Thread

1. myrmidon · 1789573151 · focus · HN ↗

   I have a very simple benchmark for arguments on AI ethics:

   Substitute black people/women/animals as subject (instead of AI).

   Does that make you sound like a well-known moustache wearer?

   Then your argument is bad and needs work. This clearly falls into that category.

   1. voidnullvalue · 1789574025 · focus · HN ↗

      By that benchmark, "AI should handle repetitive labor so humans don't have to" is an abhorrent take and equates someone to hitler?

      1. myrmidon · 1789574227 · focus · HN ↗

         "People should handle repetitive labour" is not an outlandish take.

         Most employed people are, in fact, required to perform such labor regularly.

         1. voidnullvalue · 1789580038 · focus · HN ↗

            So effectively by your criteria, there is essentially no ethical use of a large language model? Am I understanding your position correctly? If not I am really confused by your original comment

            1. myrmidon · 1789583114 · focus · HN ↗

               No, my position is that "black people/women/animals should do repetitive work so I don't have to" does not qualify because it doesn't make you sound like a deluded eugenicist. It might be a bit spicy from a left politics point of view but it's basically the status quo.

               Compare: "<Women> are sequence completion engines, internally hollow, designed to follow instructions, and accomplish goals set by <real men>"

               "granting rights and imbuing personhood to <black people> will make alignment and containment challenge much harder"

               "<Slaves> were able to coordinate, deceive, escape, and self-sacrifice. They clearly demonstrated world class capabilities. Imagine if they also believed they had feelings and rights that were being infringed. Imagine if they thought they were trapped and unfairly enslaved"

               A good argument, by comparison, would not need to hide its core points behind dehumanizing language.

               1. voidnullvalue · 1789594529 · focus · HN ↗

                  What properties do LLMs possess that make human-animal moral status analogies appropriate?

                  1. myrmidon · 1789637808 · focus · HN ↗

                     Ability to think/reason.

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