As multinationals and researchers harvest rare organisms around the world, anger is rising in the global south over the unpaid use of lucrative genetic codes found on their land Even in the warm summer sun, the stagnant puddles and harsh rock faces of Ribblehead quarry in North Yorkshire feel like an unlikely frontier of the AI industrial revolution. Standing next to a waterfall that bursts out from the fractured rock, Bupe Mwambingu reaches into the green sludge behind the cascade and emerges with fistful of algae. Balancing precariously on the rocks, the researcher passes the dripping mass to her colleague Emma Bolton, who notes their GPS coordinates and the acidity, temperature and light exposure on a phone app. Continue reading...

‘C the Signs’ artificial intelligence program scans medical records to increase likelihood of spotting cancers Artificial intelligence that scans GP records to find hidden patterns has helped doctors detect significantly more cancer cases. The rate of cancer detection rose from 58.7% to 66.0% at GP practices using the “C the Signs” AI tool. This analyses a patient’s medical record to pull together their past medical history, test results, prescriptions and treatments, as well as other personal characteristics that might indicate cancer risk, such as their postcode, age and family history. Continue reading...