising healthcare.

    Its modern use is problematic and has been shown to implement ‘human biases and patterns of discrimination’ according to BMJ Global Health. They provided examples such as an AI driven pulse oximeter which ‘overestimated blood oxygen levels in patients with darker skin, resulting in the under-treatment of their hypoxia’. They also found that facial recognition systems fail to distinguish gender in darker-skinned subjects, and that there is a lack of representation in datasets underlying AI solutions for populations that are subject to discrimination.

    As if that is not enough to display the danger of AI, people are being digitally stripped on the social media platform X by its AI chat bot ‘Grok’. The disturbing nature of this revelation is that even children are at risk of being exploited and sexualised. Elon Musk who owns X has since disabled the use of this image function for users who are not paying a monthly fee. In the UK, the Technology Secretary Liz Knedall has given her backing to Ofcom to block the UK’s access to X for its failure to comply with the UK’s Online Safety Act. She said: ‘Sexually manipulating images of women and children is despicable and abhorrent’. Downing Street also stated that Elon Musk’s change to allow the function for paying users only, was ‘insulting’ to sexual violence victims.

    In 2024, two scientists, Geoffrey Hinton and John Hofield, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work towards machine learning, which significantly advanced the development of AI. Geoffrey Hinton is known as the ‘grandfather of AI’, but has warned against the dangers of machines eventually outsmarting humans and has expressed concern for the future as AI grows in intelligence.

    Artificial intelligence is a magnificent display of technology and innovation. The work of scientists and technological engineers has created a powerful tool that could be used for the greater good and betterment of society and global growth. But for now, its use threatens to eradicate human involvement and presence. The more that AI develops for the casual use of our neighbours, our friends, or strangers in our cities; the closer we are to a world where we have catastrophically lost control.

  • The Space Mission No One Asked For

    The Space Mission No One Asked For

    And the ‘Hot N Cold’ reactions

    By Abigail Doherty

    Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin successfully launched the first all-female space mission since 1963’s Valentina Tereshkova’s solo space flight, which sent the first woman to space.

    The crew consisted of singer-songwriter and popstar, Katy Perry; journalist and author as well as Bezos’ fiancée, Lauren Sanchez; author and CBS news journalist, Gayle King; civil rights activist, Amanda Nguyen; aerospace engineer and former rocket scientist, Aisha Bowe; and film producer, Kerianne Flynn.

    The 10 minute flight was enough to make history, sending the first person of Bahamian heritage, and the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to space. Not to mention, the inspiration of an all-female crew which boasted a group of successful and talented people, empowering women to take daring risks.

    Sanchez chose her crew hoping “to inspire new generations to be interested in space exploration”. And Amanda Nguyen emphasized the significance of gender-based violence being the reason that women in STEM don’t continue with their training, a situation she is all too familiar with and passionate about preventing.

    So it sounds like the intentions were pure, and the purpose of the mission was to empower young women and recognise women in STEM for their contributions to aerospace and space technology.

    A message seemingly lost in translation.

    The women sported jumpsuits specially designed by the fashion brand, Monse, which designers Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim “tailored to fit a woman”. Garcia envisioned a suit “that was a little dangerous, like a motocross outfit. Or a ski suit. Flattering and sexy.” Kim visualised a “slim and fitted suit”.

    The designing of the suits created an exciting opportunity to showcase a suit with women’s bodies in mind, diverging from the gear traditionally tailored for a man’s body and proportions. In 2019, the first all-female spacewalk was cancelled by NASA following the revelation that they did not have two suitably sized spacesuits for the participating women. As a result, a man and a woman went up to space instead.

    So what was so problematic about the visions the designers and crew had for Blue Origin’s space suits? The most obvious issue is in the sexualisation of the women, and oversaturated notion that women have to perform even in something as extraordinary as going to space. The message that was intended to be sent to inspire young women and younger generations is overshadowed and replaced by a reminder of society’s rigorously harsh beauty standards and gender-normative attitudes.

    Many celebrities have reacted via social media, in protest of the space venture. Model and actor, Emily Ratajkowski, said in a TikTok video, that she was “disgusted” by the launch, calling it “beyond parody”. Others chose a more light-hearted form of mockery. Comedian, Amy Schumer, posted a sarcastic video on her Instagram joking that she was invited to join the Blue Origin crew, attracting the attention of over a million Instagram users, who viewed the post.

    The crew vehemently defended the launch however, King claiming that those who criticise the mission “[don’t] really understand what is happening here”. She told People: “We can all speak to the response we’re getting from young women from young girls about what this represents.”

    Admittedly, it is a huge success and step forward for space tourism and travel, which has come a long way, and represents a more inclusive landscape in the aerospace industry.

    On the other hand, there is an infuriating reality that this was a space mission that no one asked for, and one that takes centre-stage in news coverage, whilst death tolls rise in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Russia and Ukraine, in the Sudanese civil war and the civil war in Myanmar.

    Those are just of the few of the devastating events claiming the lives of innocent civilians whilst out of touch celebrities orbit the Earth for ten minutes. Ten minutes that for many is the difference between living and dying. Escape and capture. Fighting and surrendering.