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You started this thread by saying that the fear of technology does not have to do with the political and economic system but with Machiavellian people, and now that “incorrect” uses are the problems of other people. But I’m not talking about that. I’m not talking about someone using radio for warfare or nuclear energy for destruction. Those are included when I said “I wish all bad things happened because of bad people”: those are things that I consider bad and have been done on purpose. Consequences of using the atomic bomb were clear, intended and understood. The problem comes when someone uses technology for some purpose but some unintended consequences happen. For example, judicial systems using AI to predict recidivism and adjust sentences. It’s a system created to improve the situation (people with low chance of recidivism receive lighter sentences as the goal of rehabilitation is accomplished earlier) but, if the system picks up certain biases or incorrect proxy measures, can make mistakes and put certain people way too long in prison, which decreases their opportunities to redo their lives after prison. An unintended consequence of the system is that it might actually increase recidivism or discriminate and condemn people. It’s not “misuse” of AI, it’s unwanted consequences. And in that context it is warranted to ask what are the incentives of the economic system and how will they affect technology. In a capitalist society, the incentives make people focus on profits, and people wellbeing is not necessarily important in that context. In a non-capitalist society you wouldn’t have to worry about, for example, insurance companies using AI to predict car crash probabilities and stopping people (sometimes wrongly) from getting insurance and being able to drive a car. That’s what I mean when I say that reducing bad outcomes (however you want to define “bad”) to people wanting to have those outcomes does not help at all. Because then you stop worrying about all the people with good intentions that do something with unwanted consequences. For example, if you don’t talk about the unwanted effects of AI and how to avoid them, you will have data scientists creating models and not worrying about indirect effects. Most of the time you won’t need to “stop progress” but just be mindful of a bunch of extra things. And, of course, ignoring the system in which technology is developed and used blinds you to a whole class of problems created by the incentives of the system (capitalism or whatever). |