Hope1234

Karma: 1

I am currently a graduate student (masters in EE) at Santa Clara University studying DSP and AI. Before that, I worked as an FPGA engineer for a few years then switched professions to patent examining at the USPTO for 11 years. I started out examining in GUI (browser-based). After I gained signatory authority I was moved to Machine Learning. Over the years, I missed engineering so I decided to transition back by getting my masters.

As an examiner, a substantial number of cases felt ethically fraught. I’m joining this community to discuss my views and see how my past and current career can shape AI safety.

Hope1234 12 Jun 2026 5:36 UTC
1 point
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in reply to: Xylix’s comment on: Anthropic did not call for a pause on AI
A solution could be a council. Councils love making rules and setting boundaries. They also love giving a voice to everyone and can be very productive… or not (if a slowdown is needed). An established council of peers this magnitude would be seen in the telecomm community where standards are set at intervals. The telecom council can’t really stop devices being sold that are non-compliant, but they can make things dysfunctional. The FCC works with the telecom council for enforcement, but the burden of decision is moved away from the government.
To continue with LOTR, you don’t go to Treebeard, you go to the people who know the full landscape. They *could* establish a council of Elrond where they have a goal, but need to establish a path with guardrails for a set goal.

Hope1234 30 May 2026 17:59 UTC
2 points
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on: Women should be able to open things
Most of the proposed fixes in this comment thread accrue a privatized cost, available only to those who can pay it in money, infrastructure, or skill. A $10 gripper, running hot water requires electricity and water paid by the user, retained knowledge and space to store a gripper. It’s infuriating when you get a drink from a gas station on the go and you can’t open it.
This post shows a known concept of an implicit gendered tax. It can also be shown with office hvac systems being designed for male metabolic rates…making women supply an extra sweater or space heater. If interested, this topic is covered in Caroline Criado Perez’s “Invisible Women”. Would highly recommend if you want to look at other examples of how this is shown.