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Link to Valerie's opening remarks reference to, "Ants use algorithms similar to those of the internet"

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Link to Valerie's opening remarks reference to, "Ants use algorithms similar to those of the internet"

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Optimization algorithms enable the ant colony to decide how many ants to send to a given food source and when to drastically reduce the number

Researchers are beginning to understand how ant colonies can make complex decisions. It's best understood, they say, as something like an optimization algorithm:

Scientists found that ants and other natural systems use optimization algorithms similar to those used by engineered systems, including the Internet. These algorithms invest incrementally more resources as long as signs are encouraging but pull back quickly at the first sign of trouble. The systems are designed to be robust, allowing for portions to fail without harming the entire system. Understanding how these algorithms work in the real world may help solve engineering problems, whereas engineered systems may offer clues to understanding the behavior of ants, cells, and other natural systems.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, "Deciphering algorithms used by ants and the Internet" at ScienceDaily The paper is open access.

The researchers explain in more detail:

The same algorithm used by Internet engineers is used by ants when they forage for food. At first, the colony may send out a single ant. When the ant returns, it provides information about how much food it got and how long it took to get it. The colony would then send out two ants. If they return with food, the colony may send out three, then four, five, and so on. But if ten ants are sent out and most do not return, then the colony does not decrease the number it sends to nine. Instead, it cuts the number by a large amount, a multiple (say half) of what it sent before: only five ants. In other words, the number of ants slowly adds up when the signals are positive, but is cut dramatically lower when the information is negative. Navlakha and Suen note that the system works even if individual ants get lost and parallels a particular type of "additive-increase/multiplicative-decrease algorithm" used on the Internet.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, "Deciphering algorithms used by ants and the Internet" at ScienceDaily The paper is open access.

Computer programmers learned a better solution to the Traveling Salesman Problem, in part, from ants:

Navigation expert Eric Cassell, author of Animal Algorithms (2021), has done a lot of work in this area, especially on the question of how life forms that do not engage in abstract "thinking," as we know it, navigate with precision. In his view, similar to that of the Cold Spring Harbor authors, something like an algorithm kicks in. It may be possible to search for the means by which the algorithm is generated in the ant's neurons or genes.

A larger conundrum is that the ant (along with many other insects) manages these complex patterns with brains of only 100,000 to one million neurons. (Humans have 3 billion neurons.) It does not appear that the original source of the intelligence that enables the algorithm is the ant itself. But that keeps nature interesting.

You may also wish to read: For ants, building a bridge is no "simple" task. Richard Stevens: There is nothing "simple" about designing neural systems and the computer systems to receive and interpret neural sensory inputs. The Quanta piece promotes a notion that software algorithms are "simple." To the contrary, it would take an army of engineers to do what ants do instinctually.

and

How do insects use their very small brains to think clearly? How do they engage in complex behaviour with only 100,000 to a million neurons? Researchers are finding that insects have a number of strategies for making the most of comparatively few neurons to enable complex behavior.

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Ants Use Algorithms Similar to Those of the Internet

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Discovering that ants follow the same principles as computer systems raises the question of the ultimate source of intelligence in nature; it's not the ant.

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Description of the panelists and moderator Eric Anctil

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Description of the panelists and moderator Eric Anctil

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Table Group Discussion Prompts and Questions

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Table Group Discussion Prompts and Questions

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Find your table notes - and see all of them

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Eric Anctil's The Secret Life of Tech podcast with "Sky", OpenAI's Chatbot

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Eric Anctil's The Secret Life of Tech podcast with "Sky", OpenAI's Chatbot

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AI Speaks for Itself - An Interview with "Sky" OpenAI's ChatGPT Chatbot

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Listen to this episode from The Secret Life of Tech on Spotify.

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Oregon Business Magazine article on developing a responsible use of AI policy

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Oregon Business Magazine article on developing a responsible use of AI policy

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by Jon Down

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Having an AI policy can help shape the development of the technology - thereby increasing the chances it will be the 'best thing ever to happen to humanity.'
How are you feeling about artificial intelligence?

Maybe the excitement you felt back when ChatGPT and other generative AI algorithms burst onto the scene has died down? Have you found it can be helpful for some tasks, and that GPT-4 and the other AI algorithms are amazing in what they can do, but AI still makes mistakes, hallucinates, and has bias and data-privacy issues? Often, using AI tools seems like more trouble than they're worth, right?

Don't be lulled. It's only been just over a year since ChatGPT came out on November 30, 2022. Stephen Hawking was right when nearly 10 years ago he said, "The rise of powerful AI will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity."

Advances in AI are happening, and more are coming. New advances will come from where we have been paying attention, such as new generative AI algorithms from OpenAI and other big tech companies - as wellas from places less on our radar that could be the missing pieces to complex puzzles leading to an order of magnitude gain. Breakthroughs in quantum computing, in other types of AI, in places outside Silicon Valley, in robotics or in some of the thousands of new AI startups around the world that have raised billions of dollars in growth capital.

This exponential rate of improvement in AI capability will lead to true artificial general intelligence (AGI, or superintelligence), with the ability to rapidly self-improve far beyond human understanding. While the exact future is difficult to predict, the general future in which we will have super-intelligent AI is predictable with near certainty.

We are starting to see how AI could be the best thing ever. In science, AlphaFold has made a millionfold breakthrough in protein structure prediction. In education, personalized tutors are becoming available for almost any type of learner. And in business, productivity gains have been demonstrated in many types of work. In the future, super-intelligent AI will be capable of creating a life of abundance and health for all of humanity.

AI applications will grow as the capability grows; most employees will be able to use AI to improve their job performance and satisfaction. A well-defined policy guiding AI usage and its integration into an organization's culture and strategy is increasingly essential for achieving organizational success. Without an AI policy, the use of AI will be uneven, and potential benefits unrealized across your organization. You've likely heard the saying "Professionals who don't use AI won't be replaced by AI, they will be replaced by professionals who do use AI." The same can be said about organizations: Those not using AI will be replaced by organizations that do - and who have a use policy to ensure they use AI effectively.
Steps to Take
In developing a useful AI policy, a good place to start is with this set of questions:

1. How does the use of AI align with our organization's strategy and vision?

2. How can the use of AI benefit our organization?

3. How should employees use AI?

4. What AI tools should employees use in their work and how do they access or acquire them?

5. What training and other resources are needed?

6. What are the ethical and legal considerations in our use of AI?

7. How can we assess and mitigate the risks of AI?

8. How are transparency and accountability issues addressed?

9. Who makes decisions about the use of AI?

10. How can our use of AI and our policy principles evolve and remain relevant?

The process of creating an AI-use policy is also critical. Of most importance is getting stakeholder input, especially from employees, as they are the people who must learn and follow the policy. Be transparent and emphasize communication. Keep it short so it will be read and internalized. Work to summarize your policy in a memorable set of AI principles. Finally, think of your AI policy as a flexible, living document that will help your employees and organization to successfully adapt to future AI developments and resolve problems that come up related to the use of AI.

Developing an AI process with these ideas in mind may take more time than a top-down approach, but it will pay dividends in delivering a more meaningful and valuable AI-use policy. An added benefit is that members of your organization will gain a foundational knowledge of AI and its potential and be better able to figure out how to use it in ethical and practical ways. This enhanced familiarity with AI has another benefit: a positive externality. To explain, let's circle back to the other option in Hawking's thesis - that AI might turn out to be the worst thing ever for humanity.

Of course, with a powerful super-intelligence whose "thinking" will be as understandable by humans as a human's intelligence is by chickens, there might be severe unintended negative consequences. Or it may be used for the benefit of only a few. This is the "worst thing ever" risk Hawking warned us about. I am convinced that, given the incentives driving the development of AI, there is a best way for humanity to minimize the catastrophic downside risk of superintelligence: That is to have most people in the world have knowledge of AI and to be thinking about and talking about how AI's development should be shaped to increase the likelihood of the good outcome. This broad knowledge base and engagement is critical to drive the regulation of AI that otherwise will be created by a small group of tech-company leaders, politicians and technical experts.

An AI policy is not just a means to harness the power of AI for organizational success but also a key step toward a future where the promise of AI is realized for humanity. By working to embed an understanding and awareness of AI across the employees of your organization, you help foster an environment where ethical use, creative exploration and critical questioning of AI become part of the culture. This is vital not just for organizational performance but also for shaping a society where AI is developed and used in ways that are beneficial, equitable, and aligned with human values.

Jon Down is a strategy and entrepreneurship professor at the University of Portland's
Pamplin School of Business.

Click here to subscribe to Oregon Business.

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Policy Brief: Why Your Organization Needs an AI Policy

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Having an AI policy can help shape the development of the technology - thereby increasing the chances it will be the 'best thing ever to happen to humanity.'

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Example AI Use Policy - Harvard Business School

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Example AI Use Policy - Harvard Business School

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Example AI Use Policy - Fisher Phillips 

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Example AI Use Policy - Fisher Phillips 

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Seattle - Today, the City of Seattle released its Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy to balance the opportunities created by this innovative technology with strong guardrails to ensure it is used responsibly and accountably. The new policy aligns with President Biden's Executive Order regarding AI announced earlier this week, and positions Seattle to continue to be a national leader in civic innovation and technology.

President Biden's Executive Order focuses on new standards for AI developers to prioritize safety and security, protect Americans' privacy, advance equity, protecting workers, and more. Seattle Deputy Mayor Greg Wong was in Washington D.C. for the announcement to support these new guidelines.

"Innovation is in Seattle's DNA, and I see immense opportunity for our region to be an AI powerhouse thanks to our world-leading technology companies and research universities. Now is the time to ensure this new tool is used for good, creating new opportunities and efficiencies rather than reinforcing existing biases or inequities," said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. "As a city, we have a responsibility to both embrace new technology that can improve our service while keeping a close eye on what matters - our communities and their data and privacy. This policy is the outcome of our One Seattle approach to cross-sector collaboration and will help guide our use of this new technology for years to come."

The City's policy was developed after a six-month working period with the Generative AI Advisory Team and City employees. The policy, written by Seattle's Interim Chief Technology Officer Jim Loter, based on the group's work, takes a principle-based approach to governing the use of Generative AI, which will allow greater flexibility as technology evolves while ensuring it aligns with the City's responsibility to serve residents.

The seven governing principles are:

1. Innovation and Sustainability

2. Transparency and Accountability

3. Validity and Reliability

4. Bias and Harm Reduction and Fairness

5. Privacy Enhancing

6. Explainability and Interpretability

7. Security and Resiliency

The City's new AI policy touches on many aspects of generative AI. It highlights several key factors to responsible use in a municipality, including attributing AI-generated work, having an employee review all AI work before going live, and limiting the use of personal information to help build the materials AI uses to develop its product. The policy also stipulates any work with a third-party vendor or tool must also include these principles for AI. This will help novel risks that have the potential to adversely affect the City's ability to fulfill its legal commitments and obligations about how we use and manage data and information.

City employees using AI technology will be held accountable for compliance with these commitments. All use of AI technology must go through the same technology reviews as any other new technologies. Those reviews take an in-depth look at privacy, compliance, and security, among others.

"I'm proud of the way the City of Seattle has responded thoroughly to the development of this policy," said Seattle's Interim Chief Technology Officer Jim Loter. "Technology is always changing. Our responses to these changes prove we are open to embracing new ways of providing services to our communities, while also mindful of the data we need to protect. I know this is an evolving topic, and I look forward to continuing this work and these conversations with experts in the field who also happen to live in our community and benefit from our services as a City. It truly emphasizes the meaning of One Seattle."

The City policy applies to generative AI, which is a special type of AI technology. Generative AI produces new content for user requests and prompts by learning from large amounts of data called a "large language model." The capability to create new content, and to continually learn from these large data models makes it possible for a computerized system to produce content that looks and sounds like it was done by a human. While AI, including generative AI, has the potential to enhance human work across many fields of human enterprise, its use has also raised many questions about the consequences of employing smart systems. Among these are ethics, safety, accuracy, bias, and attribution for human work used to inform AI system models.

The Generative AI Policy Advisory Team included technology industry leaders from the University of Washington, the Allen Institute for AI, and members of the City's Community Technology Advisory Board (CTAB). Seattle Information Technology employees provided input as well.
What members of the Generative AI Advisory Team had to say about this work and policy development: Nicole DeCario, Director, AI & Society, and Jacob Morrison, Predoctoral Researcher, and Public Policy Lead, Allen Institute for AI and Generative Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board members
"The City of Seattle is taking a values-driven approach to creating their generative AI policy, carefully weighing the benefits and harms this technology brings. We are grateful to support this work and commend the City on its leadership in prioritizing the responsible use of AI. We hope the City's policies can provide a blueprint for other municipalities around the country as it becomes increasingly common to interact with AI systems in our daily lives."
CTAB member Omari Stringer
"As a CTAB member and resident of Seattle, I am happy to see the City of Seattle taking steps to ensure the responsible use of innovative technologies such as Generative AI. Although the pace of innovation often exceeds the pace of policy, it is important to engage with stakeholders early to set a strong foundation for future use cases. While I believe we should tread carefully in this new domain, especially with the importance of the work the City carries out, there are certainly many opportunities for AI to enhance the delivery of services to the public. I appreciate the unique opportunity to provide my voice and expertise to help bridge the gap between innovation and ethics."

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City of Seattle Releases Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy Defining Responsible Use for City Employees - Office of the Mayor

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Seattle - Today, the City of Seattle released its Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy to balance the opportunities created by this innovative technology with strong guardrails to ensure it is used responsibly and accountably. The new policy aligns with President Biden's Executive Order regarding AI announced earlier this week, and positions Seattle to continue to [...]