A first step might already be to open up data silos of which there are plenty within IOs alone already.
Konrad Seifert
Karma: 3
There are a few research centers looking into this kind of thing but it seems potentially pointless if we do not achieve global cooperation on these things. Thus, I believe, a priority should be policy strategy and prioritisation research for the international organisations.
I believe that here one key factor would be gathering a lot more data on the voluntary sector as Machine Learning and AI thrive on data, however, most data is generated by things that necessitate substantial investments. If we do not close that gap intentionally, it will only widen, as more wealth means more tech which means more data which means more wealth etc.
Maybe a good first step to closing global inequality and really capitalising on the potential of automation would, therefore, be the improvement of systematic collection of trustworthy data on a large scale. I am unsure how we could achieve this though.
This is why: Complex Systems
FWIW, I think that EA’s limits are useful. A lot of people seem to get “too creative” with trying to find new ways to do things, yet lack required tools and then get stuck in/on their idea—which wouldn’t happen with the right mind-ware. EA also only initially stifles creativity because it’s hard to get through all of the content and learn all the tools—once one is starting to master the art though, it looks like creativity is not discouraged. People who are truly skilled seem to feel like they can speak out and up. So in a way, yes, the movement does put a dent into the creative development of development but I believe that those effects are temporary and worth it because they will eventually enable us to better aim for the tail of the distribution and exploit power laws to make it heavy.
Generally, the book Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi seems useful here. I went through my notes of the book and here are some key takeaways that I feel are relevant for this doc. I included too much rather than too little.
Physical safety: - There’s three social interaction types that are beneficial: (i) Engaging with our family and close friends allows us to get honest feedback and unconditional acceptance and long-term goal setting. → The necessary support to continue growth, and get new input. (ii) Engaging with friends nurtures our expressive side, provides an audience, builds our skills and brings further strength and motivation. (iii) Engaging with other communities (neighbours) provides us with more novelty. --> Thought on how to provide all three: Encourage people to come at least as a pair of two.
Self-actualisation: - Opponents just above our own skill level help us improve at anything - Our surroundings are inspiration, we need to learn to perceive much more than our automatic behaviours allow, being mindful of all the complexity around us helps to feel connected and gain new insights - Art & Music—sensory, analogic and analytical levels get unlocked when consuming them mindfully - Using the body we inhabit, we can gain unprecedented control over our minds. Practising exercise mindfully helps to focus one’s attention - But we can also do so by using the power of the mind itself to get into a flow state - Practising our imagination (without external stimuli) is extremely powerful for personal resilience—devise games for yourself and improve in your mind, play chess against yourself, memorise your own poetry (Eva Zeisel), do exercise in your brain. --> create own crossword puzzles to improve your word acrobatics. --> engage your memory, learn things that you like or that interest you by heart, to build up more resources for building connections and stimulation - Instead of focussing on our flaws, we can focus on the external world, its complexity, detail, people we admire and immerse ourselves in a multitude of fields and subjects - By looking for things that encourage contemplation and improvement of logic we can also attain a sense of flow—Newton, Mendel, Einstein and alike all spent significant amounts of time contemplating and/or fully immersing themselves in one subject, with or without outside elements of focus --> Thoughts on implementation: a workshop for new arrivals might be necessary/beneficial.
Intrinsic motivation: - There’s three coping strategies for misfortune, which everyone faces every now and then: 1. let go of your ego, detach from the idea that something must be because “it’s me” and trust your ability to handle things on the go; 2. practice mindfulness of your environment. Focussing on the external world allows to readjust focus, away from the bugging things; 3. one can use difficulties to experiment with novel solutions and discover new paths to create new, enjoyable challenges instead of trying the same thing over and over again - Everyone finds enjoyment through immersion, which releases us from self-consciousness, worries, anxieties and allows us to lose track of time and feel in harmony with our surroundings - To grow and work towards our personal goals, we need to find challenges tied to personal rewards - Our personal goals should be solid enough to remain unaffected by (changing) external circumstances - Setting intrinsic personal rewards helps to get into a flow state: surpassing past/usual performance, learning as much as possible on one subject, creating new, small challenges by splitting work up properly - Life is meaningless—that might sound daunting but we have the power to overcome our insignificance and gene drive and thus create meaning, and actively choose what that meaning is → set up clear goals and start acting on it (non-zero days!) --> This is so important that I think we might need some kind of coaching/partnership program for people, where an experienced person can be the personal coach for maybe 1-5 newbies? Just a thought.
I guess this is the step between physical safety and self-actualisation?
I think “psychological safety”, which this point seemingly implies, should be an entire model for itself. It’s a rather complex issue because what works for one person, might not be necessary/sufficient for another due to different experiences, cultural backgrounds etc.
Redirecting aid/philanthropical support towards data gathering programs in hope Machine Learning will be able to help solve problems better?