Thread

1. legitster · 1790105097 · focus · HN ↗

   > It found the U.S. “failed in its obligation to do everything feasible to verify” that the school was a military objective and that the failure “went beyond mere negligence.” The report said the United States “directed the strikes at the building of the school while being aware of a substantial risk of striking a civilian object and acting recklessly as regards the possibility that this would happen.”

   Reading the details, "AI" doesn't really seem like the culprit -it's a scapegoat.

   The intelligence that it was no longer a military target never entered the target database, the team that was responsible for vetting the target list was gutted, and said team was never even consulted.

   The White House wanted 1000 targets and pulled from their database without any due diligence. Whether it was an AI call or an SQL query - this was from pure human maliciousness and incompetence.

   1. xlayn · 1790107269 · focus · HN ↗

      Now, ask yourself if you want AI taking decisions around your life... it will pull numbers... someone will have a "goal" of 1000 "hits" and there you go, 2-3 months in jail working to check what went wrong...

      But don't worry, the other P AI system will ensure that the first one doesn't do mistakes...

      1. 8note · 1790114124 · focus · HN ↗

         what makes ai special here? a person following an SOP that involves polling an incomplete dataset will have the same 2-3 months in jail

         1. iAMkenough · 1790118007 · focus · HN ↗

            Judicially, you can hold a person accountable for "accidentally" killing 100+ children easier than you can a technology system. The technology system will always be used as the scapegoat for the government's atrocities.

            I'm not sure why the "people make mistakes too" crowd can't seem to grasp this concept.

            1. bradleyjg · 1790122057 · focus · HN ↗

               Do you have three examples from 20 years in Afghanistan of analysts being held judicially accountable for target selection errors?

               1. impossiblefork · 1790154597 · focus · HN ↗

                  No, but the US has historically permitted even cold-blooded torture of innocents with no liability, and has asserted the state secrets privilege to prevent lawsuits and prosecutions, so it wouldn't have mattered.

                  But that's a US-specific thing. With humans you at least have this theoretical liability-- that there is someone who could be punished.

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