Fujitsu Delivers New Resource Toolkit to Offer Guidance on Ethical Impact of AI Systems
TOKYO, Feb 21, 2022 - (JCN Newswire via SEAPRWire.com) - Fujitsu today announced the development of a resource toolkit offering developers guidance for evaluating the ethical impact and risks of AI systems based on international AI ethics guidelines. Fujitsu will offer these resources free of charge starting from February 21, 2022 to promote the safe and secure deployment of AI systems in society.Figure 1. Outline of AI Ethics Impact AssessmentThe toolkit consists of a variety of case studies and reference materials, including a newly developed method for clarifying ethical requirements in AI ethics guidelines written in natural language, as well as for applying ethical requirements to actual AI systems. The resources in Japanese can be downloaded here, with availability in English to follow in the near future.With this guidance, Fujitsu aims to prevent misunderstandings and potential risks caused by differences in the interpretation of descriptions in guidelines, offering AI system developers and operators new tools for thoroughly identifying and preventing possible ethical issues early in the development process in keeping with international best practices.Dr. Christoph Lutge of ...
LGBTQ and vaccines among emerging issues that have split Singaporeans
SINGAPORE - While some divisions like race and religion have their roots in history, emerging issues like gender and sexuality have split Singaporeans. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues have been more prominent in the last decade, with those who champion such rights at odds with other groups. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.
National mental well-being campaign launched to equip people with skills to help
SINGAPORE - A national mental well-being campaign has been launched to normalise talking about mental health issues and to equip all Singaporeans with the skills needed to support their family and friends. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) on Saturday (Oct 30) launched It's OKAY to Reach Out, its inaugural mental health campaign comprising 130 programmes, including workshops and dialogue sessions that will take place between next month and March the following year. It will be complemented by the late-November roll-out of an online portal providing nationwide mental health resources called MindSG, with content curated by doctors and psychologists. The portal is developed by HPB and the Government, along with mental health experts, and was one of the recommendations the Covid-19 mental wellness task force made in August. Dr Janil Puthucheary, who chairs the task force and is Senior Minister of State for Health, and Communications and Information, said the campaign was about creating a "national narrative" that includes both those who need help and those rendering it. "We want to encourage two groups of people - the individual to reach out for help but also the people who are listening...
TikTok unveils tools in app to tackle mental health issues
WASHINGTON (BLOOMBERG) - TikTok, the video-sharing app owned by China's ByteDance, said it is stepping up tools to support users facing mental health issues, including redirecting potentially distressed users to suicide prevention or eating disorder resources. When users search the app for terms like "suicide", TikTok will point them to local support organisations such as the Crisis Text Line to find treatment, the company said on Tuesday (Sept 14) in a blog post. TikTok also plans to promote videos of content creators talking about their mental health challenges and will offer advice on how to talk to loved ones about these issues. The viral video-sharing app also said it would add labels to sensitive content, giving users the ability to decide whether to see the content before it is shown. TikTok has also created a guide on eating disorders for teenagers, caregivers and educators in consultation with experts. The blog post arrived following a report in the Wall Street Journal about the harmful mental health effects of Facebook's Instagram app, a rival to TikTok. Citing internal Facebook documents, the newspaper wrote that the social media giant has conducted studies showing its p...
Racial discrimination, wage issues raised by Indian grassroots leaders at post-NDR dialogue
SINGAPORE - Discrimination and racism in Singapore were the main concerns that Indian community leaders raised during a dialogue session on Tuesday night (Sept 7) to discuss views on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech. About 200 participants from various Indian organisations and grassroots volunteers attended the two-hour virtual session, which was organised by the People's Association Indian Activity Executive Committees Council (Narpani Pearavai). Other issues raised included the impact of the progressive wage model implementation and mental health concerns among isolated elderly residents. One of the dialogue participants, undergraduate student Loshini Sivakumar, 21, said the session helped her gain fresh perspective on some of the topics mentioned during PM Lee's speech. Ms Loshini, a grassroots volunteer since last year, said: "The session gave me a chance to share my views on how our civic curriculum in school can be restructured to dismantle racial stereotypes and promote a better understanding. "My takeaway was that beyond the school curriculum, lived experience outside the classroom can be equally important in fostering a good relationship between t...
3 challenges for S’pore to tackle: Refreshing efforts to maintain harmony for a new generation
Recent racist incidents illustrate how issues of race and religion can easily divide society. It is helpful to air and acknowledge issues of race and religion in a candid and respectful manner. Singapore took several generations of sustained effort to bring the different races and religions together. The resulting social harmony was the fruit of mutual understanding and compromise by the majority as well as the minorities. The country has to continually adjust this delicate balance to maintain harmony as society evolves. Please subscribe or log in to continue reading the full article. Get unlimited access to all stories at $0.99/month Latest headlines and exclusive stories In-depth analyses and award-winning multimedia content Get access to all with our no-contract promotional package at only $0.99/month for the first 3 months* Subscribe now *Terms and conditions apply.
4 S’pore students launch hackathon to encourage mental health innovation
SINGAPORE - The bullying first started when Mr Timothy Liau was eight and happened again when he was 14. When he was a Pri 2 student, his seniors would snatch the snacks he brought to school and crush them, calling him names. In secondary school, his classmates would throw his pencil case around the classroom and attempts to fight back against his bullies were futile. The experiences caused Mr Liau to develop symptoms of anxiety and depression. Stigma against mental health issues kept him suffering alone, afraid to seek help. Eventually, fuelled by a desire to break out of the vicious cycle of negative thoughts, he learnt to focus on things he found meaningful and invested his efforts in various mental health initiatives. On Sept 4, Mr Liau, 21, a second-year computer engineering student in Singapore Polytechnic, and his team - Mr Low Jia En, 23, Ms Rachel Lee, 21, and Ms Bhawana Sapkota, 18 - will launch what they believe is Singapore's first student-run mental health-themed hackathon, MindfulHacks. Mr Low is a student at Kaplan Higher Education Institute doing a management and international business degree from University of London; Ms Lee is a third-year computer science student...
NEA launches new programme for young people to be involved in sustainability efforts
SINGAPORE - Young people now have a new platform to get involved in sustainability efforts, with the launch of a year-long programme. They will have the opportunity to initiate and lead projects or movements to tackle pressing environmental issues under the Youth for Environmental Sustainability (YES) Programme launched by the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Thursday (July 8). A YES leadership programme will take in young people and train them to be green leaders over a period of nine to 12 months, starting in December this year. It will help them develop their knowledge, skill sets and experience in environment sustainability issues, said NEA in a statement. They will also be mentored by people from Youth Corps Singapore, an organisation which provides volunteering opportunities for young people. This leadership programme is open to those between 17 and 25 years old. Those interested can register at the website from now till Sept 1. Participants who successfully complete the leadership training will be recognised as YES ambassadors by NEA. They will have the opportunity to volunteer and participate in the agency's initiatives and mentor others on sustainability projects. A fo...
Two new groups set up under PAP women’s wing to study women’s issues
SINGAPORE - The People's Action Party (PAP) women's wing will be setting up two new groups to look into research and policy to help it better address the issues faced by women in Singapore, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said on Saturday (March 6). The research group, led by Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Yeo Wan Ling, will look into emerging trends - such as remote working - and their impact on women, said Mrs Teo, who is also chairman of the PAP women's wing. "For example, how can remote working help women juggle their roles as caregivers, and yet not become marginalised when it comes to career progression?" said Mrs Teo during an event in Punggol held ahead of International Women's Day on Monday. This group will also sharpen its sensing of women's views, on topical issues such as Primary 1 registration rules and the new sentencing framework Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam spoke about in Parliament on Friday. Mr Shanmugam had said that the maximum penalties for three sexual offences are set to be raised following a review of penalties for hurt and sexual offences. The PAP women's wing had in July last year expressed its serious concerns about the apparent inadequate sentenc...
Some MyRepublic broadband users face connectivity issues for more than 24 hours
SINGAPORE - Some customers of Internet service provider MyRepublic were hit by a broadband outage on Thursday (Dec 31) morning and there were reports of the problem continuing for more than 24 hours. Connectivity issues were reportedly experienced from 7.34am on New Year's Eve by users in various locations, including Yishun, Sengkang and Yio Chu Kang. "In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesman from MyRepublic said that less than 100 subscribers, which made up 0.1 per cent of its users, were affected by the disruption. “There are a small number of customers who were affected yesterday who are still having connectivity issues, and these are being handled on a case by case basis,” he said. “Our customer service team has reported that most of the inquiries in today are day-to-day technical issues which are unrelated to the outage in the previous day,” he added. The Infocomm Media Development Authority was also updated about the outage following the company’s policies and regulations." MyRepublic acknowledged the incident in a Facebook post at 10.55am on Thursday. The service provider said it was "aware of a broadband network disruption affecting the connectivity of a s...
Five schools recognised for efforts in improving mental health
SINGAPORE - Five educational institutions here were recognised on Friday morning (Dec 11) for their efforts in promoting mental health awareness on campus. They received the inaugural Silver Ribbon Mental Health Awards for Schools in a virtual Zoom ceremony attended by Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang. Silver Ribbon (Singapore) is a mental health advocacy organisation that organised and gave out the award. In her speech, Ms Gan said all students must have access to timely support, including getting referrals for mental health and social support in the community. "However, schools can't do this alone. Strengthening mental health of our young is a whole-of-society effort," she added. The awards are meant to acknowledge and applaud the effort of schools in holding workshops and talks for staff and students and encouraging students to embark on mental-health related projects, among others. The recipients were Nanyang Technological University, River Valley High School, PSB Academy, Singapore Management University and Singapore University of Social Sciences. In her speech, Silver Ribbon (Singapore) president Ellen Lee said one in four young people experienced l...
WP’s Sylvia Lim files new motion on issues raised by ex-maid Parti Liyani’s case
SINGAPORE - The Workers' Party (WP) has filed a fresh motion in Parliament pertaining to the issues raised by a court case involving Ms Parti Liyani, the former domestic worker of former Changi Airport Group and Surbana Jurong chairman Liew Mun Leong. WP chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) filed the private member's motion, which was supported by fellow WP MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC), the party said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 21). The motion states: "That this House affirms that fairness, access and independence are cornerstones of Singapore's justice system, and calls on the Government to recognise and remedy its shortcomings in order to enhance justice for all, regardless of means or social status, including facilitating a review of the justice system." Ms Parti was sentenced to jail for two years and two months last year for stealing $34,000 worth of items from the Liew family. The Indonesian domestic worker had her conviction overturned by High Court Judge Chan Seng Onn, who questioned the motivation of the Liew family in making the police report and also raised issues with the police investigations. Ms Lim had filed an adjournment motion on the topic last month, whic...