NEWS
Environmental impact survey
A SURVEY on the environmental impact of digital preservation and digital content management is looking for information professionals to share their experience. The Europeana Climate Action Community is running the survey looking at a number of areas of interest, including practices being used to manage and preserve our digital cultural heritage; whether they can be made more sustainable; and how can the heritage sector reduce its environmental footprint. The survey closes on 29 September and takes around 12 minutes to complete. To take part, visit
https://survey.zohopublic.eu/zs/ RuDHuy.
Commission calls for transparency
THE Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has responded to a Which report highlighting how much personal data is harvested by household “smart devices”, by calling for companies to be transparent. The response states: “To maintain trust in these products companies must be transparent about the data they collect and how they use it, and ensure that the data is not used or shared in ways that people would not expect. The ICO is developing guidance on data protection and Internet of Things devices and we will act where we don’t see the rules being followed.”
RAAC closure hits Essex Library
A LIBRARY in Essex has been closed following the discovery of potentially dan- gerous concrete.
The closure of Hatfield Peveral Library comes after government advice to schools that use reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Essex council has said that it does not believe any of its other libraries are affected by the use of RAAC, but has confirmed that it is undertaking a full review of all council buildings.
TUC taskforce to draft AI and employment law
THE TUC has launched a taskforce to propose legislation to fill gaps in AI regulation that are already undermin- ing workers’ rights in some sectors. The TUC will then lobby government to introduce its draft “AI and Employment Bill” which will be written with help from an advisory committee of specialists in law, technology, politics, HR and the vol- untary sector.
The committee is jointly chaired by Kate
Bell, TUC Assistant General Secretary and Gina Neff, Executive Director of the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge. Kate said: “AI is already making life- changing decisions about the way millions work – including how people are hired, performance-managed and fired. But UK employment law is way behind the curve – leaving many workers vulnera- ble to exploitation and discrimination. We urgently need new employment legislation, so workers and employers know where they stand.” Gina said: “Responsible and trustworthy
AI can power huge benefits. But laws must be fit for purpose and ensure that AI works for all... These are issues that both employers and workers are facing now, and they need the help from researchers, policy makers and civil society to build the capacity to get this right for society.” The TUC also recognises problems facing
employers “purchasing and using systems without knowing fully the implications, such as whether they are discriminatory”.
Rebecka Isaksson, a KM strategist and expert in AI-powered KM services with years of experience at Microsoft – and a keynote speaker at CILIP Conference 2023 – sees the positive impact that AI can have in the work place, but believes differ- ences could arise between employers and employees, heightened by changes such as increased hybrid work. She said: “On the positive side, AI can have a huge impact on all the stages in the employee lifecycle – hiring, managing, and firing – if managed correctly… But, as is the intention of TUC and the experts forming the committee in the UK, it needs to be used wisely and it needs guardrails – from the get go.”
She added that ethics play an important
role: “Just because something is legal, it may not be ethical.
“An AI service can be helpful in a hir- ing process for instance but this is a very fine line that would be hard to balance, to ensure that the same service is not (ab) used in other areas of the employment lifecycle or business areas.”
Rebecka was particularly concerned about an area that she said “the TUC and some of the experts have already called out” saying “that if the human’s right to review a decision made by AI is the starting point, then we are already passed the due date here. AI should not be the decision maker – AI should be a trusted advisor, and part- ner to humans, who should be making (the more informed, thanks to AI) decisions!”
Data poverty report impact
A NEW report into data poverty has revealed the negative impact a lack of access to information can have on peo- ple’s lives. The second State of the Nation Report
from the Data Poverty All Party Par- liamentary Group (APPG) looked at a number of areas of life including health, finances and education. Data poverty is associated with a lack of access to the internet, which can lead to negative out- comes because people find it harder to
12 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL
access the information they need. Among the contributors was CILIP Chair of Trustees, Sue Lacey Bryant who brought her expertise as Chief Knowledge Officer, NHS England, to the APPG. Sue’s evidence revealed that low health literacy levels can have a dramat- ic impact on people’s lives and health outcomes – often requiring greater in- tervention from health services than would otherwise be necessary. Find out more at
https://bit.ly/3sM3Rru.
September 2023
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
