I don’t know what it would mean for AI to “be democratic.” People in a democratic system can use tool AI, but if ASI is created, there will be no room for human decision-making on any level of abstraction that the AI cares about. I suppose it’s possible for an ASI to focus its efforts solely on maintaining a democratic system, without making any object-level decisions itself. But I don’t think anyone is even trying to build such a thing.
If intent-aligned ASI is successfully created, the first step is always “take over the world,” which isn’t a very democratic thing to do. That doesn’t necessarily mean there is a better alternative, but I do so wish that AI industry leaders would stop making overtures to democracy out of the other side of their mouth. For most singularitarians, this is and always has been about securing or summoning ultimate power and ushering in a permanent galactic utopia.
Democratic in the ‘favouring or characterized by social equality; egalitarian.’ sense (one of the definitions from Google), rather than about Elections or whatever.
For example, I recently wrote a Short Story of my Day in 2035 in the scenario where things continue mostly like that and we get positive AGI that’s similarish enough to current trends. There, people influenced the initial values—mainly via The Spec, and can in theory vote to make some changes to The Spec that governs the general AI values, but in practice by that point AGI controls everything and it’s more or less set in stone. Still, it overall mostly tries to fulfil people’s desires (overly optimistic that we go this route, I know).
I’d call that more democratic than one that upholds CCP values specifically.
There are a number of ways that the US seems to have better values than the CCP, by my lights, but it seems incredibly strange to claim the US values being egalitarian, and social equality or harmony more.
Rule of law, fostering diversity, encouraging human excellence? Sure, there you would have an argument. But egalitarian?
I don’t know what it would mean for AI to “be democratic.” People in a democratic system can use tool AI, but if ASI is created, there will be no room for human decision-making on any level of abstraction that the AI cares about. I suppose it’s possible for an ASI to focus its efforts solely on maintaining a democratic system, without making any object-level decisions itself. But I don’t think anyone is even trying to build such a thing.
If intent-aligned ASI is successfully created, the first step is always “take over the world,” which isn’t a very democratic thing to do. That doesn’t necessarily mean there is a better alternative, but I do so wish that AI industry leaders would stop making overtures to democracy out of the other side of their mouth. For most singularitarians, this is and always has been about securing or summoning ultimate power and ushering in a permanent galactic utopia.
Democratic in the ‘favouring or characterized by social equality; egalitarian.’ sense (one of the definitions from Google), rather than about Elections or whatever.
For example, I recently wrote a Short Story of my Day in 2035 in the scenario where things continue mostly like that and we get positive AGI that’s similarish enough to current trends. There, people influenced the initial values—mainly via The Spec, and can in theory vote to make some changes to The Spec that governs the general AI values, but in practice by that point AGI controls everything and it’s more or less set in stone. Still, it overall mostly tries to fulfil people’s desires (overly optimistic that we go this route, I know).
I’d call that more democratic than one that upholds CCP values specifically.
There are a number of ways that the US seems to have better values than the CCP, by my lights, but it seems incredibly strange to claim the US values being egalitarian, and social equality or harmony more.
Rule of law, fostering diversity, encouraging human excellence? Sure, there you would have an argument. But egalitarian?