'The days of spotting AI by six fingers are over'

From growth zones to data centres, the north-east of England and Cumbria are fast becoming a hub for artificial intelligence (AI) development and use. But people across the region have been wondering how to spot the ever-evolving technology in content, and how to use it without the "environmental guilt". We put your questions to an expert.

Professor David Hughes, associate dean in research and innovation at Teesside University, advises the government on AI.

His top takeaway is that the technology is exciting and people did not need to be afraid.

• What is AI and how does it work?

Telmo in Newcastle asked if there were any security risks, or if there would be a security risk in the future?

"The short answer is, yes," Hughes said, particularly when it comes to fraud and misinformation.

He advised people to look for trusted sources.

"Agencies like the BBC are accountable, social media platforms as well," he said. "If misinformation goes on there, they're responsible to take it down."

Pete wanted to know how to check if what he was viewing or reading was artificial.

Hughes said you could no longer tell by the quality of the image.

"Increasingly, the days of 'it's got six fingers' are going," he said.

Instead, people needed to interrogate where it was from and what it was trying to get, he said.

"If it's trying to spark a big reaction in you, just trying to get you to click on it and engage in it, then that's never healthy," Hughes said.

"There's a really good check you can do which is just, 'how does this make me feel?'"

The region is set to see more and more of the technology with AI growth zones at sites in Blyth in Northumberland and Cobalt Park in North Tyneside.

In Cumbria, the nuclear industry is using AI-trained robots to do jobs which are unsafe for humans. Similarly in Sunderland, Nissan is using it to make cars safer.

"Is there any way to make it more sustainable? So people like me can just use it without feeling guilt," Lauren asked.

"Data uses energy, there's no question about it," Hughes said.

He said people in the industry were "always trying to use green energy" and methods that saved heat and energy.

"But you have to use it responsibly," he added.

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