Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545479
4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 JUNE 2026 NEWS WE are living in a world where most of our gadgets and household appliances are be- coming increasingly smart and Wi-Fi-enabled. Imagine living in an apartment where a smart central controller monitors and adjusts the apartment's oxy- gen and temperature levels by controlling the air condition- ing and air purifiers according- ly. Your coffee machine starts brewing coffee automatical- ly as you wake up, and your smart doorbell recognises your friends' faces and lets them in without you having to get off your couch. Such homes learn our rou- tines and anticipate our be- haviour. In return for con- venience, we have grown comfortable sharing our da- ta. We increasingly place our trust in systems that seem to know us, and we are becom- ing ever more impatient with friction, delays, and bureau- cracy. Yet, organisations hold far more meaningful data than any smart home sensor ever could. What matters is not just possessing data but hav- ing the intelligence layer that analyses the behaviour and makes decisions from it, the governance framework to act on it responsibly, and a shift from manual decision-mak- ing to decisions driven by data. Through AI, we can do ex- traordinary things with data, but at what cost? The data that could make our lives fric- tionless could also leave us deeply vulnerable. At first, we might see only convenience and personalisation. Beneath the surface, however, lie sys- tems that analyse how we behave, predict what we will do next, and act on those pre- dictions. These systems often operate quietly and out of sight. AI now has the power to in- fluence decisions that affect our lives, often without us ex- plicitly asking for it. These de- cisions are increasingly made algorithmically, with little visibility to the people affect- ed by them. Thus, we risk no longer being treated as cus- tomers, but as data points that an algorithm has already decided how to classify. We cannot ignore the fact that most AI systems cannot explain their own decisions. AI is only as fair as the data it is trained on, and histori- cal data may carry historical injustice. The real problem is not only accuracy but also ac- countability. When AI gets it wrong, responsibility cannot remain undefined. Responsi- bility cannot be diluted across teams. Organisations that deploy AI must own the out- comes of the decisions these systems make. If accountabil- ity remains unclear, then trust will erode, and without trust, AI will ultimately stall. Governance and regulations are not the enemy of innova- tion. They are what make in- novation trustworthy. Ethical AI is not a brake on innova- tion. It is the foundation that makes innovation sustaina- ble. Regulations such as the EU AI Act and GDPR ensure that customers are protected from the unethical use of per- sonal data. The question for organisa- tions is not whether to use AI - it is too late for that now. The real question is what kind of AI they want, and who will be brave enough to demand the right standards. At Bank of Valletta, we sit at the intersection of innovation and responsibility. We be- lieve that innovation without accountability is not sustain- able. Our aim is not to replace human judgement, but to make it faster, fairer and bet- ter informed while preserving clear accountability. I believe that engineering the next decade is not just about building smarter sys- tems, but about building sys- tems that are accountable for the decisions they make and worthy of the trust people place in them. Ludwig Mallia is Head of In- novation at Bank of Valletta. He contributed his insights on Applying AI, Governance and Performance - Disciplines in Different Industries at the Annual Engineering Confer- ence titled 'Engineering the Next Decade – Advancing Smart Industry & Sustainable Infrastructure', hosted by the Chamber of Engineers. Issued by Bank of Valletta p.l.c., 58, Triq San Zakkarija, il-Belt Valletta VLT 1130. Bank of Valletta p.l.c. is a public lim- ited company regulated by the MFSA and is licensed to carry out the business of banking in terms of the Banking Act (Cap. 371 of the Laws of Malta). The price of convenience: Why ethical AI is no longer optional Ludwig Mallia THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION A woman with decayed teeth, butchered Malta's hidden treasures uncovered THE Superintendence of Cul- tural Heritage (SCH) has pub- lished its 2025 Annual Report, outlining a year of sustained archaeological monitoring and fieldwork, that led to the iden- tification or rediscovery of 172 archaeological sites across the Maltese Islands. While the num- ber of development applica- tions showed a slight decrease compared to previous years, the rate of discoveries during moni- toring activity remained steady, reinforcing the exceptionally high density of buried heritage within Malta's urban and rural landscape. Ceramic assemblages in Rabat Among the most significant finds was a discovery in Rabat along Triq Ġorġ Borg Olivier, where a rock-cut feature yield- ed thousands of ceramic frag- ments and complete items. The assemblage—largely consisting of miniature lamps, small jars, plates, and ceramic stands—is provisionally dated to the Hel- lenistic period. The scale and concentration of the material suggest it functioned as a vo- tive or ritual deposit, offering rare insight into local religious practices over two millennia ago and confirming the survival of substantial archaeological layers within Rabat's urban core. Further investigations in the same locality revealed complex structural remains built in ash- lar and rubble, along with loz- enge-shaped tiles and fired clay Remains of a woman aged between 25 and 31 years dating to , found in Attard JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt