News by Subject Policy & Ethics

Rapid deployment of artificial intelligence and machine learning to tackle coronavirus must still go through ethical checks and balances, or we risk harming already disadvantaged communities in the rush to defeat the disease, according to Cambridge researchers.

Study shows correlation between Twitter sentiment and the valuation of start-ups by venture capitalists / Patents are stronger indicators of long-term success

A new first-of-its-kind study has questioned whether pub operators can effectively and consistently prevent COVID-19 transmission - after researchers observed risks arising in licensed premises last summer.

Since 1997, when the US supreme court metaphorically called the Internet the free market of ideas, attempts at regulation have been blocked by the 1st amendment. But with power concentrated in a few platforms, that metaphor is now misleading, says a study by Bocconi's Oreste Pollicino

An opinion piece published today online calls for a national vaccine strategy now that COVID-19 vaccines are available. The author writes that a lack of clarity on a distribution plan sets unrealistic expectations among the public and could undermine public trust. But even with a clearly defined strategy in place, vaccinating hundreds of millions of Americans will not be easy.

A McGill University-led research team has analyzed big data of more than 200,000 groundwater samples taken from across the state and found that there are problems with the guidelines used for groundwater management. Known as the 'Base of Fresh Water', the guidelines are close to fifty years old and don't reflect current uses, knowledge, concerns or technologies related to managing groundwater in this coastal state with a multi-billion-dollar agricultural industry.

Research shows that more regular financial reporting increases managerial myopia and stifles innovation.

A procedure that may help personalise anticancer therapies has just been developed by the CNRS, INSERM, and Aix-Marseille University scientists in association with colleagues from the University of California San Francisco and the Marseille Public University Hospital System (AP-HM), with support from Canceropôle Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Their patented technique reveals the energy status of cells, an indicator of their activity.

A review of public comments on a proposed FDA regulatory framework, for modifications to artificial intelligence and machine learning-based software as a medical device, has found that 63% came from parties with financial ties to industry, and that the majority, 86% did not cite any scientific evidence.

The increasing threat of foreign interference in elections has driven six nations to take similar approaches to combat this pervasive threat. A review of the details to their responses brings out valuable differences and insights.