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AI will far more likely power a new war on the poor than power a war to fight poverty. Through new ways to discriminate in lending/housing (1), and new ways to

AI will far more likely power a new war on the poor than power a war to fight poverty. Through new ways to discriminate in lending/housing (1), and new ways to discriminate in hiring (2), new ways to discriminate in policing (3.) AI will be no boon to the poor. It will be a new tool for the wealthy to use math as smoke screen for practices they have used for centuries to keep the poor poor and the rich rich. 1)https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4x44dp/ai-could-resurrect-a-racist-housing-policy https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/4x44dp/ai-could-r... & https://www.americanbanker.com/news/is-artificial-intelligence-a-threat-to-fair-lending https://www.americanbanker.com/news/is-artificial-intelligen... 2)http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2112786/updated-laws-needed-hong-kong-can-embrace-artificial http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/2112786/u... 3) https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessm...

saas_co_de 9y ago
I am not sure exactly how you would fight a "war on poverty" without also fighting a "war on the poor." This is some "we are going to invade your country and force you to be free" level Orwellian thinking.
- rangersanger 9y ago
  By helping the poor out of poverty instead of strengthening the mechanisms that put them there to keep them there. I'm not sure how exactly that's Orwellian thinking, please explain.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - mLuby 9y ago
    "War is Welfare" is fairly Orwellian.
- maze-le 9y ago
  That is because the "war on ..."-metaphors are pretty much bullshit talk. If you want to look like a strong person, that takes an issue seriously, declare a war on a concept... Its a simple propaganda technique, aimed at people, that are easily impressed by bellicose statements. But it wears off quickly. Especially if one considers how other "wars on concepts" are going (war on drugs, war on terror)
  - achamayou 9y ago
    If on the other hand you subscribe to the idea that War is a Racket, it becomes obvious that the label is used quite accurately...
shams93 9y ago
If you're a Google and most of your income is based on advertising how do you survive in a world in which only 0.01% of the population has an income? You don't need an internet to serve ads to 500 super rich, a magazine is a more efficient way to go when your numbers are that tiny. The system can keep pushing and pushing the poor but at what point does the system become so efficient that it eats itself?
- kamaal 9y ago
  Access to internet has only become cheaper over time. These days even homeless have internet access. Not sure what is your point.
  - Fej 9y ago
    No point in advertising to people with no (disposable) income. It's like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
    - CamelCaseName 9y ago
      [0] consumption = autonomous consumption + marginal propensity to consume × disposable income Even when income, disposable or total, is set to zero, individuals still have to eat, to be sheltered, to take transportation. Then, wherever there are multiple products for anything that would be considered a necessity, advertising can still have a positive return. [0] https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_macroeconomics-theory-through-applications/s20-21-consumption-and-saving.html https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_macroeconomics-theory-th...
kakwa_ 9y ago
It was exactly my reaction from reading this title. A.I and Big Data are in themselves tools, but access to those tools is highly more likely if wealthy. So they will be used toward the self interest of the wealthiest, and, consequently against the interest of the poorest. Cambridge Analytica and the Trump election comes to mind for example.

saas_co_de 9y ago

I am not sure exactly how you would fight a "war on poverty" without also fighting a "war on the poor." This is some "we are going to invade your country and force you to be free" level Orwellian thinking.

rangersanger 9y ago
By helping the poor out of poverty instead of strengthening the mechanisms that put them there to keep them there. I'm not sure how exactly that's Orwellian thinking, please explain.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- mLuby 9y ago
  "War is Welfare" is fairly Orwellian.
maze-le 9y ago
That is because the "war on ..."-metaphors are pretty much bullshit talk. If you want to look like a strong person, that takes an issue seriously, declare a war on a concept... Its a simple propaganda technique, aimed at people, that are easily impressed by bellicose statements. But it wears off quickly. Especially if one considers how other "wars on concepts" are going (war on drugs, war on terror)
- achamayou 9y ago
  If on the other hand you subscribe to the idea that War is a Racket, it becomes obvious that the label is used quite accurately...

shams93 9y ago

If you're a Google and most of your income is based on advertising how do you survive in a world in which only 0.01% of the population has an income? You don't need an internet to serve ads to 500 super rich, a magazine is a more efficient way to go when your numbers are that tiny. The system can keep pushing and pushing the poor but at what point does the system become so efficient that it eats itself?

kamaal 9y ago
Access to internet has only become cheaper over time. These days even homeless have internet access. Not sure what is your point.
- Fej 9y ago
  No point in advertising to people with no (disposable) income. It's like trying to squeeze blood from a stone.
  - CamelCaseName 9y ago
    [0] consumption = autonomous consumption + marginal propensity to consume × disposable income Even when income, disposable or total, is set to zero, individuals still have to eat, to be sheltered, to take transportation. Then, wherever there are multiple products for anything that would be considered a necessity, advertising can still have a positive return. [0] https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_macroeconomics-theory-through-applications/s20-21-consumption-and-saving.html https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_macroeconomics-theory-th...

kakwa_ 9y ago

It was exactly my reaction from reading this title. A.I and Big Data are in themselves tools, but access to those tools is highly more likely if wealthy. So they will be used toward the self interest of the wealthiest, and, consequently against the interest of the poorest. Cambridge Analytica and the Trump election comes to mind for example.