Fall 2021
Dear Friends and Family,
Scenario is defined as a “synopsis of a projected course of action or events.” So, this optimistic scenario is the best outcome by 2023 that Amy Webb, as a futurist, projects for AI in the America. It was written in 2019. In my opinion it contains some very thoughtful and appropriate actions that should be taken for AI’s development. Here are my takeaways in that regard.
My Takeaways:
Given that we are approaching the end of 2021 and the current administration has just convened a Task Force to study AI with a goal of submitting a report in late 2022, we will have little politically to compare to the 2023 Optimistic Scenario. In fact, given the lack of knowledge and news on the AI subject by Western world politicians, the mainstream media, and the general public it is unlikely that anything politically will be undertaken in the near future let alone to the extent suggested in the scenario. Further, since China’s entire strategic thrust for global domination is dependent on AI development, it is highly unlikely they will be a participant in any Global Alliance. Rapid education of the general public seems to be of paramount importance, even though in all probability many will dismiss the potential consequences as a conspiracy theory.
Next: Segment 15 will relook at the future benefits to society via AI.
Happy Learning,
Harley
Dear Friends and Family,
Scenario is defined as a “synopsis of a projected course of action or events.” So, this optimistic scenario is the best outcome by 2023 that Amy Webb, as a futurist, projects for AI in the America. It was written in 2019. In my opinion it contains some very thoughtful and appropriate actions that should be taken for AI’s development. Here are my takeaways in that regard.
My Takeaways:
- The formation of a G-MAFIA Coalition in support of global development of AI for the good of all people in the world.
- An international coalition to protect and preserve AI as a public good and to exert pressure on China not to use AI as a surveillance tool and an enabler of communism.
- To form a Global alliance (GAIA) to guide and control AI’s development to include:
- Require AI development to test new applications in the environment of intended use and simulate risks before deploying it in the real world.
- Prevent artificial superintelligence from being created, i.e., put limits on machine learning to only be slightly more capable of performing human cognitive tasks versus permitting development leading to machines being significant smarter than humans in every way.
Given that we are approaching the end of 2021 and the current administration has just convened a Task Force to study AI with a goal of submitting a report in late 2022, we will have little politically to compare to the 2023 Optimistic Scenario. In fact, given the lack of knowledge and news on the AI subject by Western world politicians, the mainstream media, and the general public it is unlikely that anything politically will be undertaken in the near future let alone to the extent suggested in the scenario. Further, since China’s entire strategic thrust for global domination is dependent on AI development, it is highly unlikely they will be a participant in any Global Alliance. Rapid education of the general public seems to be of paramount importance, even though in all probability many will dismiss the potential consequences as a conspiracy theory.
Next: Segment 15 will relook at the future benefits to society via AI.
Happy Learning,
Harley
BIG TECH & AI – SEGMENT 14
OPTIMISTIC 4TH SCENARIO – EXCERPTS
Source: All of the excerpts in this segment are from The Big Nine by Amy Webb (2019)
It is the year 2023, and we’ve made the best possible decision about AI – we’ve shifted AI’s development track, we are collaborating on the future, and we’re already seeing positive durable change. First and foremost, we recognize why China has invested strategically in AI and how AI’s development track fits into China’s broader narrative about its future place in the world.
With this realization, our elected officials, with the full support of the G-MAFIA and AI’s tribes, built an international coalition to protect and preserve AI as a public good. That coalition exerts pressure on China and uses economic levers to fight back against AI’s use as a tool of surveillance and an enabler of communism. The US government dedicates vast federal funding to support AI’s development, which relieves pressure on the G-MAFIA to earn profit fast. It’s also abundantly clear how much influence America can exert in science and technology when we have a coordinated national strategy – we have the federal government to thank for GPS and the internet. Neither AI nor its funding is politicized, and everyone agrees that regulating G-MAFIA and AI is the wrong course of action. Heavy-handed, binding regulations would be outdated the moment they went into effect; they would stifle innovation, and they’d be difficult to enforce.
With a national strategy and funding in place, the newly formed G-MAFIA Coalition formalizes itself with multilateral agreements to collaborate on the future of AI. The G-MAFIA Coalition defines and adopts standards that, above all else, prioritize a development track for AI that serves the best interests of democracy and society. They adopt transparency as a core value. The data sets, training algorithms, and neural network structures are made transparent in a way that protects only those trade secrets and proprietary information that could, if divulged, cause economic harm to one of the coalition members. America’s national strategy and the formation of our G-MAFIA Coalition inspires the leaders of other democracies around the world to support the global development of AI for the good of all. They form the Global Alliance on Intelligence Augmentation (GAIA). Within GAIA, a decision is made to treat our personal data records (PDRs) like we do the distributed ledgers of blockchains. By design, they don’t keep data centralized under the umbrella of just one company or agency. Because the G-MAFIA Coalition adopts a set of standards and deploys unified AI technologies our PDRs don’t really need a centrally coordinated company to manage transactions. As a result, individuals own their own PDRs. The G-MAFIA are only the custodians of AI and of our data.
2029: COMFORTABLY NUDGED: With the G-MAFIA collaboration leading to lots of new trade agreements, citizens around the world have better, cheaper access to Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)-powered products and services. GAIA meets regularly, making all its work transparent, while its multinational working groups are comfortably keeping pace with technological advancement. Middle-class homes rely on AI to make life a little bit easier. For wealthier households ANI applications offer more features. Everyone, regardless of income level, is glad to be nudged into better health. The G-MAFIA reminds us during the day to make healthier choices. The G-MAFIA coalescing around a single standard for PDRs ushered in a set of standardized electronic medical record formats, protocols, frameworks and user interfaces. As a result, the healthcare system is far more efficient.
Google’s system helps doctors to predict the likely outcomes of different medicines and treatments, as well as to forecast when a patient will die, helping caregivers make better decisions about how to treat each individual patient. Diagnosis, treatment, and care are no longer offered in brick-and-mortar hospitals alone, which means that far more people in the U.S. now have better access to care. Some providers offer connected, though relatively new, home and telemedicine services.
Other aspects of everyday life – including dating and sex – are better because of AI. Evolutionary algorithms turned out to be a smarter solution for online daters than basic apps and websites. Evolutionary algorithms pull data from our PDRs and test us against all the other profiles within the dating database. We select a goal – from “just looking to have casual fun” to “ready to get married” – along with any constraints and from that evolutionary algorithm produces a list of people with whom we have the best odds of achieving that goal.
Because we acknowledged well in advance that automation would disrupt portions of our workforce, we aren’t suffering from widespread unemployment and our economy is on sure footing. In the U.S., the federal government now runs new social safety nets to ensure our resiliency. Using the G-MAFIA tools, companies and individuals alike have long been retraining for entirely new kinds for entirely new kinds of jobs. The G-MAFIA has empowered and enables public, private, elementary, and postsecondary schools to harness AI to enhance learning. Adaptive learning systems, overseen by teachers, challenge students to learn at their own pace, especially in early reading, logic math, and foreign language skills in classrooms and at homes.
AI systems and services allows city managers to predict power outages, monitor and reroute traffic, manage water reserves, and clear ice and snow off the roads. AI also helps them manage budgets and personnel throughout the year. These systems tie into public safety departments, like police and fire, which are using AI to sift through massive amounts of data, including video. As it evolves, AI is helping us mature into better humans, with the G-MAFIA, federal government, and GAIA taking active roles in the transition from artificial narrow intelligence to artificial general intelligence, we feel comfortably nudged.
2049: THE ROLLING STONES ARE DEAD (But They’re Making New Music). The G-MAFIA are wealthy, influential, powerful companies – and their success is growing. They are building exciting practical applications for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to enhance our productivity and creativity. Google and Facebook are using AGI to help safely and securely move entire populations, forming and shaping the Earth with new, comprehensive human communities. AGI helps them to predict which specific locations can most easily sustain life in a way that feels comfortable and preserves the cultures of affected people. Every family has a butler because every household has an AGI trained and attuned to its unique circumstances. We can thank the G-MAFIA for how much the quality of life has improved. What used to be time-consuming, difficult challenges – like trying to schedule a time that works for everyone, sorting out an after-school activity calendar, or managing our personal finances – is now fully automated and overseen by AGI. We finally have simple household robotics that make good on their promises to keep our rugs and floors clean, our laundry put away and our shelves dusted.
The common cold no longer exists and neither does “the flu.” That’s because IBM and Google’s AGIs helped us see and understand millions of different type viroid. Now, when you’re not feeling well, an AGI diagnostic test helps determine what, exactly, is making you sick so that a treatment – one that maps to your PDR – can be prescribed. As a patient you are happier. You don’t spend hours trekking to different doctors’ offices, getting conflicting messages, and you are no longer overprescribed medications. If you live in a more remote area, AGI has meant a dramatic improvement in your access to care.
2069: AI-POWERED GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: After much consideration, a difficult decision is made by all members of GAIA to prevent Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) from being created. Some of those involved in the conversation became emotional – arguing it wasn’t fair to handicap AI’s “beautiful minds” just as they are beginning to reach their potential. We debate whether or not we are denying humanity the possibility of even greater opportunities and rewards. Ultimately, with the Big Nine’s blessing and encouragement, GAIA determines that with human safety and security in the balance, new restrictions must be built into all AGIs to limit their rate of self-improvement and to ensure that no unwanted mutations can be implemented. Soon, GAIA will deploy a series of guardian AIs that will act as an early warning system for any AGI that’s gained too much cognitive power. Even the guardians won’t necessarily prevent a rogue actor from trying to create ASIs on their own, but GAIA is writing scenarios to prepare for that eventuality. In GAIA and the Big Nine, we place our unwavering affections and trust.
Source: The Big Nine by Amy Web (2019)
HOW TO FIX AI’S FUTURE: I believe that the optimistic scenario – or something close to it – is within our reach. It is possible for AI to fulfill its greatest aspirational purpose and potential, benefitting all of AI’s tribes and all of us in the process. As it evolves, AI can absolutely serve the people of both China and the United States, as well as all of our allies. It can help us live healthier lives, shrink economic divides, and make us safer in our cities. We must empower and embolden the Big Nine to shift the trajectory of AI, because without a groundswell of support from us, they cannot and will not do it on their own. The future we all want to live in won’t just show up, fully formed. We need to be courageous. We must take responsibility for our actions.
WORLDWIDE SYSTEMIC CHANGE: THE CASE FOR CREATING GAIA: In the optimistic scenario, a diverse mix of leaders from the world’s most advanced economies join forces with the G-MAFIA to form the Global Alliance on Intelligence Augmentation, or GAIA. They agree to facilitate and cooperate on shared AI initiatives and policies, and over time they exert enough influence and control that an apocalypse – either because of AGI, ASI, or China’s use of AI to oppress citizens is prevented. The best way to engineer systemic change is to treat AI as a public good and to see to the creation of a new international entity. GAIA member nations would sign and ratify a multilateral charter and multilateral treaty. GAIA should be physically located on neutral ground near an existing AI hub.
It may seem impossible to unite the governments of the world around a central cause given the political rancor and geopolitical uneasiness we’ve experienced in the past few years. But there is precedent. In the aftermath of World War II, when tensions were still high, hundreds of delegates from all Allied nations gathered together in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to build the financial structures that enabled the global economy to move forward. While it is unlikely that China would join, an invitation should be extended for CCP leaders and for the BAT to join. First and foremost, GAIA must establish a way to guarantee basic human rights in an age of AI.
Once we’re nearing AGI, the Big Nine and all those in the AI ecosystem should agree to constraining AI to test environments and simulate risk before deploying them in the real world. What I’m proposing is vastly different from the current practice of product testing, which mainly looks to see whether a system is performing its functions as designed. AI should be boxed in until we know that the benefits of the research outweigh possible negative outcomes, or if there is a way to mitigate the risks.
THE CASE FOR REORIENTING GOVERNMENTS: Regardless of what happens to Xi Jinping, big parts of the world now depend on China for technology, manufacturing, and economic development. And China depends on AI for its future survival. China’s economy is growing unbelievably fast and hundreds of millions of Chinese will soon enter the middle and upper middle classes. Beijing understands that AI is the connective tissue between people, data, and algorithms, and that AI can help inculcate the CCP’s values in the masses in order to keep people in line. There’s one very good reason for China to work toward the optimistic scenario from the beginning: basic economics. If it is the case that upward mobility in China is happening too fast for Beijing to contend with, authoritarian rule isn’t the only realistic strategy. China is poised to become a global leader across many different industries and fields. If Beijing agreed to transparency, data protection, and addressing human rights, it would be in position to co-lead GAIA as an equal partner with the U.S., which could mean a realistic path toward elevating millions of Chinese people out of poverty.
If the BAT helps preserve the status quo in China, 20 years from now its citizens – and the citizens of all the countries that have accepted deals – will be fearful living under constant surveillance, with no ability to express their individuality. The BAT will enable human suffering. Christians will not be able to pray together. Lesbian, gay, and transgender people will be forced into hiding. Ethnic minorities will continue to be rounded up and sent away, never to be heard from again.
We need a new, centralized office championing strategic foresight. A new Strategic Foresight Office (SFO) would position leaders to articulate and realize preferred futures in which the U.S. remains a powerful global force. The SFO should clearly define AI as a public good and set norms and standards for those companies, schools, and researchers operating within or in any partnership with the United States. We are now at the beginning of AI’s modern evolution, and we cannot continue to think of it as a platform build by big tech companies in the U.S. and China for digital commerce, communications, and cool apps.
YOU NEED TO CHANGE, TOO: From today forward, you should learn how your data is being mined and refined by the Big Nine. You can do this by digging into the settings of all your tools and services you use: your email and social media, the location service on your mobile phone, the permission settings on all your connected devices. Read the terms of service agreements. If something seems off, show restraint, and don’t use the system. Help others in your family and in your life learn more about what AI is, how the ecosystem uses your data, and how we’re a part of a future the Big Nine has been building.
In the voting booth, cast ballots for those who won’t rush into regulation but who would instead take a more sophisticated approach to AI and long-term planning. It’s irresponsible to simply ignore Silicon Valley until a negative story appears in the press. You must hold your elected officials – and their political opponents – accountable for their actions and inactions on AI.
Source: The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb (2019)
The unabbreviated version of the above can be found in the pdf document below.
OPTIMISTIC 4TH SCENARIO – EXCERPTS
Source: All of the excerpts in this segment are from The Big Nine by Amy Webb (2019)
It is the year 2023, and we’ve made the best possible decision about AI – we’ve shifted AI’s development track, we are collaborating on the future, and we’re already seeing positive durable change. First and foremost, we recognize why China has invested strategically in AI and how AI’s development track fits into China’s broader narrative about its future place in the world.
With this realization, our elected officials, with the full support of the G-MAFIA and AI’s tribes, built an international coalition to protect and preserve AI as a public good. That coalition exerts pressure on China and uses economic levers to fight back against AI’s use as a tool of surveillance and an enabler of communism. The US government dedicates vast federal funding to support AI’s development, which relieves pressure on the G-MAFIA to earn profit fast. It’s also abundantly clear how much influence America can exert in science and technology when we have a coordinated national strategy – we have the federal government to thank for GPS and the internet. Neither AI nor its funding is politicized, and everyone agrees that regulating G-MAFIA and AI is the wrong course of action. Heavy-handed, binding regulations would be outdated the moment they went into effect; they would stifle innovation, and they’d be difficult to enforce.
With a national strategy and funding in place, the newly formed G-MAFIA Coalition formalizes itself with multilateral agreements to collaborate on the future of AI. The G-MAFIA Coalition defines and adopts standards that, above all else, prioritize a development track for AI that serves the best interests of democracy and society. They adopt transparency as a core value. The data sets, training algorithms, and neural network structures are made transparent in a way that protects only those trade secrets and proprietary information that could, if divulged, cause economic harm to one of the coalition members. America’s national strategy and the formation of our G-MAFIA Coalition inspires the leaders of other democracies around the world to support the global development of AI for the good of all. They form the Global Alliance on Intelligence Augmentation (GAIA). Within GAIA, a decision is made to treat our personal data records (PDRs) like we do the distributed ledgers of blockchains. By design, they don’t keep data centralized under the umbrella of just one company or agency. Because the G-MAFIA Coalition adopts a set of standards and deploys unified AI technologies our PDRs don’t really need a centrally coordinated company to manage transactions. As a result, individuals own their own PDRs. The G-MAFIA are only the custodians of AI and of our data.
2029: COMFORTABLY NUDGED: With the G-MAFIA collaboration leading to lots of new trade agreements, citizens around the world have better, cheaper access to Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI)-powered products and services. GAIA meets regularly, making all its work transparent, while its multinational working groups are comfortably keeping pace with technological advancement. Middle-class homes rely on AI to make life a little bit easier. For wealthier households ANI applications offer more features. Everyone, regardless of income level, is glad to be nudged into better health. The G-MAFIA reminds us during the day to make healthier choices. The G-MAFIA coalescing around a single standard for PDRs ushered in a set of standardized electronic medical record formats, protocols, frameworks and user interfaces. As a result, the healthcare system is far more efficient.
Google’s system helps doctors to predict the likely outcomes of different medicines and treatments, as well as to forecast when a patient will die, helping caregivers make better decisions about how to treat each individual patient. Diagnosis, treatment, and care are no longer offered in brick-and-mortar hospitals alone, which means that far more people in the U.S. now have better access to care. Some providers offer connected, though relatively new, home and telemedicine services.
Other aspects of everyday life – including dating and sex – are better because of AI. Evolutionary algorithms turned out to be a smarter solution for online daters than basic apps and websites. Evolutionary algorithms pull data from our PDRs and test us against all the other profiles within the dating database. We select a goal – from “just looking to have casual fun” to “ready to get married” – along with any constraints and from that evolutionary algorithm produces a list of people with whom we have the best odds of achieving that goal.
Because we acknowledged well in advance that automation would disrupt portions of our workforce, we aren’t suffering from widespread unemployment and our economy is on sure footing. In the U.S., the federal government now runs new social safety nets to ensure our resiliency. Using the G-MAFIA tools, companies and individuals alike have long been retraining for entirely new kinds for entirely new kinds of jobs. The G-MAFIA has empowered and enables public, private, elementary, and postsecondary schools to harness AI to enhance learning. Adaptive learning systems, overseen by teachers, challenge students to learn at their own pace, especially in early reading, logic math, and foreign language skills in classrooms and at homes.
AI systems and services allows city managers to predict power outages, monitor and reroute traffic, manage water reserves, and clear ice and snow off the roads. AI also helps them manage budgets and personnel throughout the year. These systems tie into public safety departments, like police and fire, which are using AI to sift through massive amounts of data, including video. As it evolves, AI is helping us mature into better humans, with the G-MAFIA, federal government, and GAIA taking active roles in the transition from artificial narrow intelligence to artificial general intelligence, we feel comfortably nudged.
2049: THE ROLLING STONES ARE DEAD (But They’re Making New Music). The G-MAFIA are wealthy, influential, powerful companies – and their success is growing. They are building exciting practical applications for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to enhance our productivity and creativity. Google and Facebook are using AGI to help safely and securely move entire populations, forming and shaping the Earth with new, comprehensive human communities. AGI helps them to predict which specific locations can most easily sustain life in a way that feels comfortable and preserves the cultures of affected people. Every family has a butler because every household has an AGI trained and attuned to its unique circumstances. We can thank the G-MAFIA for how much the quality of life has improved. What used to be time-consuming, difficult challenges – like trying to schedule a time that works for everyone, sorting out an after-school activity calendar, or managing our personal finances – is now fully automated and overseen by AGI. We finally have simple household robotics that make good on their promises to keep our rugs and floors clean, our laundry put away and our shelves dusted.
The common cold no longer exists and neither does “the flu.” That’s because IBM and Google’s AGIs helped us see and understand millions of different type viroid. Now, when you’re not feeling well, an AGI diagnostic test helps determine what, exactly, is making you sick so that a treatment – one that maps to your PDR – can be prescribed. As a patient you are happier. You don’t spend hours trekking to different doctors’ offices, getting conflicting messages, and you are no longer overprescribed medications. If you live in a more remote area, AGI has meant a dramatic improvement in your access to care.
2069: AI-POWERED GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: After much consideration, a difficult decision is made by all members of GAIA to prevent Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) from being created. Some of those involved in the conversation became emotional – arguing it wasn’t fair to handicap AI’s “beautiful minds” just as they are beginning to reach their potential. We debate whether or not we are denying humanity the possibility of even greater opportunities and rewards. Ultimately, with the Big Nine’s blessing and encouragement, GAIA determines that with human safety and security in the balance, new restrictions must be built into all AGIs to limit their rate of self-improvement and to ensure that no unwanted mutations can be implemented. Soon, GAIA will deploy a series of guardian AIs that will act as an early warning system for any AGI that’s gained too much cognitive power. Even the guardians won’t necessarily prevent a rogue actor from trying to create ASIs on their own, but GAIA is writing scenarios to prepare for that eventuality. In GAIA and the Big Nine, we place our unwavering affections and trust.
Source: The Big Nine by Amy Web (2019)
HOW TO FIX AI’S FUTURE: I believe that the optimistic scenario – or something close to it – is within our reach. It is possible for AI to fulfill its greatest aspirational purpose and potential, benefitting all of AI’s tribes and all of us in the process. As it evolves, AI can absolutely serve the people of both China and the United States, as well as all of our allies. It can help us live healthier lives, shrink economic divides, and make us safer in our cities. We must empower and embolden the Big Nine to shift the trajectory of AI, because without a groundswell of support from us, they cannot and will not do it on their own. The future we all want to live in won’t just show up, fully formed. We need to be courageous. We must take responsibility for our actions.
WORLDWIDE SYSTEMIC CHANGE: THE CASE FOR CREATING GAIA: In the optimistic scenario, a diverse mix of leaders from the world’s most advanced economies join forces with the G-MAFIA to form the Global Alliance on Intelligence Augmentation, or GAIA. They agree to facilitate and cooperate on shared AI initiatives and policies, and over time they exert enough influence and control that an apocalypse – either because of AGI, ASI, or China’s use of AI to oppress citizens is prevented. The best way to engineer systemic change is to treat AI as a public good and to see to the creation of a new international entity. GAIA member nations would sign and ratify a multilateral charter and multilateral treaty. GAIA should be physically located on neutral ground near an existing AI hub.
It may seem impossible to unite the governments of the world around a central cause given the political rancor and geopolitical uneasiness we’ve experienced in the past few years. But there is precedent. In the aftermath of World War II, when tensions were still high, hundreds of delegates from all Allied nations gathered together in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to build the financial structures that enabled the global economy to move forward. While it is unlikely that China would join, an invitation should be extended for CCP leaders and for the BAT to join. First and foremost, GAIA must establish a way to guarantee basic human rights in an age of AI.
Once we’re nearing AGI, the Big Nine and all those in the AI ecosystem should agree to constraining AI to test environments and simulate risk before deploying them in the real world. What I’m proposing is vastly different from the current practice of product testing, which mainly looks to see whether a system is performing its functions as designed. AI should be boxed in until we know that the benefits of the research outweigh possible negative outcomes, or if there is a way to mitigate the risks.
THE CASE FOR REORIENTING GOVERNMENTS: Regardless of what happens to Xi Jinping, big parts of the world now depend on China for technology, manufacturing, and economic development. And China depends on AI for its future survival. China’s economy is growing unbelievably fast and hundreds of millions of Chinese will soon enter the middle and upper middle classes. Beijing understands that AI is the connective tissue between people, data, and algorithms, and that AI can help inculcate the CCP’s values in the masses in order to keep people in line. There’s one very good reason for China to work toward the optimistic scenario from the beginning: basic economics. If it is the case that upward mobility in China is happening too fast for Beijing to contend with, authoritarian rule isn’t the only realistic strategy. China is poised to become a global leader across many different industries and fields. If Beijing agreed to transparency, data protection, and addressing human rights, it would be in position to co-lead GAIA as an equal partner with the U.S., which could mean a realistic path toward elevating millions of Chinese people out of poverty.
If the BAT helps preserve the status quo in China, 20 years from now its citizens – and the citizens of all the countries that have accepted deals – will be fearful living under constant surveillance, with no ability to express their individuality. The BAT will enable human suffering. Christians will not be able to pray together. Lesbian, gay, and transgender people will be forced into hiding. Ethnic minorities will continue to be rounded up and sent away, never to be heard from again.
We need a new, centralized office championing strategic foresight. A new Strategic Foresight Office (SFO) would position leaders to articulate and realize preferred futures in which the U.S. remains a powerful global force. The SFO should clearly define AI as a public good and set norms and standards for those companies, schools, and researchers operating within or in any partnership with the United States. We are now at the beginning of AI’s modern evolution, and we cannot continue to think of it as a platform build by big tech companies in the U.S. and China for digital commerce, communications, and cool apps.
YOU NEED TO CHANGE, TOO: From today forward, you should learn how your data is being mined and refined by the Big Nine. You can do this by digging into the settings of all your tools and services you use: your email and social media, the location service on your mobile phone, the permission settings on all your connected devices. Read the terms of service agreements. If something seems off, show restraint, and don’t use the system. Help others in your family and in your life learn more about what AI is, how the ecosystem uses your data, and how we’re a part of a future the Big Nine has been building.
In the voting booth, cast ballots for those who won’t rush into regulation but who would instead take a more sophisticated approach to AI and long-term planning. It’s irresponsible to simply ignore Silicon Valley until a negative story appears in the press. You must hold your elected officials – and their political opponents – accountable for their actions and inactions on AI.
Source: The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb (2019)
The unabbreviated version of the above can be found in the pdf document below.
| 14_big_tech_optimistic_scenario_--_segment_14.pdf |