Latest news with #ESSI
The Age
5 days ago
- Health
- The Age
‘It gave me hope': How a single AI session put Kelly on a path to eating disorder recovery
Thirty-three-year-old Kelly has struggled with an eating disorder for most of her life. But it's only in the past few years, with the help of AI, that the tide started to turn. As a child, Kelly, who is using a pseudonym for privacy reasons, developed Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), meaning she significantly limited the volume or kinds of food she consumed. A former ballet dancer, she says the culture around exercise and disordered eating also contributed to the development of anorexia. Kelly was part of the trial for a world-first artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, called Eating Disorder Electronic Single-Session Intervention, or ESSI for short. The chatbot's lived experience videos and the opportunity to talk to a neutral party to arrive at a diagnosis were unlike anything she'd experienced in the healthcare system before. 'Anytime I have tried to seek help, I was really invalidated,' she says. Certain behaviours, like purging without bingeing, meant she slipped through the cracks. Loading 'It [ESSI] gave me hope,' says Kelly, who is now in treatment. Professor Gemma Sharp, founding director of The Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders, led the development of the chatbot, and says the main impetus for its design is the long wait times, exacerbated after COVID, patients faced before accessing clinical treatment. The ED ESSI™ chatbot was originally developed at Monash University and is now owned and managed by Sharp.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘It gave me hope': How a single AI session put Kelly on a path to eating disorder recovery
Thirty-three-year-old Kelly has struggled with an eating disorder for most of her life. But it's only in the past few years, with the help of AI, that the tide started to turn. As a child, Kelly, who is using a pseudonym for privacy reasons, developed Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), meaning she significantly limited the volume or kinds of food she consumed. A former ballet dancer, she says the culture around exercise and disordered eating also contributed to the development of anorexia. Kelly was part of the trial for a world-first artificial intelligence-powered chatbot, called Eating Disorder Electronic Single-Session Intervention, or ESSI for short. The chatbot's lived experience videos and the opportunity to talk to a neutral party to arrive at a diagnosis were unlike anything she'd experienced in the healthcare system before. 'Anytime I have tried to seek help, I was really invalidated,' she says. Certain behaviours, like purging without bingeing, meant she slipped through the cracks. Loading 'It [ESSI] gave me hope,' says Kelly, who is now in treatment. Professor Gemma Sharp, founding director of The Consortium for Research in Eating Disorders, led the development of the chatbot, and says the main impetus for its design is the long wait times, exacerbated after COVID, patients faced before accessing clinical treatment. The ED ESSI™ chatbot was originally developed at Monash University and is now owned and managed by Sharp.
The Guardian
07-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK has ‘huge opportunity' to be space watchdog, says former science minister
The UK's role in the next generation of interplanetary exploration should be that of a space 'watchdog' leading on regulation, insurance and finance, a former science minister has said, in an effort to rein in a situation he compared to the wild west. George Freeman, the MP for Mid Norfolk who was minister for science, research, technology and innovation under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, said the need for standards was pressing. 'The truth is, with little or no regulation space is in danger of becoming a free-for-all wild west of commercial and military satellites being launched in the new space race,' he said. 'There are now 40 tonnes and a million pieces of debris. Ninety-eight per cent of satellites are uninsured. As the global commercial space sector takes off and more and more businesses are reliant on satellites, space is not unlike the early days of the automobile. But who wants to drive down a highway where 90% of vehicles are unmanned, have no insurance and you have to navigate around debris and broken down vehicles?' Freeman said as space minister he had focused on UK leadership in space regulation, insurance and finance; convening the industry partnership with the UK space sector and Lloyds of London to create the Earth∞Space Sustainability Initiative (ESSI), which aims to set global standards for the sector, and securing the backing of Canada, Japan and Switzerland through the global summit at the Royal Society. 'The idea of my space debris regulation and the creation of the Earth Space Sustainability Initiative was very simple,' he said. 'If you're compliant with the UK [standards] – if your satellite is retrievable, if it's rechargeable, if it's recyclable – you'll get quicker licensing, cheaper insurance and access to ESG [environmental, social and governance] finance.' Freeman added that by smart regulation, markets can be created for innovative UK companies, noting the satellite retrieval company Astroscale has a base in the UK. A shift from launching ever more satellites to increasing the spectrum bandwidth on satellite constellations, could also produce opportunities. 'It just isn't sustainable to continue the race for constellation coverage on the basis of the volume of satellites,' he said, arguing for a system where contractors carry ' multiple data streams in safely encrypted spectrum bandwidth for multiple operators'. While Freeman noted the UK does not have a fully integrated space industrial sector, he said it does have world-class science and technology and innovation. 'We are a Formula One pit lane of smart satellite manufacturing, telemetry, SatComms services and EO [Earth observation] applications,' he said. But it isn't only in the field of satellite technology where regulation will be important. From crewed missions to Mars to the prospect of lunar mining and even creating data centres on the moon, the opportunities space offers are myriad. Regulations around space debris, Freeman said, could act as a gateway to rules in other areas. 'It can gradually evolve,' the MP explained. 'You could imagine, say, on space traffic control, that you wouldn't get permission to launch from aviation authorities unless you've got a licence to operate. Licence to operate says you must be compliant with basic standards. 'You can't be littering space with metal. You can't be doing unregulated and dangerous nuclear, biological or chemical experiments on the surface of the moon. You can't be ripping out minerals, unless you've got an abstraction licence. So once you start to create a framework, you intermesh the permissions and stop rogue actors.' Freeman added the UK is well placed to lead on such matters. 'Space needs a global regulatory alliance led by and headquartered in a trusted nation. You need a country that's got a long and distinguished history as a trusted partner, a long, 300-year role as a regulator of choice, that believes in and is respected internationally for its legal system and is connected to financial market and international courts and jurisdiction,' he said. 'This is a huge opportunity for the UK. We should seize it.'
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Factbox-German parties' election pledges on defence
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany holds elections on February 23, with its army's battle-readiness less than when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 - a precarious position as Europe faces a new geopolitical era under U.S. President Donald Trump. The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz are expected to win, but there are wide divisions between some parties on defence. Here is a summary of parties' plans for the armed forces and for German policy on the conflict in Ukraine. CDU/CSU See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. * Help Europe defend itself but anchor it firmly in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) * Defence spending at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), the current NATO target * Re-introduce military service, which was suspended under a previous CDU government in 2011 * Create an internal market in the European Union for defence goods with common export rules * Streamline defence procurement processes * Merz conditionally supports equipping Ukraine with longer-range Taurus missiles, a step the current government has not taken, but there is no explicit commitment in the manifesto SPD * Defence spending at minimum 2% of GDP * Modernise the armed forces * Leader Olaf Scholz in 2022 launched the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) of joint procurement for air defence. It was opposed by France * Station U.S. medium-range weapons in Germany, a move strongly opposed by Russia * Develop Germany further as a hub for NATO logistics * Station a German brigade permanently on NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania * Introduce voluntary military service * Maintain diplomatic, military, financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine, and support a bilateral security agreement signed in 2024 * Send military aid to Ukraine with a policy of "prudence and judgment" but make sure Germany does not become a party to conflict with Russia * Do not equip Ukraine with Taurus missiles * Establish a European defence union, with joint procurement, manoeuvres and standardised training GREENS * Germany and Europe to take greater responsibility for their own security * Lift military spending beyond 2% of GDP through more state borrowing. Leader Robert Habeck has suggested 3.5% * Voluntary military service * Streamline European defence through joint development, production and procurement * Equip Ukraine with Taurus missiles, though the manifesto does not make an explicit commitment FDP * Germany and Europe to take greater responsibility for their own security * Defence spending at least 2% of GDP but raise it if NATO lifts its target * Explicit manifesto equipment for immediate delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine * Make Germany's military the strongest conventional armed forces in Europe * Improve funding and equipment for the military, with attractive salaries and benefits * Reject re-introduction of general conscription but maintain a professional volunteer army * Keep a national database of men and women fit for military service AFD * Prioritise national sovereignty over EU centralisation * Re-introduce compulsory military service * German military be run on traditions and "German values" * Immediately lift sanctions on Russia * Halt arms deliveries to Ukraine * Keep Ukraine a neutral state outside of the EU and NATO * Reject the eastern expansion of the EU and NATO BSW * Against Germany meeting NATO's 2% spending target or higher * No use of special funds or more state borrowing to fund the army * No re-introduction of conscription * Go for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine without pre-conditions * No more taxpayer money for weapons to Ukraine * Reject the use of military force to solve conflicts * Create a European security structure that includes Russia * Stop stationing nuclear weapons in Germany (Compiled by Matthias Williams; edited by Sara Ledwith)
Reuters
13-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
German parties' election pledges on defence
BERLIN, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Germany holds elections on February 23, with its army's battle-readiness less than when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 - a precarious position as Europe faces a new geopolitical era under U.S. President Donald Trump read more . The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Friedrich Merz are expected to win, but there are wide divisions between some parties on defence. Here is a summary of parties' plans for the armed forces and for German policy on the conflict in Ukraine. CDU/CSU * Help Europe defend itself but anchor it firmly in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) * Defence spending at least 2% of gross domestic product (GDP), the current NATO target * Re-introduce military service, which was suspended under a previous CDU government in 2011 * Create an internal market in the European Union for defence goods with common export rules * Streamline defence procurement processes * Merz conditionally supports equipping Ukraine with longer-range Taurus missiles, a step the current government has not taken, but there is no explicit commitment in the manifesto SPD * Defence spending at minimum 2% of GDP * Modernise the armed forces * Leader Olaf Scholz in 2022 launched the European Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI) of joint procurement for air defence. It was opposed by France * Station U.S. medium-range weapons in Germany, a move strongly opposed by Russia * Develop Germany further as a hub for NATO logistics * Station a German brigade permanently on NATO's eastern flank in Lithuania * Introduce voluntary military service * Maintain diplomatic, military, financial and humanitarian support for Ukraine, and support a bilateral security agreement signed in 2024 * Send military aid to Ukraine with a policy of "prudence and judgment" but make sure Germany does not become a party to conflict with Russia * Do not equip Ukraine with Taurus missiles * Establish a European defence union, with joint procurement, manoeuvres and standardised training GREENS * Germany and Europe to take greater responsibility for their own security * Lift military spending beyond 2% of GDP through more state borrowing. Leader Robert Habeck has suggested 3.5% * Voluntary military service * Streamline European defence through joint development, production and procurement * Equip Ukraine with Taurus missiles, though the manifesto does not make an explicit commitment FDP * Germany and Europe to take greater responsibility for their own security * Defence spending at least 2% of GDP but raise it if NATO lifts its target * Explicit manifesto equipment for immediate delivery of Taurus missiles to Ukraine * Make Germany's military the strongest conventional armed forces in Europe * Improve funding and equipment for the military, with attractive salaries and benefits * Reject re-introduction of general conscription but maintain a professional volunteer army * Keep a national database of men and women fit for military service AFD * Prioritise national sovereignty over EU centralisation * Re-introduce compulsory military service * German military be run on traditions and "German values" * Immediately lift sanctions on Russia * Halt arms deliveries to Ukraine * Keep Ukraine a neutral state outside of the EU and NATO * Reject the eastern expansion of the EU and NATO BSW * Against Germany meeting NATO's 2% spending target or higher * No use of special funds or more state borrowing to fund the army * No re-introduction of conscription * Go for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine without pre-conditions * No more taxpayer money for weapons to Ukraine * Reject the use of military force to solve conflicts * Create a European security structure that includes Russia * Stop stationing nuclear weapons in Germany
