- nexa - server-nexa.polito.it

siamo davvero irripetibili? was: sistemi di IA e scrittura
by alessandro marzocchi Feb. 15, 2024

Feb. 15, 2024

Siamo davvero irripetibili? Mi appassiona la domanda: davvero i nostri cervelli funzionano diversamente dall'IA? Cordialmente, Duccio (Alessandro Marzocchi) Il 9 feb 2024 alle ore 12:00 <nexa-request(a)server-nexa.polito.it> Daniela Tafani ha scritto: > > Grazie della segnalazione, Maurizio. > Sono domande che Joseph Weizenbaum poneva, anche a proposito della > comprensione del linguaggio naturale, > in Computer power and human reason: > > The second kind of computer application that ought to be avoided, or at > least not undertaken without very careful forethought, > is that which can easily be seen to have irreversible and not entirely > foreseeable side effects. If, in addition, such an application cannot > be shown to meet a pressing human need that cannot readily be met in any > other way, then it ought not to be pursued. The latter stricture > follows directly from the argument I have already presented about the > scarcity of human intelligence. > The example I wish to cite here is that of the automatic recognition of > human speech. There are now three or four major > projects in the United States devoted to enabling computers to understand > human speech, that is, to programming them in such a > way that verbal speech directed at them can be converted into the same > internal representations that would result if what had been said > to them had been typed into their consoles. > The problem, as can readily be seen, is very much more complicated than > that of natural-language understanding as such, for > in order to understand a stream of coherent speech, the language in which > that speech is rendered must be understood in the first place. > The solution of the "speech-understanding problem" therefore presupposes > the solution of the "natural-language-understanding > problem." And we have seen that, for the latter, we have only "the tiniest > bit of relevant knowledge." But I am not here concerned with > the technical feasibility of the task, nor with any estimate of just how > little or greatly optimistic we might be about its completion. > Why should we want to undertake this task at all? I have asked this > question of many enthusiasts for the project. The most cheerful > answer I have been able to get is that it will help physicians record > their medical notes and then translate these notes into action more > efficiently. Of course, anything that has any ostensible connection to > medicine is automatically considered good. But here we have to > remember that the problem is so enormous that only the largest possible > computers will ever be able to manage it. In other words, > even if the desired system were successfully designed, it would probably > require a computer so large and therefore so expensive > that only the largest and best-endowed hospitals could possibly afford > it—but in fact the whole system might be so prohibitively > expensive that even they could not afford it. The question then becomes, > is this really what medicine needs most at this time? > Would not the talent, not to mention the money and the resources it > represents, be better spent on projects that attack more urgent and > more fundamental problems of health care? > But then, this alleged justification of speech-recognition "research" is > merely a rationalization anyway. (I put the word > "research" in quotation marks because the work I am here discussing is > mere tinkering. I have no objection to serious scientists > studying the psycho-physiology of human speech recognition.) If one asks > such questions of the principal sponsor of this work, the > Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the United States Department > of Defense, as was recently done at an open meeting, > the answer given is that the Navy hopes to control its ships, and the > other services their weapons, by voice commands. This project then > represents, in the eyes of its chief sponsor, a long step toward a fully > automated battlefield. I see no reason to advise my students to lend > their talents to that aim. > I have urged my students and colleagues to ask still another question > about this project: Granted that a speech-recognition > machine is bound to be enormously expensive, and that only governments and > possibly a very few very large corporations will > therefore be able to afford it, what will they use it for? What can it > possibly be used for? There is no question in my mind that there is > no pressing human problem that will more easily be solved because such > machines exist. But such listening machines, could they be > made, will make monitoring of voice communication very much easier than it > now is. Perhaps the only reason that there is very little > government surveillance of telephone conversations in many countries of > the world is that such surveillance takes so much > manpower. Each conversation on a tapped phone must eventually be listened > to by a human agent. But speech-recognizing machines > could delete all "uninteresting" conversations and present transcripts of > only the remaining ones to their masters. I do not for a moment > believe that we will achieve this capability within the future so clearly > visible to Newell and Simon. But I do ask, why should a talented > computer technologist lend his support to such a project? As a citizen I > ask, why should my government spend approximately 2.5 > million dollars a year (as it now does) on this project? > > https://archive.org/details/computerpowerhum0000weiz_v0i3/page/270 > > Un saluto, > Daniela > ________________________________________ > Da: nexa <nexa-bounces(a)server-nexa.polito.it> per conto di maurizio lana < > maurizio.lana(a)uniupo.it> > Inviato: giovedì 8 febbraio 2024 16:57 > A: NEXA ML > Oggetto: [nexa] sistemi di IA e scrittura > > mi sono imbattuto in questo libro: > Baron, Naomi S. Who wrote this? how AI and the lure of efficiency threaten > human writing. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2023. > > nel capitolo finale l'autrice scrive: > Imagine a world where AI’s current writing challenges have been solved. > Where large language models (or their successors) don’t churn out ugliness. > Where using them is energy efficient. Where predictive texting, spellcheck, > and grammar programs are infallible. Where AI can produce lengthy texts > that are non-repetitive, stylistically interesting, factually accurate, and > always on topic. Oh, and can generate text that’s indistinguishable from > what you might have written. Where would this world leave us humans? > As we weigh options, keep in mind potential blowback of getting what we > wish for. Cultural lore—be it of King Midas in Greek mythology, the > recurrent “three wishes” stories across European tales, or W. W. Jacobs’s > more modern “The Monkey’s Paw”—reminds us that attractive prospects may > bear unforeseen consequences. > lo trovo interessante perché molta parte della riflessione critica sui > sistemi di AI si appunta su singoli aspetti mal-funzionanti/dis-funzionanti. > mentre qui c'è una riflessione critica globale, 'a prescindere', che si > esprime sui sistemi di IA ma che riguarda ogni ambito: è desiderabile/quali > conseguenze ha, che in ogni campo ogni necessità sia risolta e ogni > difficoltà operativa sia eliminata ? > "teletrasporto per tutti a costo zero" e via in cima al monte Bianco con > un tasto (in questo esempio si vede che sono proprio uno al pie' dei monti > - piemontese): che cosa mi significherebbe? > > Maurizio > > > ________________________________ > > quanti nella loro vita > si fecero custodi delle termopili, > sono degni di più grande onore > se prevedono (e molti lo prevedono) > che all’ultimo comparirà un efialte > e comunque i persiani passeranno > kostantinos kavafis, termopili > > ________________________________ > Maurizio Lana > Università del Piemonte Orientale > Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici > Piazza Roma 36 - 13100 Vercelli > > > >

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#DiPLab 2024 webinar on platform workers' mobilization (26 Feb. 2024)
by Antonio Casilli Feb. 13, 2024

Feb. 13, 2024

Dear all, We are excited to announce the start of our 2024 #DiPLab seminar series with an engaging full-day webinar titled “Collective Mobilization and Digital Labor: Precarity in the Platform Economy between South America and Europe”: https://diplab.eu/webinar-collective-mobilization-and-digital-labor-between… Date: 26th February 2024 Time: 🇧🇷 9:00-16:30 Brasília Time (BRT – UTC-3) 🇬🇧 12:00-19:30 London (UTC) 🇫🇷 13:00-20:30 Paris (UTC+1) Participation is FREE, but registration is required. Registration Link: https://forms.gle/xxfbh16fpDNhsbut5 Communications will be delivered in English and Portuguese. Download program in English: https://diplab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Collective-Mobilization-and-Di… Download program in Portuguese: https://diplab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Mobilizacao-Coletiva-e-Trabalh… Program: Session 1 – Informality, Collective Mobilization and Global Data Supply Chain 🇧🇷 9:00 🇬🇧 12:00 🇫🇷 13:00 Ludmila Costhek Abilio (Instituto de Estudos Avançados, Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil): Uberization and Informalization Process: Periphery and the Future of Work. Jonas Valente (Oxford Internet Institute, Universidade de Oxford, England): Workers’ Association and Resistance in Cloudwork Digital Labour Platforms: Challenges and Opportunities. Baptiste Delmas (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, France): Resources and Limits of Law in Collective Mobilizations of Platform Workers in Europe. Session 2 – Piecework, Artificial Intelligence, and Mobilizations Perspectives 🇧🇷 13:30 🇬🇧 16:30 🇫🇷 17:30 Antonio Casilli (Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Télécom Paris, France): Where does Artificial Intelligence come from? Mobilization Perspectives in the Global Labor Markets of Data. Laura Valle Gontijo (Universidade de Brasília, UNB, Brazil): Impacts of piecework on platform workers’ consciousness. Matheus Viana Braz (Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, UEMG, Brazil): Click Work and Collective Mobilization: Tensions and Resistances in the Global South. This event, co-organized by Matheus Viana Braz and myself, marks a continued collaboration between researchers from the DiPLab and LATRAPS research groups, after the publication in 2023 of the report "Microwork in Brazil": https://diplab.eu/who-trains-the-data-for-artificial-intelligence-in-brazil… If you know anyone who might be interested, please forward this information to them. Cheers, Antonio Casilli -- Antonio A. Casilli Professor, Telecom Paris | Institut Polytechnique de Paris (Until Oct. 2024) Invited professor, Center for Internet & Society, Paris (CNRS) Associate researcher, Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Berlin Faculty Fellow, Nexa Center for Internet & Society, Turin *We respect your right to disconnect. My workflow efficiency accounts for this email send time. Taking action or responding outside of office hours is not mandatory*

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Just AI Lab - borse di dottorato
by Guido Noto La Diega Feb. 12, 2024

Feb. 12, 2024

Carissime/i, questo bando di dottorato sara' d'interesse per chiunque voglia condurre ricerche sui profili giuridici dell'Intelligenza Artificiale e su come questa possa essere messa al servizio dell'umanita'. The University of Stirling’s Just AI Lab <https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/institute-for-advanced-stu…> is inviting applications for a number of fully-funded PhDs about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the law. The Lab’s mission is to assist the just transition to socially just, trustworthy, responsible, open, inclusive, and sustainable AI through impactful mission-oriented interdisciplinary research. The guide for applicants is here <https://www.stir.ac.uk/research/research-degrees/institute-for-advanced-stu…>. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to the Lab’s Director Professor Guido Noto La Diega <justailab(a)stir.ac.uk> to discuss initial ideas, and to register for the information webinars on the 7th March <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.te…> and on the 12th March <https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fevents.te…>. Research proposals and personal statements are to be submitted by 25th March. Con preghiera di diffusione, Guido Prof. Guido Noto La Diega, PhD FHEA Avv Chair in Intellectual Property & Technology Law* @stirlaw <https://twitter.com/StirLaw>* Martin-Flynn Global Law Professor @UConn <https://law.uconn.edu/faculty/martin-flynn-global-law-faculty/> Fellow @nexacenter <https://nexa.polito.it/about-en> E: notoladiega(a)gmail.com Find me on LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/guido-noto-la-diega-6696146/> and BlueSky <https://bsky.app/profile/guidonld.bsky.social> <https://bsky.app/profile/guidonld.bsky.social> For open access to my research, my blog, and more: https://linktr.ee/guidonld To freely download my book *Internet of Things and the Law *(Routledge 2022) click here <https://guidonotoladiega.wordpress.com/buy-the-book-iot-law/>

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MEMENTO | 169° Mercoledì di Nexa | 14 febbraio 2024, ore 17.00
by Valeria Bergantino Feb. 12, 2024

Feb. 12, 2024

Gentilissime, gentilissimi, Vi ricordiamo che *mercoledì 14 febbraio*, alle ore 17.00, si terrà il *169° Mercoledì di Nexa* con un incontro dal titolo /*"*//*Blurring boundaries: an analysis of the digital platforms-military nexus*//*"*/. Ospite dell'incontro: *Dario Guarascio* (Sapienza Università di Roma)/*.*/ _L'incontro si terrà IN PRESENZA e ONLINE._ _SEDE FISICA_ dell'incontro: Centro Nexa su Internet e Società, Politecnico di Torino, Via Boggio 65/a, Torino (1° piano). Per accedere alla sala si raccomanda di suonare al citofono *Portineria* e di seguire le indicazioni segnalate lungo il percorso. QUI <https://nexa.polito.it/contatti> maggiori informazioni su come raggiungerci. _STANZA VIRTUALE_ dell'incontro: https://didattica.polito.it/VClass/NexaEvent Maggiori informazioni alla pagina: https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-169 <https://nexa.polito.it/mercoledi-169> Cordiali saluti, -- Valeria Bergantino Communication Officer Nexa Center for Internet & Society Politecnico di Torino - DAUIN Via Pier Carlo Boggio, 65/A - 10138 Torino web: https://nexa.polito.it/ <https://nexa.polito.it/> mail: valeria.bergantino(a)polito.it <mailto:valeria.bergantino@polito.it> tel: 3473443585

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sistemi di IA e scrittura
by maurizio lana Feb. 10, 2024

Feb. 10, 2024

mi sono imbattuto in questo libro: Baron, Naomi S. /Who wrote this? how AI and the lure of efficiency threaten human writing/. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2023. nel capitolo finale l'autrice scrive: > Imagine a world where AI’s current writing challenges have been > solved. Where large language models (or their successors) don’t churn > out ugliness. Where using them is energy efficient. Where predictive > texting, spellcheck, and grammar programs are infallible. Where AI can > produce lengthy texts that are non-repetitive, stylistically > interesting, factually accurate, and always on topic. Oh, and can > generate text that’s indistinguishable from what you might have > written. Where would this world leave us humans? > As we weigh options, keep in mind potential blowback of getting what > we wish for. Cultural lore—be it of King Midas in Greek mythology, the > recurrent “three wishes” stories across European tales, or W. W. > Jacobs’s more modern “The Monkey’s Paw”—reminds us that attractive > prospects may bear unforeseen consequences. lo trovo interessante perché molta parte della riflessione critica sui sistemi di AI si appunta su singoli aspetti mal-funzionanti/dis-funzionanti. mentre qui c'è una riflessione critica globale, 'a prescindere', che si esprime sui sistemi di IA ma che riguarda ogni ambito: è desiderabile/quali conseguenze ha, che in ogni campo ogni necessità sia risolta e ogni difficoltà operativa sia eliminata ? "teletrasporto per tutti a costo zero" e via in cima al monte Bianco con un tasto (in questo esempio si vede che sono proprio uno al pie' dei monti - piemontese): che cosa mi significherebbe? Maurizio ------------------------------------------------------------------------ quanti nella loro vita si fecero custodi delle termopili, sono degni di più grande onore se prevedono (e molti lo prevedono) che all’ultimo comparirà un efialte e comunque i persiani passeranno kostantinos kavafis, termopili ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maurizio Lana Università del Piemonte Orientale Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Piazza Roma 36 - 13100 Vercelli

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Re: [nexa] sistemi di IA e scrittura
by maurizio lana Feb. 10, 2024

Feb. 10, 2024

ciao Daniela, grazie di questo richiamo a Weizenbaum. a me pare che Baron sia ancora più radicale di Weizenbaum con la sua domanda "Where would this world leave us humans?" (che può benissimo essere posta a conclusione anche del passo di Weizenbaum) dopo tempi in cui abbiamo cercato di ridurre con le macchine, ed eliminare, la necessità di azione fisica degli umani perché ciò era liberazione da dolore e malattie e perché la quantità di azione fisica limitava la vita con le ore di lavoro e con il consumo precoce del fisico; ora analogamente abbiamo un'inerzia (una spinta inerziale) che ci porta a pensare che anche nel lavoro intellettuale sia buona cosa che le macchie ci supportino (qui siamo sempre a Licklider e Engelbart) ma l'inerzia va oltre e ammette che sia buona cosa che le macchine ci sostituiscano nel lavoro intellettuale, nella produzione intellettuale. quel che forse è peggio, trattandosi di SALAMI non sono in realtà in grado di sostituirci, ma molti lo credono. Baron però dice a mio avviso una cosa ancora più destabilizzante: se anche i SALAMI non fossero salami ma autentiche intelligenze, "where would this world leave us humans?" "dove ci lascerebbe" è una buona metafora per sintetizzare un insieme di domande di filosofia politica: sarebbe appropriato? sarebbe etico? sarebbe desiderabile? sarebbe utile? e poi, per chi: per tutti per alcuni, per pochi? Maurizio > Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2024 17:44:33 +0000 > From: Daniela Tafani<daniela.tafani(a)unipi.it> > To: maurizio lana<maurizio.lana(a)uniupo.it>, NEXA ML > <nexa(a)server-nexa.polito.it> > Subject: Re: [nexa] sistemi di IA e scrittura > Message-ID:<9522eafc77af43599e0fc09909447af3(a)unipi.it> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252" > > Grazie della segnalazione, Maurizio. > Sono domande che Joseph Weizenbaum poneva, anche a proposito della comprensione del linguaggio naturale, > in Computer power and human reason: > > The second kind of computer application that ought to be avoided, or at least not undertaken without very careful forethought, > is that which can easily be seen to have irreversible and not entirely foreseeable side effects. If, in addition, such an application cannot > be shown to meet a pressing human need that cannot readily be met in any other way, then it ought not to be pursued. The latter stricture > follows directly from the argument I have already presented about the scarcity of human intelligence. > The example I wish to cite here is that of the automatic recognition of human speech. There are now three or four major > projects in the United States devoted to enabling computers to understand human speech, that is, to programming them in such a > way that verbal speech directed at them can be converted into the same internal representations that would result if what had been said > to them had been typed into their consoles. > The problem, as can readily be seen, is very much more complicated than that of natural-language understanding as such, for > in order to understand a stream of coherent speech, the language in which that speech is rendered must be understood in the first place. > The solution of the "speech-understanding problem" therefore presupposes the solution of the "natural-language-understanding > problem." And we have seen that, for the latter, we have only "the tiniest bit of relevant knowledge." But I am not here concerned with > the technical feasibility of the task, nor with any estimate of just how little or greatly optimistic we might be about its completion. > Why should we want to undertake this task at all? I have asked this question of many enthusiasts for the project. The most cheerful > answer I have been able to get is that it will help physicians record their medical notes and then translate these notes into action more > efficiently. Of course, anything that has any ostensible connection to medicine is automatically considered good. But here we have to > remember that the problem is so enormous that only the largest possible computers will ever be able to manage it. In other words, > even if the desired system were successfully designed, it would probably require a computer so large and therefore so expensive > that only the largest and best-endowed hospitals could possibly afford it—but in fact the whole system might be so prohibitively > expensive that even they could not afford it. The question then becomes, is this really what medicine needs most at this time? > Would not the talent, not to mention the money and the resources it represents, be better spent on projects that attack more urgent and > more fundamental problems of health care? > But then, this alleged justification of speech-recognition "research" is merely a rationalization anyway. (I put the word > "research" in quotation marks because the work I am here discussing is mere tinkering. I have no objection to serious scientists > studying the psycho-physiology of human speech recognition.) If one asks such questions of the principal sponsor of this work, the > Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the United States Department of Defense, as was recently done at an open meeting, > the answer given is that the Navy hopes to control its ships, and the other services their weapons, by voice commands. This project then > represents, in the eyes of its chief sponsor, a long step toward a fully automated battlefield. I see no reason to advise my students to lend > their talents to that aim. > I have urged my students and colleagues to ask still another question about this project: Granted that a speech-recognition > machine is bound to be enormously expensive, and that only governments and possibly a very few very large corporations will > therefore be able to afford it, what will they use it for? What can it possibly be used for? There is no question in my mind that there is > no pressing human problem that will more easily be solved because such machines exist. But such listening machines, could they be > made, will make monitoring of voice communication very much easier than it now is. Perhaps the only reason that there is very little > government surveillance of telephone conversations in many countries of the world is that such surveillance takes so much > manpower. Each conversation on a tapped phone must eventually be listened to by a human agent. But speech-recognizing machines > could delete all "uninteresting" conversations and present transcripts of only the remaining ones to their masters. I do not for a moment > believe that we will achieve this capability within the future so clearly visible to Newell and Simon. But I do ask, why should a talented > computer technologist lend his support to such a project? As a citizen I ask, why should my government spend approximately 2.5 > million dollars a year (as it now does) on this project? > > https://archive.org/details/computerpowerhum0000weiz_v0i3/page/270 > > Un saluto, > Daniela > ________________________________________ > Da: nexa<nexa-bounces(a)server-nexa.polito.it> per conto di maurizio lana<maurizio.lana(a)uniupo.it> > Inviato: giovedì 8 febbraio 2024 16:57 > A: NEXA ML > Oggetto: [nexa] sistemi di IA e scrittura > > mi sono imbattuto in questo libro: > Baron, Naomi S. Who wrote this? how AI and the lure of efficiency threaten human writing. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 2023. > > nel capitolo finale l'autrice scrive: > Imagine a world where AI’s current writing challenges have been solved. Where large language models (or their successors) don’t churn out ugliness. Where using them is energy efficient. Where predictive texting, spellcheck, and grammar programs are infallible. Where AI can produce lengthy texts that are non-repetitive, stylistically interesting, factually accurate, and always on topic. Oh, and can generate text that’s indistinguishable from what you might have written. Where would this world leave us humans? > As we weigh options, keep in mind potential blowback of getting what we wish for. Cultural lore—be it of King Midas in Greek mythology, the recurrent “three wishes” stories across European tales, or W. W. Jacobs’s more modern “The Monkey’s Paw”—reminds us that attractive prospects may bear unforeseen consequences. > lo trovo interessante perché molta parte della riflessione critica sui sistemi di AI si appunta su singoli aspetti mal-funzionanti/dis-funzionanti. > mentre qui c'è una riflessione critica globale, 'a prescindere', che si esprime sui sistemi di IA ma che riguarda ogni ambito: è desiderabile/quali conseguenze ha, che in ogni campo ogni necessità sia risolta e ogni difficoltà operativa sia eliminata ? > "teletrasporto per tutti a costo zero" e via in cima al monte Bianco con un tasto (in questo esempio si vede che sono proprio uno al pie' dei monti - piemontese): che cosa mi significherebbe? > > Maurizio ------------------------------------------------------------------------ la montagna è la prima che insegna a durare antonia pozzi ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Maurizio Lana Università del Piemonte Orientale Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici Piazza Roma 36 - 13100 Vercelli

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il futuro che vale la pena vivere sarà in presenza
by Enrico Nardelli Feb. 10, 2024

Feb. 10, 2024

*Finance worker pays out $25 million after video call with deepfake ‘chief financial officer’ * https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/04/asia/deepfake-cfo-scam-hong-kong-intl-hn… A finance worker at a multinational firm was tricked into paying out $25 million to fraudsters using deepfake technology to pose as the company’s chief financial officer in a video conference call, according to Hong Kong police. The elaborate scam saw the worker duped into attending a video call with what he thought were several other members of staff, but all of whom were in fact deepfake recreations, Hong Kong police said at a briefing on Friday. ---- da cui la mia riflessione: «i soli avvenimenti ai quali potremo davvero credere in futuro saranno quelli che avverranno alla nostra presenza» presentata qua https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/intelligenza-artificiale-generativa-ris… Ciao, Enrico -- -- EN https://www.hoepli.it/libro/la-rivoluzione-informatica/9788896069516.html ====================================================== Prof. Enrico Nardelli Past President di "Informatics Europe" Direttore del Laboratorio Nazionale "Informatica e Scuola" del CINI Dipartimento di Matematica - Università di Roma "Tor Vergata" Via della Ricerca Scientifica snc - 00133 Roma home page: https://www.mat.uniroma2.it/~nardelli blog: https://link-and-think.blogspot.it/ tel: +39 06 7259.4204 fax: +39 06 7259.4699 mobile: +39 335 590.2331 e-mail: nardelli(a)mat.uniroma2.it online meeting: https://blue.meet.garr.it/b/enr-y7f-t0q-ont ====================================================== --

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Sull'outsourcing di servizi ICT critici ai giganti USA...
by Damiano Verzulli Feb. 10, 2024

Feb. 10, 2024

Ho appena terminato di leggere questo articolo: => "The Dangers of Moving Key Internet Governance Functions to Amazon’s Cloud: The Case of the Netherlands" - di Corinne Cath e Bert Huber - Tech Policy press https://www.techpolicy.press/the-dangers-of-moving-key-internet-governance-… Lo trovo eccellente perché, con un taglio decisamente non-tecnico, riesce ad affrontare le criticità indotte dalla tendenza (...stra-diffusa nel nostro Paese) di affidare servizi "critici" a soggetti USA. Nel merito, l'articolo discute di una recente decisione di una entita' olandese (SIDN) di affidare la propria infrastruttura ad AWS. L'equivalente di SIDN [1], nel nostro paese, è l'Istituto di Informatica e Telematica del CNR di Pisa [2]. Entrambi hanno un ruolo *FONDAMENTALE* per il corretto funzionamento di Internet nel proprio paese. * SIDN mantiene il controllo (assegnazione, revoca, variazioni) su *TUTTI* i domini "<qualcosa>.nl" * l'IIT mantiene il controllo (assegnazione, revoca, variazioni) su *TUTTI* i domini "<qualcosa>.it" Entrambi hanno la responsabilità (soprattutto "tecnica") di fare in modo che quando un qualunque browser in giro per il mondo voglia accedere ad un sito "<qualcosa>.it"... a tale browser venga risposto con l'indirizzo IP del server che offre quel sito Detto in altri termini: se l'IIT spegnesse il suo registro, entro un tempo ragionevolmente breve (al piu', una giornata...), non sarebbe piu' possibile "risolvere" nessun dominio .it (niente "senato.it", niente "governo.it", niente "poliziadistato.it".... niente "unimi.it".... *NIENTE*). Idem per SIDN ed il suo ".nl". Gli autori dell'articolo hanno subito inquadrato i problemi potenzialmente derivanti dall'esternalizzazione di questo servizio (certamente "critico", per un Paese) ad un soggetto radicato negli USA e... hanno alzato la mano. Nell'articolo, inoltre, si abbracciano lateralmente anche altri temi. Riporto alcuni stralci: ----- [...] The case is interesting for a broader tech policy audience, as it speaks to a key trend—whereby critical services run by governments are moved to big US cloud behemoths, with little thought about the potentially harmful long-term consequences [...] Why this move to AWS by the Dutch registry and why now? The chief technology officer of SIDN claims, based on externally outsourced advice, that no European cloud company can provide the required services. The advisory report on which he bases these claims is not public. If SIDN's claims are true, it suggests that European cloud companies are unable to deliver a relatively simple computer system. This is an absurd assumption, given the independent management of Internet domains by SIDN counterparts in other European countries, such as France (.FR) and Germany (.DE). These countries and markets are significantly larger than the Netherlands, a small country with only 18 million residents and 6 million registered domain names. [...] SIDN is also correct in noting that the organization is following a broader trend. European businesses are rapidly outsourcing the management of digital systems to US firms. By loudly claiming that it is no longer possible to find cloud providers in Europe, SIDN is accelerating this problematic trend further. The well-known dangers to political independence that citizens expect from an organization classified under Dutch law as a 'provider of essential services', seem to be disregarded. If even the Dutch Internet domain registry, which describes <https://www.sidn.nl/over-sidn/waar-wij-voor-staan> itself on its website as 'an expert in what we do and fully independent,' chooses to outsource key services to Amazon, then who is still independent? This gives everyone a license to outsource all their technology. [...] And since everything is outsourced, SIDN will struggle to rebuild or rehost their services should this be needed. To be good with technology requires actually doing technology <https://berthub.eu/articles/posts/how-tech-loses-out/>. We must openly question SIDN's commercial ambitions, especially if it comes at the expense of retaining control over its core capabilities and critical services. [...] ---- In ogni caso, suggerisco la lettura integrale. Bye, DV [1] https://www.sidn.nl/en/theme/about-sidn#who-we-are [2] https://www.nic.it/it/il-mondo-del-it/chi-siamo -- Damiano Verzulli e-mail:damiano@verzulli.it --- possible?ok:while(!possible){open_mindedness++} --- "...I realized that free software would not generate the kind of income that was needed. Maybe in USA or Europe, you may be able to get a well paying job as a free software developer, but not here [in Africa]..." -- Guido Sohne - 1973-2008 http://ole.kenic.or.ke/pipermail/skunkworks/2008-April/005989.html

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OpenAI developing software that operates devices, automates tasks
by Daniela Tafani Feb. 9, 2024

Feb. 9, 2024

"by taking over a users' device"! OpenAI developing software that operates devices, automates tasks February 7, 2024 Microsoft-backed OpenAI is working on a type of agent software to automate complex tasks by taking over a users' device, The Information reported on Wednesday, citing a person with knowledge on the matter. The agent software will handle web-based tasks such as gathering public data about a set of companies, creating itineraries or booking flight tickets, according to the report, opens new tab. The new assistants - often called "agents" - promise to perform more complex personal and work tasks when commanded to by a human, without needing close supervision. OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company released its ChatGPT chatbot in late 2022 and made generative AI popular with its ability to pen sonnets and write emails. Reporting by Nathan Gomes and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva https://www.reuters.com/technology/openai-developing-software-that-operates…

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[GI-STS] Avviso di ANNULLAMENTO webinar del 16 febbraio
by Diego.Latella Feb. 9, 2024

Feb. 9, 2024

Buongiorno, Siamo spiacenti dover informare che il webinar su "Climate and Humanitarian Consequences of an even Limited Nuclear Exchange and the Actual Risks of Nuclear War" con Venance Journé e Paolo Cotta Ramusino, previsto per il 16 febbraio è stato annullato. Verrà riprogrammato a data da destinarsi. Ci scusiamo D. Latella, a nome del GI-STS -- Dott. Diego Latella - Senior Researcher CNR/ISTI, Via Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy (http:www.isti.cnr.it) FM&&T Lab. (http://fmt.isti.cnr.it) CNR/GI-STS (http://gists.pi.cnr.it) https://www.isti.cnr.it/People/D.Latella - ph: +390506212982, fax: +390506212040

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