World’s tallest bridge has a giant waterfall

Karachi: Sindh Health Minister Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho has inaugurated a new Opioid Agonist Maintenance Therapy (OAMT) Center at Jinnah Hospital to help people recovering from drug addiction. Speaking to the media the minister said the center will support people in gradually overcoming addiction and returning to a healthy normal life. Patients will receive medical treatment regular health monitoring counseling and rehabilitation services under one roof. Dr. Pechuho said the facility will be staffed by experienced doctors and trained healthcare workers who will closely monitor patients throughout their recovery. She also stressed the need to speed up HIV screening so that more cases can be detected early and  treated without delay. Commenting on reports of a patient’s death at Jinnah Hospital the health minister said that every loss of life is deeply tragic. If negligence was involved she said a full and transparent investigation must be carried out to identify those responsible. She added that no patient’s death should ever be treated as unimportant and strongly condemned any remarks that appeared to downplay such incidents.

US researchers have claimed to have developed new viruses with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) that did not previously exist in nature. The development is being described as an important breakthrough in the scientific community. According to a study published in the scientific journal Science, researchers from Stanford University and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard used a naturally occurring phage as a basis and employed AI to generate thousands of genetic designs. A phage is a type of virus that infects bacteria. The researchers chemically synthesized around 300 of these genetic designs and tested them in a laboratory. Of these, 16 viruses proved to be viable. According to the study, a combination of the AI-designed viruses was more effective than naturally occurring viruses at eliminating E. coli bacteria. The researchers said the approach expands the scope of synthetic genomics and could pave the way for more effective phage therapies against rapidly evolving pathogens. However, experts have expressed concerns about potential biological security risks alongside the possible medical benefits of the development. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto and Toronto General Hospital said AI-designed viruses could have certain benefits such as creating specialized bacteriophages that could help tackle antibiotic-resistant infections. He warned that the same ability to design complete and functional viruses could pose a serious biological security threat if used to create harmful pathogens. Therefore, strong safety regulations, screening and monitoring are necessary alongside the technology. Professor Fatima Wafai of the University of New South Wales in Sydney said the current research does not pose a direct threat to humans because phages infect only bacteria. However, she noted that the methods used in the research could potentially be misused for harmful purposes. Tom Ellis, an expert in synthetic genome engineering at Imperial College London described the research as impressive but said it also demonstrates that AI is still far from being able to design complex genomes, cells and large viruses. He explained that the phage genome used in the study is very small and relatively simple while the genome of the virus that causes COVID-19 is approximately six times larger. The complexity of designing larger genomes increases rapidly. According to Ellis, the research does have implications for biological security. However, modifying naturally occurring viruses remains a more serious and immediate threat than creating new pathogens with AI. Hsu Li Yang, director of the Asia Centre for Health Security in Singapore also said that it may be possible to use AI to make viruses more dangerous. However, he cautioned against exaggerating the implications of the research. He clarified that the study does not mean that anyone with basic scientific or laboratory knowledge can now create life-saving or dangerous viruses at home. Considerable technical expertise is still required to physically produce a virus in a laboratory after it has been designed. Experts say the research is both medically promising and concerning from a biological security perspective as it demonstrates a technology that could potentially be used for both beneficial and harmful purposes.

By Muhammad Aaraiz Altutmish  Two weeks ago, I attended a workshop under the project titled “Digital Trust and Free Expression in the AI Era” at the Department of Media and Development Communication, University of the Punjab, supported by the U.S. Mission to Pakistan in partnership with the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN). The Workshop fetched together students, media persons, and experts to address one of the most significant topics framing advanced communication: the impression of AI on Media & Journalism.  Across the set of captivating sessions, presenters highlighted how Artificial Intelligence revolutionizing newsrooms, altering the way journalists collect information, inspect the facts and generate content. The fast development of technology specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reshaped the advance digital world. AI is no longer a far-off concept; it has already integrated into the newsrooms and become a part of modern media networking. Therefore, media professionals and journalists can’t neglect this technology anymore. Instead they are continuously expected to develop their expertise and to modernize their skillset according to the changing media environment. This circumstance raises a significant question for journalism students who aim to foster their careers in the media industry. Should they first concentrate on learning the traditional basics or foundations of journalism, or should they prefer AI and developing technologies? While AI is transforming the means of working in media industry, journalism students are still needed to practice and learn the conventional principles and standards of journalism that have long been instructed in academic institutions. The AI development has brought prominent changes to writing, editing, publishing and content creation. Most of the operations can now be done in more quick and efficient way. Research functions have become effortless and many of newsroom tasks have been managed via technological tools. These advancements have transformed the media organizations operate and have affected many aspects of journalistic practices. Regardless of these changes, journalism education proceeds to emphasize the conventional methods of reporting, news values, interviewing techniques, fact- verification, and other foundational skills. Students are expected to master these standard practices while they also have to upskill themselves understanding and adapting to AI driven technologies and tools. As a result, journalism students often face the challenge of learning both traditional techniques and mastering themselves to developing technological skills within the same academic timeframe. This challenge becomes even more substantial for upcoming generations of media education and profession. They will have the same timeframe of study as former generations, still they may need to master a wide range of subjects and practical skills. Alongside traditional training of journalism, they will also require to develop their skillset related to AI, Digital media technologies, data driven networking and developing newsroom techniques. Consequently, media instructors, academic institutions, field professionals, and experts are set upon with a significant problem. They must reflect upon that how journalism education can accommodate both traditional practices of journalism and developing technological requirements. The hurdle stems in empowering students to master a wider spectrum of knowledge and practical experience within the existing timeframes and educational structures. The development of AI in journalism has therefore produced a new educational reality. While conventional journalism stands a central component of media education, technological developments continues to transform professional expectations. This continuing transformation spotlight the growing requirement to confront how future journalists can productively learn both the traditional practices of journalism and developing skills needed in an AI-driven media environment. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Mission to Pakistan or USEFP/PUAN.