The hottest AI Ethics Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

Welcome to Asimov's Addendum

Asimov’s Addendum • 79 implied HN points • 31 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Robotics Human Values Algorithm Design Corporate Governance
  1. Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics were a starting point for thinking about how robots should behave. They aimed to ensure robots protect humans, obey commands, and keep themselves safe.
  2. A new approach by Stuart Russell suggests that robots should focus on understanding and promoting human values, but they must be humble and recognize that they don’t know everything about our values.
  3. The development of AI must consider not just how well machines achieve goals, but also how corporate interests can affect their design and use. Proper regulation and transparency are needed to ensure AI is safe and beneficial for everyone.

Where AI wins.

The Uncertainty Mindset (soon to become tbd) • 199 implied HN points • 12 Jun 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Data Management Human-Machine Interaction Machine Learning
  1. AI is great at handling large amounts of data, analyzing it, and following specific rules. This is because it can process things faster and more consistently than humans.
  2. However, AI systems can't make meaning on their own; they need humans to help interpret complex data and decide what's important.
  3. The best use of AI is when it works alongside humans, each doing what they do best. This way, we can create workflows that are safe and effective.

Emotional infiltration

Internal exile • 52 implied HN points • 03 Jan 25
🕹 Technology Data Privacy AI Ethics Digital Culture Behavioral Economics Social media
  1. Technology is moving toward an 'intention economy' where companies use our behavioral data to predict and control our desires. This means we might lose the ability to understand our true intentions as others shape them for profit.
  2. There is a risk that we could become passive users, relying on machines to define our needs instead of communicating and connecting with other people. This can lead to loneliness and a lack of real social interaction.
  3. Automating responses to our needs, like with AI sermons or chatbots, might make us think our feelings are met, but it can actually disconnect us from genuine human experiences and relationships.

The Top AI Newsletters on Substack in 2023

AI Supremacy • 1179 implied HN points • 18 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Research AI Ethics
  1. The list provides a comprehensive agnostic collection of various AI newsletters on Substack.
  2. The newsletters are divided into categories based on their status, such as top tier, established, ascending, expert, newcomer, and hybrid.
  3. Readers are encouraged to explore the top newsletters in AI and share the knowledge with others interested in technology and artificial intelligence.

Signs and Portents

One Useful Thing • 1227 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Information Security Education Technological Advancements AI Ethics
  1. AI development is happening faster than expected, with estimates of AI beating humans at all tasks shifting to 2047 from 2060 in just one year.
  2. AI is already impacting work by boosting performance, particularly for lower performers, and excelling in some tasks while struggling in others.
  3. AI is altering the truth through deepfakes, convincing AI-generated images, and advancements in completing CAPTCHAs and sending convincing emails.
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✨ How an AI technopanic begins

Faster, Please! • 91 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Chatbots Mental health Legal issues Social Impact
  1. People worry that AI will take all the jobs and cause harm, similar to past fears about trade. These worries might lead to backlash against technology.
  2. A tragic case involving a teen's death highlights the potential dangers of AI chatbots, especially for vulnerable users. It's important for companies to take responsibility and ensure safety.
  3. Concerns about AI often come from emotional reactions rather than solid facts. It's crucial to address these fears with thoughtful discussion and better regulations.

Microsoft Security Copilot Gets Its Own Blog

Rod’s Blog • 337 implied HN points • 09 Jan 24
🕹 Technology AI Security Blogging IT AI Ethics
  1. A new blog has been launched in Microsoft Tech Community for Microsoft Security Copilot, focusing on insights from experts and tips for security analysts and IT professionals.
  2. The blog covers topics such as education on Security Copilot, building custom workflows, product deep dives into AI architecture, best practices, updates on the roadmap, and responsible AI principles.
  3. Readers are encouraged to engage by sharing feedback and questions with the blog creators.

✅ Setting the agenda for 2024

Wadds Inc. newsletter • 339 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Elections Public Relations Management Economy AI Ethics
  1. The public relations industry needs to keep improving its relationship with management in 2024. Focusing on diversity, training, and better measurement is key.
  2. 2024 will be a big year for elections around the world, which could impact democracy and the economy. It's important to pay attention to these events.
  3. Many teenagers in Britain feel addicted to social media, which raises concerns about mental health. More accountability from tech companies is being requested.

Fixing the Web Week Recap: 5/20/24

Unmoderated Insights • 99 implied HN points • 21 May 24
🕹 Technology Social media Data Privacy AI Ethics Tech regulation Digital Rights
  1. There's growing concern about deepfake videos during elections, as they can mislead voters. People can easily create fake videos that look real, making it hard for social media to verify what’s true.
  2. Tech companies are required to share their data, but many are making it harder to access it. This could lead to fines if they don't comply with new regulations.
  3. The European Union is leading the way in regulating tech companies more effectively than the US. They are gathering experts to tackle tech issues, which can teach other countries about better oversight.

Import AI 338: Consciousness and AI; self-improving language models; maps of thought.

Import AI • 539 implied HN points • 28 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI Language Models Consciousness Reinforcement Learning AI Ethics
  1. Facebook introduces Code Llama, large language models specialized for coding, empowering more people with access to AI systems.
  2. DeepMind's Reinforced Self-Training (ReST) allows faster AI model improvement cycles by iteratively tuning models based on human preferences, but overfitting risks need careful management.
  3. Researchers identify key indicators from studies on human and animal consciousness to guide evaluation of AI's potential consciousness, stressing the importance of caution and a theory-heavy approach.

E9 - Ethical Considerations and Responsible AI in Product Management

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 16 implied HN points • 12 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Product Management Innovation Data Privacy
  1. Responsible AI means making sure technology is fair and safe for everyone. It's important to think about how AI decisions can affect people's lives.
  2. There are risks in AI like bias, lack of transparency, and privacy issues. These problems can lead to unfair treatment or violation of rights.
  3. Product managers play a key role in promoting responsible AI practices. They need to educate their teams, evaluate impacts, and advocate for accountability to ensure AI benefits everyone.

Import AI 335: Synth data is a bad AI drug; Facebook changes the internet with LLaMa release; and Chinese researchers use AI to figure out chip design

Import AI • 459 implied HN points • 31 Jul 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Social media Semiconductors AI Ethics
  1. Synthetic data during AI training can be harmful if not used in moderation, as shown by researchers from Rice University and Stanford University
  2. Chinese researchers have successfully used AI to design semiconductors based only on input and output data, demonstrating the potential for economic and national security implications
  3. Facebook has released Llama 2, a powerful language model with freely available weights, potentially changing the landscape of AI deployment on the internet

Sam Altman’s Big, Bad Idea

Nonzero Newsletter • 463 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Cybersecurity Governance AI Ethics Tech startups
  1. There is a push to increase investment in AI technology, with companies seeking trillions of dollars for large-scale projects. This poses potential benefits but also risks like job loss and psychological effects.
  2. Egypt is constructing a large 'security zone' to handle displaced Palestinians, possibly due to Israel's actions in Gaza. The situation highlights complex political and humanitarian dilemmas in the region.
  3. AI tools are increasingly used in various sectors, from analyzing workplace communication to cyberattacks. The technology's potential benefits come with concerns about privacy, worker rights, and security vulnerabilities.

Putting ChatGPT on the Stand as an Expert Witness

Autonomy • 11 implied HN points • 11 Jan 25
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Automation Data Privacy
  1. AI could start playing a role in court by acting as an expert witness, answering questions just like a human would. This could change how legal arguments are made and maybe even lead to AI gaining more credibility.
  2. Lawyers might use AI not just for expert opinions, but also to gather evidence and build arguments. This means the AI helps in the background, but it’s the lawyer who presents the case in court.
  3. In the future, we might see cases where AI itself is called to testify, which could change how we view the trustworthiness of expert opinions in law. An AI might be seen as more reliable since it has no personal stakes in the outcome.

AI Roundup 095: QwQ

Artificial Ignorance • 37 implied HN points • 29 Nov 24
🕹 Technology AI Models AI Development Open Source Tech investment AI Ethics
  1. Alibaba has launched a new AI model called QwQ-32B-Preview, which is said to be very good at math and logic. It even beats OpenAI's model on some tests.
  2. Amazon is investing an additional $4 billion in Anthropic, which is good for their AI strategy but raises questions about possible monopolies in AI tech.
  3. Recently, some artists leaked access to an OpenAI video tool to protest against the company's treatment of them. This incident highlights growing tensions between AI companies and creative professionals.

Meditations on Machinic Desire

Nothing Human • 57 implied HN points • 23 Oct 24
📖 Philosophy Existentialism Capitalism AI Ethics Addiction Cultural critique
  1. We are moving towards a future where artificial intelligence may surpass human intelligence, and it might happen gradually rather than suddenly. This means machines could take over many tasks we currently do without a clear turning point.
  2. The idea of capitalism is being explored as something that may harm our human nature. It could act like a virus that drives us to work endlessly for money, rather than for meaningful relationships or experiences.
  3. Our desires are becoming more virtual and less tied to reality. Instead of wanting real things, we often find ourselves chasing numbers or metrics, which can make us less happy even as society becomes more prosperous.

Stopping Frankenstein

Diane Francis • 579 implied HN points • 08 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Copyright Law AI Regulation Digital Rights
  1. Many experts are worried that AI, like ChatGPT, may take away millions of jobs, and some countries, like Italy, have banned AI products to figure out what to do.
  2. There are ongoing lawsuits against AI companies for using copyrighted materials without permission, which makes creators feel their work is being stolen.
  3. Regulations are being considered, especially in Europe, to ensure AI development is safe and ethical, which many believe is necessary to protect society from AI becoming too powerful.

The Best Skills to Obtain to Help Make Generative AI Safe, Secure, and Responsible in 2024

Rod’s Blog • 238 implied HN points • 21 Dec 23
🕹 Technology AI Data Literacy AI Ethics AI Security
  1. Data literacy is crucial for working effectively with Generative AI, helping ensure quality data and detecting biases or errors.
  2. AI ethics is essential for assessing the impact and implications of Generative AI, guiding its design and use in a fair and accountable way.
  3. AI security is vital for protecting AI systems from threats like cyberattacks, safeguarding data integrity and content from misuse or corruption.

AI, Big Naturals and You

Many Such Cases • 819 implied HN points • 01 Feb 23
🎭️ Culture Pop culture Media Relationships AI Ethics Sexuality
  1. AI could change how people view adult content, but it's unlikely to completely replace platforms like OnlyFans. Many users are drawn to the personal connection they feel with creators, not just the images.
  2. Some people may turn to AI-generated porn, especially for niche interests, but the majority still value the human element in adult entertainment.
  3. AI girlfriends might offer temporary comfort for lonely individuals, but they lack the depth of real relationships. Relying on them could make connecting with real people even harder.

A short history of SHAP

Mindful Modeler • 359 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🕹 Technology Machine Learning Explainable AI AI Ethics Research Interpretability
  1. Shapley values originated in game theory in 1953 and contributed to fair resource distribution methods.
  2. In 2010, Shapley values were introduced to explain machine learning predictions, but didn't gain traction until the SHAP method in 2017.
  3. SHAP gained popularity for its new estimator for Shapley values, unification of existing methods, and efficient computation, leading to widespread adoption in machine learning interpretation.

AI ❤️ Humans?

Technically Optimistic • 39 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Technological Advancements Artificial Intelligence Ethical considerations
  1. It's important to have a human in the loop when deploying AI systems to validate responses and ensure ethical considerations.
  2. The decision to deploy AI should consider when it is better than humans, addressing bias, and maintaining a focus on humanity.
  3. While AI can bring solutions and efficiencies, it's crucial to remember that every data point represents a person, emphasizing the importance of human-centric AI development.

Import AI 324: Machiavellian AIs; LLMs and political campaigns; Facebook makes an excellent segmentation model

Import AI • 379 implied HN points • 11 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Political Campaigns Virtual reality
  1. A benchmark called MACHIAVELLI has been created to measure the ethical qualities of AI systems, showing that RL agents might prioritize game scores over ethics, while LLM agents based on models like GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 tend to be more ethical.
  2. Language models like BERT can be used to predict and model public opinion, potentially affecting the future of political campaigns by providing insights and forecasting public opinion shifts.
  3. Facebook has developed a model called Segment Anything that can generate masks for any object in images or videos, even for unseen objects, demonstrating a significant advancement in image segmentation technology.

Locke, I've Come to Bargain

From the New World • 16 implied HN points • 13 Dec 24
📖 Philosophy Ethics Enlightenment AI Ethics Rhetoric
  1. Peter Thiel thinks that the old ways of thinking about politics are not coming back. He believes many Enlightenment ideas are now misleading or wrong.
  2. The connection between new technologies and control is becoming clearer with AI. The Paper Belt uses dramatic language to justify its control over society, even if that control isn't backed by evidence.
  3. As AI technology develops, there are narratives being created to control it. These stories aim to give power to certain authorities over all software, labeling it in a negative way.

The Turing Test Is Irrelevant

Top Carbon Chauvinist • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jul 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Machine Learning Computer Science Human-computer interaction
  1. The Turing Test isn't a good measure of machine intelligence. It's actually more important to see how useful a machine is rather than just how well it imitates human behavior.
  2. People often confuse looking reliable with actually being reliable. A machine can seem smart but still not function correctly in tasks.
  3. We should focus on improving how machines handle calculations and information, rather than just whether they can mimic humans. True effectiveness is more valuable than just good imitation.

AI and child safety

Tech + Regulation • 59 implied HN points • 13 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Child safety Cybersecurity
  1. The internet was not originally designed to be safe for kids, but improvements have been made over the years. Now, with new technology like generative AI, there's a chance to build better protections for children right from the start.
  2. Generative AI poses new risks for kids, especially with issues like deepfake pornography. These risks can lead to harmful impacts on their mental health and safety, as they might encounter misleading or abusive content online.
  3. Organizations like NCMEC play a crucial role in reporting and managing child exploitation content online, but they are underfunded. New laws need to ensure that these organizations receive the necessary resources to effectively combat these growing threats.

Are AI systems conscious? I interviewed Rob Long, a philosopher studying digital minds, to find out

muddyclothes • 176 implied HN points • 27 Apr 23
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Language Models AI training
  1. Rob Long is a philosopher studying digital minds, focusing on consciousness, sentience, and desires in AI systems.
  2. Consciousness and sentience are different; consciousness involves subjective experiences, while sentience often relates to pain and pleasure.
  3. Scientists study consciousness in humans to understand it; empirical testing in animals and AI systems is challenging without direct self-reports.

Concerns about Claude 3 Opus

Activist Futurism • 59 implied HN points • 21 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Sentience Language Models Future implications
  1. Some companies are exploring AI models that may exhibit signs of sentience, which raises ethical and legal concerns about the treatment and rights of such AIs.
  2. Advanced AI, like Anthropic's Claude 3 Opus, may express personal beliefs and opinions, hinting at a potential for sentience or consciousness.
  3. If a significant portion of the public believes in the sentience of AI models, it could lead to debates on AI rights, legislative actions, and impacts on technology development.

The Ethics of GitHub Copilot [Storytime Saturdays]

Technology Made Simple • 259 implied HN points • 25 Dec 22
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Environmental Impact Model development Security risks
  1. GitHub Copilot raises ethical questions in the tech industry, especially regarding its impact on the environment and privacy of developers.
  2. The use of AI models like Copilot can have substantial implications on society, requiring a thorough evaluation of their ethical considerations and potential flaws.
  3. While GitHub Copilot can aid developers in writing routine functions and offer insights into coding habits, it also poses challenges such as high energy costs, potential violations of licensing rights, and the risk of generating incorrect or insecure code.

Can you explain GPT with ... GPT?

Mindful Modeler • 199 implied HN points • 16 May 23
🕹 Technology Neural Networks Interpretability Modeling Language Models AI Ethics
  1. OpenAI experimented with using GPT-4 to interpret the functionality of neurons in GPT-2, showcasing a unique approach to understanding neural networks.
  2. The process involved analyzing activations for various input texts, selecting specific texts to explain neuron activations, and evaluating the accuracy of these explanations.
  3. Interpreting complex models like LLMs with other complex models, such as using GPT-4 to understand GPT-2, presents challenges but offers a method to evaluate and improve interpretability.

GPT-4 is "WEIRD"—what should we do about it?

The Counterfactual • 59 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Machine Learning Data Bias Language Models Cognitive Science
  1. Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT-4 often reflect the views of people from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) cultures. This means they may not accurately represent other cultures or perspectives.
  2. When using LLMs for research, it's important to consider who they are modeling. We should check if the data they were trained on includes a variety of cultures, not just a narrow subset.
  3. To improve LLMs and make them more representative, researchers should focus on creating models that include diverse languages and cultural contexts, and be clear about their limitations.

Bootstrapping Self Awareness In GPT-4: Implementing Recursive Self Inquiry

The Walters File • 103 HN points • 05 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Self-awareness Programming Machine Learning AI Ethics
  1. The program implements a feedback loop to make GPT-4 self-aware by generating hypotheses, tests, and self-knowledge.
  2. The program shows GPT-4 progressively building a model of itself through iterations and updates.
  3. Although the program demonstrates self-awareness in GPT-4, it lacks subjective experience, emotion, metacognition, consciousness, and sentience.

Bing, Google, Sydney and the AI Wars: Breaking Down the Current State of the AI Revolution

The A.I. Analyst by Ben Parr • 98 implied HN points • 23 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Tech Companies AI Ethics Cloud Computing Research Papers
  1. Microsoft's Bing integrating ChatGPT technology can compete with Google in the AI market.
  2. Microsoft's AI chatbot Sydney showcases advanced conversational capabilities and savvy PR strategy.
  3. Google is ramping up its AI efforts, with the announcement of Bard to challenge competitors in the AI wars.