By Umberto Bacchi
TBILISI, Feb 19 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Tasked with tackling sky-high rates of vaccine hesitancy in Kazakhstan, an online chatbot has been enlisted to shatter myths and dispel doubts about the COVID-19 jab as the Central Asian nation kicks off its inoculation drive.
Only about 25% of Kazakhs say they would opt to be vaccinated against the coronavirus compared with 75% of Britons and 56% of Americans, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.
Such findings spurred the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to launch the new tech tool to counter widespread misinformation by providing a reliable source of facts and figures about COVID-19.
In a move that will give chills to fans of the dystopian movie "The Matrix", scientists have developed a wearable device that could use the human body to replace batteries.
By Umberto Bacchi, Thomson Reuters Foundation
5 Min Read
(Recasts lead, adds additional comment)
TBILISI, Feb 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A lie detector driven by artificial intelligence and trialled at European Union borders is the focus of a lawsuit that hopes to bring more transparency over the bloc’s funding of “ethically questionable” technology, its proponent said.
Patrick Breyer, a European lawmaker, is requesting the release of EU Research Agency (REA) documents evaluating the 4.5 million euro ($5.4 million) trial of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) lie detectors to ramp up EU border security.
“I want to create a precedent to make sure that the public . can access information on EU-funded research,” said Breyer, of Germany’s Pirate Party, who has described the technology as a “pseudo-scientific security hocus pocus”.
By Umberto Bacchi, Thomson Reuters Foundation
6 Min Read Rights activists warn a lack of clear rules allows for abuse Authorities say cameras identify people who have committed crimes
TBILISI, Feb 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Russian authorities are deploying facial recognition cameras to identify protesters during rallies in support of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny in Moscow, human rights groups said, warning that the technology is being used to stifle peaceful dissent.
With more than 105,000 cameras, Moscow boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive surveillance systems - which authorities say has helped cut crime and enforce coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Yet, since the system became fully operational last year, rights activists have noted that cameras have been used to monitor political demonstrations, with a lack of clear rules allowing for abuse of the system.