Fwd Musings on The AI Dilemma
Author: Peter Kaminski Issue: 2023-04-05
Fwd: Musings on The AI Dilemma
by Killu Sanborn and Peter Kaminski
Killu forwarded the piece “Musing on The AI Dilemma” to folks she knows in a number of communities. Here is her intro, and my reply. – Pete
From: Killu Sanborn
Musings on The AI Dilemma 💗👾 – How to bring ideas to life in a good way? – Andrew Murray Dunn, 2023-03-29
Am forwarding this note from a friend who works with Tristan Harris (maker of “The Social Dilemma”), as it has a video link to a powerful discussion about AI that I believe is beyond timely, and important to know about (and to share). Don't take my word for it - listen, and see how it leaves you.
For me, it leaves me shaken, sobered, and also inspired into action - to share this with you all who are members of diverse communities. Am happy and grateful to know all of you amazing people. If this video calls you into action and sharing with your friends, I will be even happier!
Here's to a better world through wise action, friends, and imagination of an even better future than we now know.
Killu
From: Peter Kaminski
Thank you, Killu, and thank you, everyone.
I love that Harris and Raskin did the podcast, and AI definitely deserves a lot of societal consideration. (AGI, probably even more.) More discussion, not debate, as they say.
By the way, the home page for the episode has a transcript:
The AI Dilemma, 2023-03-24
I want to say that I find the episode to be a good awareness piece, but not especially informative, and not especially thoughtful. It's sort of mixed. But AI is an important issue, and I appreciate their efforts to bring these issues into more awareness.
The episode is well worth sharing, and a good starting point for more discussion.
The most thoughtful musings I've seen on recent AI developments are from David Brin, a scientist, futurist, and science fiction author. He has been thinking about technology (including AI) and society for a long time. In a previous age (1998), he wrote about society, security, secrecy, accountability, and privacy, in a non-fiction book, “The Transparent Society”.
Here are a couple of interrelated things about AI from him over the past five weeks:
The only way out of the AI dilemma, 2023-03-31
Essential (mostly neglected) questions and answers about Artificial Intelligence: Part I, 2023-03-20
Essential (mostly neglected) questions and answers about Artificial Intelligence: Part II, 2023-03-27
David Brin - The First Robotic Empathy Crisis - Tim Ventura Interview, YouTube, 2023-02-23
Together they are not short, and not quick to summarize.
Having said that, Brin says that secrecy, opacity, renunciation, tight regulation, and fierce internal limitations are the things society will be tempted to enact to control AI; and that they will fail.
He says that the only thing that will work will be having more AIs, not fewer, with checks and balances between AIs – reciprocal accountability. “... mixing some degree of centralized adjudication, justice and investment and planning… but combining it with maximized empowerment of separate, individualistic players.”
Look for where he describes a flattened diamond of a society (like democratic societies, or in Nature itself), rather than a pyramid of power.
This is just a poor summary of highlights from what Brin has said. I left out a number of other interesting thoughts and observations he has, and of course, any errors of understanding or summarization are mine. Mostly, I recommend reading and watching the originals.
In community,
Pete
Related:
- Peter Kaminski (author)
- 2023 (year)
- Topics: AI and Technology