algorithms

Insurers including UnitedHealthcare, Medicare plans, Cigna and Humana are increasingly using artificial intelligence systems to help decide whether to approve or deny coverage for medical care. The concern is that automated tools may override doctors' judgments and deny necessary treatments, prompting scrutiny of how these algorithms are used and what oversight patients actually have when a machine turns down their care.

Teachers working for Multiverse, the apprenticeships company founded by Euan Blair, son of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, say they are suffering 'horrendous stress' after artificial intelligence was used to assess and rate their work. The allegations raise concerns about workplace monitoring and the fairness of algorithmic performance evaluations. The company, which trains apprentices as an alternative to university, is facing scrutiny over how the system was introduced and what support staff were given.

The President of Russia has signed a law introducing administrative fines for violations of rules on user authorisation on Russian websites, including logging in through foreign services, as well as breaches of rules governing recommendation technologies. The amendments amend the Code of Administrative Offences. Observers see the measure as a further tightening of state control over how Russian internet users sign in to platforms and how sites recommend content.

Human Rights Watch has published a piece titled 'The Inhumanity of the Algorithms', examining how automated decision-making systems can produce harmful outcomes for people, particularly in contexts where algorithms affect access to rights and services. The article argues that reliance on opaque algorithmic systems risks dehumanising decisions that profoundly affect individuals' lives.

Euan Blair's education firm is facing criticism after a report found AI systems are being used to assess teachers' work, causing what the report describes as horrendous stress among staff. Commenters online are voicing alarm at the prospect of algorithms judging educators, with some saying the development makes them despair for the future of the teaching profession.

Teachers working for Multiverse, the apprenticeship company founded by Euan Blair, son of former UK prime minister Tony Blair, say they have suffered 'horrendous stress' after artificial intelligence was used to assess and rate their work. The claims, reported by the Guardian, have sparked criticism of AI-driven workplace monitoring and performance evaluation in the education sector, with commentators questioning the fairness and impact of algorithmic judgments on staff wellbeing.