Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in many countries worldwide to provide public social services, assisting in entitlement decisions to state-paid pensions and unemployment benefits, assessments of asylum applications, and assignments of places at kindergartens. AI technology is intended to help apply fairness criteria in the allocation of this kind of support to individuals and to assess potential beneficiaries accordingly. However, fairness criteria vary from country to country. In India, for example, the caste system influences the distribution of social benefits. In China, access to social services is determined by a "good citizenship" score. But the concepts of fairness in terms of access to limited public resources also vary within Europe. These are major findings from the participative research undertaken by members of the AI FORA – Artificial Intelligence for Assessment project, which were published recently in an online open access volume.

Queuing for entry into Berlin’s world-famous nightlife is a high-stakes game, filled with speculation on the secrets to getting past the door. New research from the University of Bath, King’s College London, and Freie Universität Berlin shows how ‘selectors’ decide who gets inside - and who gets left out in the cold.

Excessive control and reliance on short-term metrics harm influencer-brand partnerships, reducing their effectiveness and damaging trust.

The current number of long COVID-19 cases may already be costing the U.S. $2.01-6.56 billion dollars per year, according to a study recently published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The study also showed that each long COVID case tended to cost society between $5,084 and $11,646.