> humans learning is the old-school digital copying. computers simply do it much faster, but it's the same basic phenomenon
This is dangerous framing because it papers over the significant material differences between AI training and human learning and the outcomes they lead to.
We all have a collective interest in the well-being of humanity, and human learning is the engine of our prosperity. Each individual has agency, and learning allows them to conceive of new possibilities and form new connections with other humans. While primarily motivated by self interest, there is natural collective benefit that emerges since our individual power is limited, and cooperation is necessary to achieve our greatest works.
AI on the other hand, is not a human with interests, it's an enormously powerful slave that serves those with the deep pockets to train them. It can siphon up and generate massive profits from remixing the entire history of human creativity and knowledge creation without giving anything back to society. It's novelty and scale makes it hard for our legal and societal structures to grapple with—hence all the half-baked analogies—but the impact that it is having will change the social fabric as we know it. Mechanistic arguments about very narrow logical equivalence between human and AI training does nothing but support the development of an AI oligarchy that will surely emerge if human value is not factored in to how we think about AI regulation.
you're reading what I say in the worst possible light
if anything, the parallel I draw between AI learning and humans learning is all the opposite of narrow and logical... in my intent, the analogy is loose and poetic, not mechanistic and exact.
AI are tools, if AI are enslaving is because there are human actors (I hope....) deciding to enslave other humans, not because of anything inherent to training (if AI; learning if humans)
but what I really think is that there are collections of rules (people "just doing their jobs") all collectively but disjointedly deciding that it makes the most sense to utilize AI technology to ensalve other humans because the data models indicate greater profit that way.
Your response is fair and I hope you didn't take my message personally. I agree with you, AI is just a tool same as countless others that can be used for good or evil.
This is dangerous framing because it papers over the significant material differences between AI training and human learning and the outcomes they lead to.
We all have a collective interest in the well-being of humanity, and human learning is the engine of our prosperity. Each individual has agency, and learning allows them to conceive of new possibilities and form new connections with other humans. While primarily motivated by self interest, there is natural collective benefit that emerges since our individual power is limited, and cooperation is necessary to achieve our greatest works.
AI on the other hand, is not a human with interests, it's an enormously powerful slave that serves those with the deep pockets to train them. It can siphon up and generate massive profits from remixing the entire history of human creativity and knowledge creation without giving anything back to society. It's novelty and scale makes it hard for our legal and societal structures to grapple with—hence all the half-baked analogies—but the impact that it is having will change the social fabric as we know it. Mechanistic arguments about very narrow logical equivalence between human and AI training does nothing but support the development of an AI oligarchy that will surely emerge if human value is not factored in to how we think about AI regulation.