DeepSummary
The episode discusses the potential risks and unintended consequences of artificial intelligence (AI) technology being rapidly developed and deployed by major tech companies without proper testing, regulation, or consideration of societal impacts. It highlights how companies are overhyping AI capabilities to boost stock prices and public interest, while downplaying or ignoring ethical concerns and potential harms.
The issue of AI systems perpetuating biases and discrimination through flawed datasets and algorithms is explored, including a case where a pregnant Black woman was wrongly arrested due to faulty facial recognition technology. The episode also delves into the challenges of regulating AI, given the proprietary nature of the technology and the fluidity of its constantly evolving iterations.
The discussion emphasizes the need for international cooperation, oversight mechanisms, and guardrails to mitigate the risks of AI and ensure that its development aligns with humanity's best interests. The episode draws parallels to past experiences with managing technologies like nuclear weapons, stressing the importance of collective action and democratic dialogue to shape a future where wisdom exceeds the power of AI.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Major tech companies are rushing to develop and deploy AI systems without proper testing or consideration for societal impacts, driven by a desire to boost stock prices and public interest.
- AI systems can perpetuate biases and discrimination through flawed datasets and algorithms, resulting in real-world consequences, as seen in the case of the wrongful arrest due to faulty facial recognition technology.
- Regulating AI development poses unique challenges due to the proprietary nature of the technology, its constant evolution, and the personalized experiences it creates for users.
- International cooperation, oversight mechanisms, and guardrails are needed to ensure AI development aligns with humanity's best interests and mitigates potential risks and unintended consequences.
- Drawing parallels to past experiences with managing technologies like nuclear weapons, collective action and democratic dialogue are crucial for shaping a future where wisdom exceeds the power of AI.
- Tech companies often prioritize user engagement and attention over societal well-being, leading to issues like addiction, misinformation, and polarization.
- Regulation is essential for creating a level playing field and establishing safeguards to protect public health, safety, and the common good, especially in the context of rapidly evolving AI technologies.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Okay, but in that AI's defense, that child was blocking the lane to whole foods.“ by Adam Conover
- “And if you don't participate, you would lose. So the race collectively ended in tragedy.“ by Tristan Harris
- “But behind that kind of mask was this maybe slightly darker picture. We see these problems, addiction, disinformation, mental health, polarization, et cetera. But behind that, what we were saying was actually there's this race, right? What we call the race to the bottom of the brainstem for attention.“ by Aza Raskin
- “So I think of regulation as a level playing field. The same rules that apply to everyone and that create a bottom line, the lowest sort of necessary safeguards for public health, public safety, well being of people, the protection of children, the protection of the common good.“ by Marietje Schaake
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Episode Information
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
BestOfTheLeft.com
8/20/23
Air Date 8/20/2023
Big tech is currently scrambling to bring untested A.I. products to market, over-promising, under-delivering, and working hard obscure and ignore any possible downsides for society. Big tech needs A.I. regulation now before we all suffer the easily foreseeable consequences as well as some unforeseeable ones.
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Transcript
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: A.I. is B.S. - Adam Conover - Air Date 3-31-23
The real risk of A.I. isn't that some super-intelligent computer is going to take over in the future - it's that the humans in the tech industry are going to screw the rest of us over right now.
What does it look like to align technology with humanity’s best interests? Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society
Ch. 3: Tech's Mask Off Moment - What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - Air Date 8-13-23
When conservative writer Richard Hanania’s old posts, originally published under a pseudonym, came to light people were shocked at just how racist and reactionary they were. Perhaps less shocking were the tech moguls who were revealed to be supporting him
A shocking story of wrongful arrest in Detroit has renewed scrutiny of how facial recognition software is being deployed by police departments, despite major flaws in the technology.
Ch. 5: Princeton University's Ruja Benjamin on Bias in Data and A.I. - The Data Chief - Air Date - 2-3-21
Joining Cindi today is Ruha Benjamin, a professor of African American Studies at Princeton University and the founding director of the IDA B. WELLS Just Data Lab. She has studied the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine for over 15 years
Timnit Gebru was fired by Google in a cloud of controversy, now she's making waves beyond Big Tech's pervasive influence
Ch. 8: Can We Govern AI? - Your Undivided Attention - Air Date 4-21-23
Our guest Marietje Schaake was at the forefront of crafting tech regulations for the EU. In spite of AI’s complexity, she argues there is a path forward for the U.S. and other governing bodies to rein in companies that continue to release these products
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
Ch. 9: Buddhism in the Age of AI - Soryu Forall - Monastic Academy - Air Date 6-21-23
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 10: Final comments on the difference between Microsoft's marketing and the realities of capitalism
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions)
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Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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