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In the northern French city of Reims, the construction of a new house has brought an ancient home to the surface. Archaeologists discovered a domus, or luxury urban house , dating to the second century during housing construction along the Rue de la Magdeleine, according to a Dec. 4 news release from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research. Once inhabited by the Gallic tribe of the Remi , Reims was conquered by the Romans and grew into an urban center. The city was developed in the classic Roman urban planning style, archaeologists said, in which residential blocks form a grid of perpendicular streets around a city center, designed as a political and religious forum. In many cases, the outside districts are far less studied than the central areas, researchers said. The newly discovered dwelling, with a two-pillar facade facing the street, is two-thirds of a mile away from where the city center once stood. But this wasn’t just any common Roman’s home. This home was occupied by the elite. The inside of the house was buried under a destroyed layer that was likely caused by a fire, archaeologists said. In the mains, pieces of a megalography fresco were found. Megalography means the figures painted on the surface are represented in their real size, researchers said. Two fresco pieces have the painted names Achilles and Deidamia, referencing the mythological scene of Achilles on Skyros, a coveted pre-Trojan War episode, archaeologists said. This is the fourth depiction of this scene found in Roman settings, including ones in Aquileia, Pompeii and Rome, according to the release. Other items found in the home, however, pointed to the social standing and financial prowess of the home’s owners, researchers said. Three intricate bronze statues were unearthed from the remains. One depicts the god Mars, a second depicts an unidentified goddess and a third statue depicts a bull, according to archaeologists. Researchers described the statues as luxurious and made with a deft touch, supporting the idea that they belonged in an elite member of society’s home. The bronze Mars’ eyes are enhanced by silver, archaeologists said, and Mars is holding a shield with a depiction of the She-Wolf, Romulus and Remus. Mars’ cuirass, or breastplate, was decorated with the head of Medusa, and the statue’s circular base has silver and copper floral decorations, researchers said. The bull sits on a rectangular base and also has a bronze body and silver eyes. The variation of the silver eyes gives the bull an expressive gaze, officials said. The woman clearly represents a goddess, archaeologists said, but her specific identification hasn’t been made. She has a helmet with a relief representing a sphinx, a face and a crown, which may represent a city, researchers said, and spots on her back look like they might have once held wings. She holds the club of Hercules wrapped by a snake and the skin of the Nemean Lion. Officials say the odd aggregation of different representations has a mysterious meaning. The statues’ quality reaffirms their value, though researchers said the location of the home, so far from the city center, does raise questions as to the wealthy homeowner’s status in the community and the function of their home. Reims is in northeastern France, about a 90-mile drive northeast from Paris. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research.MLB shifts six 2025 Rays games to avoid weather issues
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Ministers told ‘incompetence’ at Met Office led to underestimation of Storm BertBiden opens final White House holiday season with turkey pardons(The Center Square) – Prosecutors introduced secretly recorded audio and video along with a troubled star witness at the public corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis returned to the Everett McKinley U.S. Courthouse Monday. Solis is facing one federal count of bribery under a deferred prosecution agreement. The ex-alderman began cooperating with federal investigators in 2016. Separately Monday, former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Madigan codefendant Michael McClain enter the federal court building in Chicago Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. U.S. government attorney Diane MacArthur first introduced a recording of Madigan and Solis nearly two years before the alderman started cooperating with the government. The recording involved a conversation with Chinese developer, See Wong, who wanted to build a hotel on a parcel of land in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood. The land was owned by the state of Illinois at the time, but Solis said a zoning change would be required from the city in order for a hotel to be built. At Madigan’s request, Solis said he facilitated the meeting on Aug. 8, 2014, at Madigan’s law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, about the land along Wentworth Avenue between Archer Avenue and Cermak Road. Madigan’s law partner, Bud Getzendanner, discussed how successful the firm had been in working with hotels to make sure they were not taxed more than necessary. ”A large component of your expense for hotels is real estate taxes,” Getzendanner said during the recorded meeting. Getzendanner said the firm charged 12.5% of the tax savings obtained. Madigan told Wong and an interpreter about the quality of service his firm provided. “We don’t take a second seat to anybody,” Madigan said. The developer then asked for a picture with Madigan and Solis. Solis told the group that Wong would benefit from working with Madigan. “If he works with the Speaker, he will get anything he needs for that hotel,” Solis said on the recording. Solis testified that he meant the city would provide the zoning change the developer needed from the city if the developer hired Madigan’s law firm. Solis said the zoning change was approved, but the proposed hotel was never built. MacArthur asked Solis about the bribery charge he is still facing, which Solis said involved the redevelopment of a property in Chicago from a restaurant to a residential building in 2015. Solis said two problems prevented the project from moving forward: labor unions’ perceived lack of representation in the development and residents' concerns in the ward. The former alderman admitted that he solicited a campaign contribution from the developer or from one or more of the developer’s vendors while the project’s zoning change was still under consideration. Solis said he believed the developer was on board and that he would be getting donations from the developers’ vendors. The zoning change was approved by the city council, Solis said. He testified he solicited and accepted campaign contributions from other developers who had matters pending before the city council’s zoning committee. Solis then testified about about a variety of things like massages that turned sexual, trips to Las Vegas, tickets to professional sporting events, no-paperwork six-figure loans he'd paid back. He even admitted to an extramarital affair he had with an interpreter. Solis said he was separated from his wife for about five years and their house went into foreclosure. He also confessed that he lied to a collection agency by saying he was out of work. MacArthur asked Solis about his sister, Patti Solis Doyle, who worked on campaigns for former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton, D-New York. Solis Doyle also managed Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008. Solis said his sister was involved in a hotel project in which the developer offered her $100,000. Solis said his sister offered to split the sum with her brother. As chairman of the city’s zoning committee, Solis said he told his sister he could not accept money regarding a hotel development. Solis said his sister told him there would be another way she could compensate him. The former alderman said he did receive funds from his sister for referring her to his friend Brian Hynes’ state vendor assistance program. Monday afternoon, Solis testified that FBI agents visited his home on June 1, 2016, and played audio and video recordings. After considering an attorney, Solis said he decided to cooperate with the FBI a few days later and agreed to let investigators tap his phone. Solis also said he told an attorney friend that he was cooperating with the FBI in regard to an investigation of an organization he was involved in. More from this section Solis said he made recordings for several investigations he was involved in as part of his deferred prosecution agreement. He began communicating with Madigan after receiving a voicemail message on June 12, 2017. Solis said he discussed the Chinatown land deal, his interest in getting a state board appointment, and referring clients to Madigan’s law firm while cooperating with the government from June 2016 to December 2017. Solis admitted that he was not really interested in a state board appointment, but he raised the issue with Madigan at the direction of law enforcement. Solis said he began communicating with Madigan codefendant Michael McClain about the Chinatown parcel in the fall of 2017. He said he had to continue to perform his duties as an alderman while cooperating with the FBI because of “the farce” that he was involved in. Solis discussed a 2017 redevelopment project that required a zoning change involving a Union West development in Chicago’s West Loop. MacArthur played a recording, dated June 12, 2017, of Madigan asking Solis about the development. During the call, Solis told the speaker he would try to arrange an introduction for Madigan with the developers. In a subsequent call, Solis promised to arrange a meeting and said, “I think these guys get it, the quid pro quo and how it works.” When MacArthur asked Solis why he said that, Solis said he didn’t know and said it was “dumb.” MacArthur asked Solis if he used the words “quid pro quo” at the direction of law enforcement. “No,” Solis said. Union West developer Andrew Cretal agreed to meet with Madigan and told Solis, “confidentially,” that his company was working with Goldman Sachs as an equity partner and that he would “circle back” with Solis. MacArthur played a recording of Madigan privately telling Solis not to use the words, “quid quo pro.” The conversation immediately preceded the meeting Cretal and the Union West group had at Madigan's and Getzendanner’s law office. During the meeting, Madigan repeated to Cretal’s group what he had said to See Wong. “We don’t take a second seat to anybody,” Madigan said. Solis said he met with Madigan again privately after the meeting with the intention of discussing the Chinatown parcel. Solis said he had been having frequent meetings about the land with potential developers. During the recording, Solis said that nothing could really happen until the state transferred the land. Connie Mixon, professor of Political Science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, served as an expert witness at the corruption trial of longtime Chicago Democrat Ed Burke, who served on the city council from 1969 to 2023. A jury convicted Burke in December 2023 on 18 counts of racketeering, bribery, attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity. Mixon said that Solis also testified as a cooperating witness during Burke’s trial. “It seemed as if, in the sentencing for the Burke trial, the judge did take a bit of exception to the fact that Solis, who also had potential criminal charges, was essentially getting away without any sort of repercussions,” Mixon told The Center Square. Mixon described Solis as a damaged witness. “He’s absolutely damaged, but as much as he’s damaged, you have the words on the wiretap. Having the defendants’ words played in the courtroom, they are really the witness against themselves when you have those wiretaps,” Mixon explained. Before the jury was seated Monday morning, prosecutors said they would provide the court with revised jury instructions by Dec. 3. Judge John Robert Blakey said he could deny admittance of new materials after that date if he deemed them to be untimely. Madigan and McClain are charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct. The trial is scheduled to resume Tuesday morning in Chicago.
Photo: Rob Kruyt, BIV. Holiday shoppers pass a seasonal installation as they walk through Pacific Centre. A combination of factors is set to make this holiday season unlike any other for B.C. retailers. While good news comes from an Ipsos and BMO survey in September, which found that British Columbians expected to spend more money during the holidays than did Canadians in any other province, most dynamics making this year distinctive have the potential to hurt retail sales. The federal government’s mandate that retailers remove the goods and services tax (GST) on some but not all taxable items between December 14 and February 15 is the most unexpected of the challenges merchants must manage. This is because the government has never enacted this kind of tax holiday. Wine is one of the products included in the so-called “GST holiday,” but even wine merchants told BIV they were not impressed with the initiative, which forces them to do more work during their busiest time of year. Marquis Wine Cellars owner John Clerides told BIV he believes the tax change is a haphazard policy and one that was put in place for political purposes. “I had to get my CFO to look into it,” he said. “We have to print new tags and do all sorts of stuff, which the consumer doesn't care about. All they care about is lower prices. If that helps sales, then great. I don’t know if it will as this is unprecedented.” Wine sales spike in the final three months of the year and Clerides called the time a “make-or-break quarter,” and one when he does not want to waste resources on changing price tags and point-of-sale system technology. British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch data for wine wholesales back up his claim that the final quarter of the year by far has the most sales. The province’s monopoly alcohol distributor sold nearly $317 million worth of wine wholesale in October through December last year. That was more than 21.5 per cent above an average of $260.8 million in each of the following three quarters. Canada Post strike adds burden for retailers Clerides’ staff has also shouldered heavier workloads since Canada Post workers went on strike in mid-November. Marquis Wine Cellars provides free delivery for online customers who buy more than $250, he said. Clerides uses Canada Post to deliver orders because its delivery rates are lower than those from Purolator, FedEx and other delivery companies, he said. The strike means that he is getting his staff to make local deliveries. In cases where online buyers purchase less than $250 worth of wine and need to pay shipping fees, the cost has gone up to the point where Clerides said he believes he has lost sales. Some retailers told BIV that they have been frustrated with orders getting stuck in transit. Yaletown retailer Durriya Rehan, who owns Fine Finds, told BIV that she shipped an advent calendar to a customer on November 12. It got stuck somewhere in Canada Post’s distribution network when workers went on strike. The customer cancelled the order and Rehan said she felt compelled to refund his money because he did not receive his purchase. Arkun Durmaz, the Canadian president of Istanbul, Turkey-based Mavi Jeans, told BIV he has five stores in Metro Vancouver but most of his company’s North American business is wholesale. The Canada Post strike has hindered his ability to ship inventory to resellers. It has also caused many payments from his resellers to get stuck in the mail, he said. Durriya Rehan, who owns Yaletown’s Fine Finds, told BIV that she has had to reimburse customers for online sales because the Canada Post strike meant their purchases were lost in transit. | Rob Kruyt, BIV Some of those resellers have shifted to using e-transfers but Durmaz said Mavi Jeans is forced to wait for accounts-receivable payments that were made by mailed cheques until the strike is over. “More consumers are going to be going into bricks-and-mortar stores if they feel like they're not able to get products when they buy online,” said retail consultant and Retail Insider Media owner Craig Patterson. "This could be a year that is a better time for retailers that have physical locations.” Later shopping season could reduce retail sales Retailers are hoping that having a late Black Friday does not crimp overall sales. Black Friday this year fell on November 29—the latest possible date as it follows American Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of the month. Last year, Black Friday fell on November 24, meaning that there were five more shopping days between Black Friday and Christmas. Initial data from Salesforce found that online Black Friday sales in Canada were down six per cent to $309 million when compared with last year. By contrast, global data shows Black Friday sales increased five per cent year over year to $74.4 billion. Canada’s comparatively sluggish economy and GDP growth may be to blame. Canadian GDP growth last year was 1.1 per cent, compared with 2.5 per cent in the U.S., according to the World Bank. Moneris data released today found that B.C. shoppers were more enthusiastic about Black Friday than were counterparts in the rest of Canada. B.C. shoppers spent 34-per-cent more on Black Friday than they had on the Friday one week earlier, according to Moneris. That compares with a sales bump of 29-per-cent nationally. Canadian retailers in the past decade have learned to count on holiday shopping starting with a bang on Black Friday. That holiday shopping bonanza was historically largely a phenomenon that stayed south of the border, and was not in Canada until the aught years, said DIG360 retail consultant and owner David Ian Gray, who closely tracks Black Friday sales. His company teams up with Angus Reid Group to survey shoppers and issue annual reports. Gray told BIV that last year 49 per cent of respondents bought at least one item that was part of a Black Friday promotion, while 73 per cent of respondents either browsed Black Friday deals or purchased an item that was on sale. Both of those figures were the highest since DIG360 started tracking Black Friday interest in 2010. Gray said he does not expect that the share of Canadians who participated in Black Friday shopping this year to be considerably more than last year’s level because he said he thinks there is a large slice of the population that just buys items when needed, avoids hyped sales promotions and views the consumer frenzy with disdain. “There will be a sizable minority that wants to opt out,” he said. Another phenomenon prompting a later holiday shopping season is the GST’s slated removal from a range of goods starting December 14. Items to be newly GST-free include children’s clothing, children’s toys, books, beer that has up to seven per cent alcohol, restaurant meals and a miscellany of other items. Shoppers may delay their shopping to pay less in tax. Confusion is then likely to reign for many consumers who do closely follow government pronouncements. They may wrongly believe that flat-screen TVs or other products will be exempt from the GST and postpone their purchases of those items for that reason. Undoubtedly, retailers will have to deal with unhappy customers who learn in their stores that the GST continues to apply to many products. Even retail professionals told BIV that the government’s list of exempted items is not clear. While children’s toys, such as board games and dolls designed for children younger than 14 years, are to be exempt, other toys could continue to carry the tax. Patterson added that the timing of the GST holiday is not ideal for some items. Christmas trees will be exempt from the GST starting December 14 even though most Christmas tree shoppers will likely have already bought their trees, he said. One consequence of more consumers procrastinating on their holiday shopping and pushing it into the future is that they may get busy with other things and not complete their purchases by Christmas, hurting retailers in the process.
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Stock market today: Wall Street gains ground as it notches a winning week and another Dow record
A 57-year-old Lincoln man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl that led to a woman's overdose last year. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Fullerton had argued for a longer sentence for Robert Vincent Harris, who she said had not accepted any responsibility for his actions. "This is a person that to my knowledge has never acknowledged that he did anything wrong either on a legal or even a purely human basis," she said. Fullerton said Harris was lucky the woman didn't die. Harris's attorney, Bob Creager, said Harris had acknowledged what he did was wrong. At a bench trial, he argued Harris should be found guilty of straight possession because he hadn't sold the woman drugs. Harris, who was an addict himself, allowed her to use some of his. People are also reading... According to court records, on Feb. 14, 2023, Harris bought 10 pills that looked like oxycodone but he believed were fentanyl, from his source and crushed them into powder to cut and snort throughout the day. Later that day, Harris cut a line and snorted some. Then, a woman, identified in court records as "Ariel L.," snorted the rest. Not long after, the drugs kicked in and Ariel fell down. Harris used Narcan, which can counteract a fentanyl overdose, from the woman's purse on her. And a bystander called 911. When the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force searched Harris' apartment with a warrant later that night, they found two straws with residue. One tested positive for fentanyl and the other for fentanyl, meth, cocaine and heroin. Senior U.S. District Judge John Gerrard ultimately rejected the defense argument and found Harris guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in serious injury and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. In court Monday, Creager said heroin users who are profoundly addicted don't think or act clearly. It's the "nature of the beast." But it didn't involve distribution in the traditional sense of a seller hooking people onto the drug. He said Harris was in a bad place and has done remarkably well in treatment since. Harris said that as a person with a drug problem he's had some "clean time" before. "This is different now. I'm in recovery now," he told the judge. Harris said he's since seen the woman, who is doing well, and they apologized to each other. He said he's been inspired to continue with his recovery. Gerrard said thatwhat happened to the victim was very serious, but Harris took some steps, starting the night of the overdose, to rectify it. "But the law is what it is," he said. "You were convicted of a crime." Gerrard sentenced Harris to 20 years, the mandatory minimum set by Congress, and let Harris report to the prison in February. There is no parole in federal prison. Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, can be purchased and deployed by anyone and is available for free at more than a dozen area pharmacies, a list of which is published at stopodne.com . Download the new Journal Star News Mobile App Top Journal Star photos for November 2024 Lincoln firefighter Andrew Brenner sprays water from the top of a ladder truck on to the roof of a former Village Inn at 29th and O streets Wednesday morning. Luca Gustafson, 6, rides to school Tuesday with the bike bus at Riley Elementary School. Each Tuesday, students can bike to school with adult chaperones along a specific route. Wahoo's Braylon Iversen celebrates with Warrior players after they defeated Auburn in a Class C-1 state semifinal game Friday in Wahoo. Lincoln Fire Fighters Association member Andy Evans works to assemble a headboard during a bed-building day hosted by Sleep in Heavenly Peace on Saturday at Hampton Enterprises. Volunteers helped build 20 beds for children in need. Second-time mother giraffe Allie nuzzles her new calf in the giraffe experience enclosure on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Nebraska celebrates during the first set of the match against Minnesota on Thursday at the Devaney Sports Center. Iris Gonnerman, 8 (from right), her brother Oliver, 6, and cousin Noreen Milana, 9, wave flags while watching Veterans Parade outside the state Capitol on Sunday. Nebraska's Connor Essegian scores against Bethune-Cookma on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Covered by a canopy of changing leaves, a car cruises along A street in a neighborhood north of Downtown Lincoln on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. Mild temperatures continue into the mid weeks of November. Wednesday calls for a chance of rain showers before noon with gusty winds. Most days this week are expected to be accompanied by mostly sunny skies and consistent breezes. Norris' Anna Jelinek (left) lifts the the Class B championship trophy alongside Rya Borer on Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Lincoln Lutheran players embrace one another as threy celebrate defeating Thayer Central in four sets to win the Class C-2 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Superior players celebrate their three set win over EMF during the Class D-1 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Reflected in a ceiling beam, Leyton takes on Shelton in the first set of the Class D-2 championship match Saturday at the Devaney Sports Center. Omaha Skutt's Nicole Ott (left) and Addison West react after a point in the second set during a Class B semifinal match Friday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Hasan Khalil, owner of Golden Scissors, trims the beard of Vitaliy Martynyuk on Friday at his barbershop in Lincoln. Southwest fans Kylea Stritt (from left), Peg Rice, and Stacey Wilson cheer on their team as the "horsemen" during a Class D-1 first-round match Thursday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Millard West players dogpile on the floor after defeating Lincoln Southwest in five set match during a Class A first-round match Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Lincoln Southwest's Shelby Harding dives to save the ball from hitting the ground in the first set during a Class A first-round match Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Second graders Eli Gonzalez (left) and Shrutoshome Datta look at drawings that first and second grade students made at the Monster Jam Art Show on Wednesday at Elliott Elementary School. The elementary school students made drawings of monsters to be turned into different types of art by Lincoln High School students. Norris players celebrate a point against Lincoln Pius X in a Class B state volleyball tournament match, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (right) talks with supporters, including Darlene Starman of Lincoln, at her campaign office on Tuesday in Lincoln. A cutout of Jesus watches over voters on Tuesday at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Lincoln. Abigail Webb votes on Tuesday at F Street Community Center. Nebraska's Rollie Worster (24) shoots a layup while defended by Texas Rio Grande Valley's Marshal Destremau (left) and Trey Miller (right) on Nov. 4 at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Nebraska's Allison Weidner (left) autographs a poster for Freeman Public Schools student Godwil Muthiani, 12 (center), after the game against UNO on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Muthiani's sign says, "#3 Allison Weinder is the GOAT! Sorry I'm only 12." Nebraska Head Coach Matt Rhule speaks to an official after a targeting call on Nebraska during the first quarter of the game against UCLA on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. The call was overturned after review. Nebraska's Dante Dowdell scores against UCLA in the fourth quarter on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Cadet Elena Burgwald (left) and Cadet Mason Beck look up as a B-1B Lancer flies over Memorial Stadium before the UCLA game against Nebraska on Saturday. UCLA's K.J. Wallace (7) defends Nebraska's Jacory Barney (17) as he makes a diving 40-yard catch in the second quarter on Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. Lincoln Southeast quarterback Tre Bollen (left) and Tate Sandman react after losing a Class A football playoff game against Millard North on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Seacrest Field. Millard North won 10-3. After the field clears, Norris' Jarrett Behrends (17) kicks his helmet after the Titans fell to Waverly 16-17 in a Class B football playoff game on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, at Waverly High School. A line of people waiting to vote has been normal at the Lancaster County Election Commission Office at 601 N. 46th St., as it was Friday afternoon. The office will be open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to allow voters to cast an early ballot. If they wait until Election Day, they will need to go to their precinct or drop off their ballots at one of five drop boxes across the city. For more stories about about Tuesday's election, go to Journalstar.com . Harris Reach the writer at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com . On Twitter @LJSpilger Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Courts reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.The hype and excitement with artificial intelligence is starting to morph into substantive concerns: helping people and organizations achieve greater success. Questions now loom: will AI help deliver superior customer experience, enrich peoples’ work experience, and create entrepreneurial opportunities? Or is it just the latest shiny new thing? When done right, AI can be a very successful tool for wowing customers, pleasing employees, and launching new ventures. However, the key is to do AI right — in an ethical and trustworthy manner. Trust and ethics in AI is what is making business leaders nervous. For example, at least 72% of executives responding to a recent survey from the IBM Institute for Business Value say they “are willing to forgo generative AI benefits due to ethical concerns.” In addition, more than half (56%) indicate they are delaying major investments in generative AI until there is clarity on AI standards and regulations. Successful AI is, and will always be, a people-centric process. Boosting people in their work. Delivering products and services to customers. Keeping things running smoothly. “AI technology is still in its early stages, and we have to assume that human input and oversight will continue to be crucial in developing responsible AI," said Jeremy Barnes, vice president of ServiceNow. While the level of human involvement required may change as AI continues to evolve, “I don’t believe it will ever be a fully hands-off process,” said Barnes. “Continuous improvement in AI requires regular monitoring and updates, relying on user research and human expertise for valuable insights and feedback. This ensures AI systems can evolve and adapt effectively and ethically.” As with everything else in life, trust in AI needs to be earned. That trust is likely to keep improving, but it’s something that will evolve over years. Right now, trust is possible, but only under very specific and controlled circumstances, said Doug Ross , US chief technology officer at Capgemini Americas. "Today, guardrails are a growing area of practice for the AI community given the stochastic nature of these models,” said Ross. “Guardrails can be employed for virtually any area of decisioning, from examining bias to preventing the leakage of sensitive data." At this time, generative AI use cases require significant human oversight, agreed Miranda Nash , group vice president for applications development and strategy for Oracle. “For example, generative AI embedded in business processes helps users with first drafts of employee performance summaries, financial narrative reports, and customer service summaries.” The key word here is “help,’” Nash continued. “The responsibilities of end users haven’t changed. They still need to review and edit for accuracy to ensure their work is accurate. In situations where AI accuracy has been validated with months or even years of observation, a human may only be needed for exception handling.” The situation is not likely to change soon, Jeremy Rambarran , professor at Touro University Graduate School, pointed out. “Although the output that's being generated may be unique, depending on how the output is being presented, there's always a chance that part of the results may not be entirely accurate. This will eventually change down the road as algorithms are enhanced and could eventually be updated in an automated manner.” It’s important, then, “AI decisions should be used as just one input into a human-governed orchestration of the overall decision-making process,” said Ross. How can AI be best directed to be ethical and trustworthy? Compliance requirements, of course, will be a major driver of AI trust in the future, said Rambarran. “We need to ensure that AI-driven processes comply with ethical guidelines, legal regulations, and industry standards. Humans should be aware of the ethical implications of AI decisions and be ready to intervene when ethical concerns arise.” It’s also important to “foster a culture of collaboration between humans and AI systems,” Rambarran said. “Encouraging interdisciplinary teams composed of domain experts, data scientists, and AI engineers to all work together to solve complex problems effectively is vital.” Scoreboards and dashboards are tools that can facilitate this process, said Ross. “We can also segment decisions into low, medium, and high-risk categories. High-risk decisions should be routed to a human for review and approval.” AI won’t progress beyond the shiny-new-object phase without the governance, ethics, and trust that will enable acceptance and innovation from all quarters. We’re all in this together.
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