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The great news is that this is news. Google did a thing they thought was fine. They drew a line in the Sand and said we won't build a box that kills. Employees
by more_corn 8y ago
The great news is that this is news. Google did a thing they thought was fine. They drew a line in the Sand and said we won't build a box that kills.
Employees said that's not good enough. Because you're building a box that targets and makes killing easier.
I'm thrilled that this discussion is coming up and leaking out into the rest of the world because we need to talk about it.
Because the smart, capable people here need to think about our ethical obligation not to create terrible weapons. I assure you AI tracking in a weapon system is a terrible weapon. The test is easy. Imagine yourself on the looking at the sharp end of the weapon. Does it feel like you're in a nightmare? That's a terrible weapon.
Granted, smart, capable people know not to misuse a terrible weapon, but the last thing you do when you create something is the act of relinquishing control. And I assure you the world is full of people who cannot or choose not to consider the repercussions of their actions. A weapon once created will be misused.
We all therefore have an obligation not to create such things.
Turn your attention towards creations which create the world you want to live in and never work on terrible weapons.
I hope that this comment causes a response. I hope that it kicks off a debate. I trust that my argument is sound and I look forward to exploring the nuances of it with all of you.
- Chardok 8y agoUltimately I think it was inevitable that Google was to become so heavily involved in military (https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems/ https://wikileaks.org/google-is-not-what-it-seems/), but what bugs me is how intertwined this now military-industrial complex has been in our lives. It is at best misleading and worst incredibly dishonest for Google to portray itself as it is, while at the same time using people to contribute to data that goes into targeting and killing human beings. I am hoping more people begin to consider the ethics of supporting such a company.