Bytes of Ingenuity

For this episode, host Nick Newsom is in Jordan - a country recognised as a global GovTech leader, and whose monarch, King Abdallah II, has ambitions to turn it into a regional hub for entrepreneurship and innovation.
Amjad Swais, chair of the trade body representing Jordan’s tech sector, Intaj, tells us how the government is using tech in its efforts to counter high youth unemployment, sluggish economic growth, and significant pressure on public services.

Episode overview

02:40 - Jordan's digital infrastructure
06:34 - IT outsourcing in Jordan
09:25 - Moving toward exporting tech
12:38 - Incentivising R&D
17:19 - Making education serve labour market needs
20:43 - Overview of GovTech in Jordan
24:27 - The private sector's role in service re-engineering and digitisation
26:50 - Improving government IT service procurement
32:42 - Strengthening product management in government digital transformation
35:19 - Overcoming resistance to change
38:24 - Government AI readiness
39:53 - Where AI can add most value in government
44:04 - The focus on the MENA ICT Forum 2024

Further reading

Economic Modernisation Vision, Government of Jordan
Why digital transformation projects fail and the path to success, Intaj CEO Nidal Bitar in The Jordan Times
Empowering graduates, strengthening companies, Nidal Bitar in The Jordan Times
GovTech Case Studies: Solutions that Work Jordan: The SANAD Portal for Digital Government Services, World Bank
Jordan's Artificial Intelligence Strategy and Implementation Plan, Jordan Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship
Jordan’s AI policy journey: Bridging vision and implementation, Oxford Insights
Government AI Readiness Index 2023, Oxford Insights
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Episode overview
In this episode, host Nick Newsom talks to Vincent Couronne, co-founder of Les Surligneurs and treasurer of the European Fact-Checking Standards Network. Vincent shares highlights from the Global Fact 11 Summit in Sarajevo, where the strained relationship between fact-checkers and platforms was a hot topic. The discussion covers disinformation trends during the European Union elections, noting the shift from targeting the electoral process to undermining trust in EU institutions by exploiting local issues. Vincent addresses the evolving nature of disinformation with AI-generated content, which, while still limited in spread, fosters doubt about information authenticity. Les Surligneurs' "legal checking" methdology is showcased. This focuses on verifying legal claims with impartial experts. Vincent highlights how AI tools are helping accelerate the formation of fact-checking units in conflict prone areas. Finally, Vincent discusses the future of fact-checking, emphasising collaboration with researchers and media literacy organisations

01:17 - Takeaways from GlobalFact 11
03:54 - Disinformation around the EU elections
09:38 - Challenges of AI and deepfakes
14:00 - Helping journalists know what the legal consensus is around issues
20:00 - Augmenting legal checking using AI
25:10 - EU AI Act and disinformation
27:21 - The relationship between platforms and fact-checkers
33:56 - Is the Digital Services Act muscular enough on disinformation?
37:47 - Fighting accusations fact-checkers being part of ‘censorship industrial complex’

Further reading
Le Parlement Européen : deux lieux de travail pour une institution. Les Surligneurs, 2024
European Code of Standards for Independent Fact-Checking Organisations. European Fact-Checking Standards Network
Tackling disinformation: the EU digital services act explained. Siren Associates, 2023.
The DSA, disinformation and the European elections: solutions through recommender systems?. DSA Observatory, 2024.
The People Who Turn Lies into Reality, with Renée DiResta. Chatter podcast, Lawfare, 2024.
The Stanford Internet Observatory is being dismantled. Platformer, 2024.
No embargo in sight: Meta lets pro-Russia propaganda ads flood the EU. AI Forensics, 2024.
How CrowdTangle predicted the future. Platformer, 2024.

For a full transcript
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In this episode of Bytes of Ingenuity, host Nick Newsom is joined by Paul Barakat Diab and Elie Nahas, co-founders of the e-learning company Augmental. The learning platform they’ve developed turns traditional teacher-centric models of education on their head, using AI to personalise students’ learning paths. By tailoring course material to each student’s abilities and learning stye, this adaptive learning model helps students stay engaged and achieve better results. In this episode we discuss how personalisation enhances learning outcomes, how AI ed-tech platforms help teachers, and the need for holistic change within public education. We also learn about the story of Augmental and how the company has navigated Lebanon’s financial collapse and grown.

Episode Overview

1:10 - Augmental's origin story and evolution
4:46 - How personalisation enhances learning outcomes
7:56 - Accelerating course creation
12:48 - From navigating Lebanon's financial and economic collapse to future growth
24:03 - The need holistic change to equip students with 21st century skills
25:48 - Freeing teachers up to focus more on students
28:19 - Trends to watch in education and ed-tech
31:10 - Meeting students where they're at
32:12 - On bridging digital divides over looking to the metaverse

Further reading
Innovation and New Directions: Searching for Novel Paths in Arab Education Reform
Evolve Or die: How A Modern Student Information System Can Elevate Education Institutions
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In this episode of Bytes of Ingenuity, host Nick Newsom explores the transformative power of Large Language Models (LLMs) in the legal realm with computer science professor and AI expert, Amer Mouawad. As LLMs capture the public's imagination, this discussion delves into how they can revolutionize legal research and elevate legal practice. Amer reveals how LLMs can provide relevant suggestions and efficient assistance to legal professionals, saving them valuable time. The episode also highlights exciting legal AI tools in development, including those that simplify legal jargon for citizens and fact-check public statements for legality. Addressing concerns about data confidentiality, Amer emphasizes the importance of offline LLM hosting to ensure confidentiality. Additionally, he critiques the politicisation of AI development, advocating for open-source models and collaboration between diverse experts to create tools that serve the public good.

01:20 - What are LLMs and how do they work?
02:15 - Grounding LLMs in legal context
05:33 - Legal AI and the future of legal practice
10:56 - Confidentiality and data protection
13:59 - The impact on labour and education
17:22 - Democratizing legal expertise
19:04 - Legal fact-checking and misinformation
20:34 - Digital literacy, AI safety and open-source models
25:00 - The role of the state and data availability
29:04 -The state of AI in the Middle East
33:19 - Blending theory and practices

Further reading
AI's transformative potential for the legal sector
On removing bias from legal LLMs
Legal checking: putting law back at the heart of public debate

Read a full transcript of the episode here.
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Welcome to Bytes of Ingenuity, a podcast where we take a look at innovative approaches to solving today’s toughest challenges. Whether diving deep on a particular issue - from social protection to AI election interference - or exploring how disruptive technologies are changing the world as we know it, we’ll bring you a range of critical perspectives on the latest trends in governance, security, information integrity, justice and rights. Bringing you this podcast is Siren Analytics, a full-service digital transformation agency headquartered in Beirut. The podcast will bring a regional perspective to topics of global importance. Whether you're a tech enthusiast, entrepreneur or development professional, subscribe to Bytes of Ingenuity for insights and expert analysis to stay ahead in today's evolving digital world! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.