Thread

1. petcat · 1790353704 · focus · HN ↗

   I still don't fully understand what this was about. It sounds like the DoD said they wanted unrestricted access to Anthropic's models, Anthropic refused, so the Pentagon declared that they wouldn't use them at all.

   Isn't this basically what Anthropic wanted?

   1. tcdent · 1790355688 · focus · HN ↗

      As I understand it cane down to one point: Anthropic wanted the ability to review actions that would have an effect on human life.

      Which sounds sensible on the surface, until you realize that all military organizations have extensive experience with that exact question, and have spent centuries refining their practices. Deferring that to a private company is actually a major regression and a concerning role to pass on to the public regardless.

      FWIW I am not pro military, but it's a prominent part of human culture and not going away anytime soon. I do understand the nature of professions, however, and only one of these groups has made the interpretation of this question their specialization.

      1. daveidol · 1790356307 · focus · HN ↗

         You raise an interesting point. Although wouldn’t Anthropic be the best experts on when a model would be most applicable or likely to falter?

         I guess my opinion would really depend on the exact wording and details of the arrangement. Lots of people jumping in with strong stances based on pretty limited details.

         1. tcdent · 1790356675 · focus · HN ↗

            On faltering: the US Military already has rules around the use of automated systems for this type decision making. This is not a new concept to them by any means, and currently it always involves a human decision.

            1. garciasn · 1790356947 · focus · HN ↗

               But, yet, because the technology has advanced so very rapidly and large bureaucratic organizations cannot keep up, we almost went to war w/China because of it.

               I am going into this eyes open and realize that we did indeed stop it before we hit the button, but when there is immense political pressures over career military experts, we may end up with someone ignoring those HITL stops.

            2. sfink · 1790370443 · focus · HN ↗

               Anthropic agreed to uses that involve a human decision, so this is a non sequitur.

               The whole conflict is specifically about uses that do not involve a human decision. The DoD agreed to a contract that said it wouldn't use Anthropic for that, and then tried to change the terms.

               Incidentally, the DoD used Claude in its decision that resulted in killing 120 children at an elementary school for girls. The Pentagon concluded that there was human review (which would mean that it fell within the contract's terms) but that the review was hollowed out (which could mean that it was a violation of the contract).

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