4 ms·

Absolutely nothing. But I find "someone else might do it" to be a bit of a weak excuse to do anything. Every bad thing that COULD happen that HASN'T happened

Absolutely nothing. But I find "someone else might do it" to be a bit of a weak excuse to do anything. Every bad thing that COULD happen that HASN'T happened is because someone (usually multiple someones) chose not to do it. It's really that simple. The first step in no one doing any particular thing is to not do it. And while there are cases where this forces a tough choice, the majority of such cases aren't that tough. Like here: The question is not "do we make mega bucks and be evil, or be poor but good". The question here is "Do we make mega bucks being evil or do we go try to make mega bucks elsewhere?"

skybrian 8y ago
There's a more subtle argument though: someone else will do it, and they will be worse. If you're in the room, you might have a chance of affecting a decision. Personally I avoid having to make tough calls, but I respect people who think about it differently.
- ergothus 8y ago
  That's a VERY slippery slope, and there are very few arguments where I am personally convinced by it. (and I say that as someone that generally finds "slippery slope" arguments to be overblown about how slippery and how sloped) Feels more like an excuse than a reason. A world where we don't do something bad creates a reason not to do it. A world where we say it's okay to do the bad things because we assume that someone else will not only do them, they will be more evil than us (and here we are compromising our morals from the start) removes any such incentive and creates a race to the bottom.
  - skybrian 8y ago
    Well, yes, but much like undercover work or espionage, it would make for a good story, anyway.
- ionised 8y ago
  > If you're in the room, you might have a chance of affecting a decision. This is either hopelessy naive cynically deceptive.
Bombthecat 8y ago
Everything about AI / face detection is open source. It is not like a chemical formula you can try to hide for a while... The will to use it is there. The will to pour millions into it is also there. We are then talking about just a year or two later than it would happen.
- ergothus 8y ago
  And yet it will only happen when those willing to do so do it. I'm not saying nothing bad will ever happen - as you say, the will to do it is there. But I'd much rather deny them the effort of all the people who COULD do it but choose not to. After all, if you're doing something you'd rather not just because someone else might (or even probably will)...you're not very convincing that you'd rather not do it.

skybrian 8y ago

There's a more subtle argument though: someone else will do it, and they will be worse. If you're in the room, you might have a chance of affecting a decision. Personally I avoid having to make tough calls, but I respect people who think about it differently.

ergothus 8y ago
That's a VERY slippery slope, and there are very few arguments where I am personally convinced by it. (and I say that as someone that generally finds "slippery slope" arguments to be overblown about how slippery and how sloped) Feels more like an excuse than a reason. A world where we don't do something bad creates a reason not to do it. A world where we say it's okay to do the bad things because we assume that someone else will not only do them, they will be more evil than us (and here we are compromising our morals from the start) removes any such incentive and creates a race to the bottom.
- skybrian 8y ago
  Well, yes, but much like undercover work or espionage, it would make for a good story, anyway.
ionised 8y ago
> If you're in the room, you might have a chance of affecting a decision. This is either hopelessy naive cynically deceptive.

Bombthecat 8y ago

Everything about AI / face detection is open source. It is not like a chemical formula you can try to hide for a while... The will to use it is there. The will to pour millions into it is also there. We are then talking about just a year or two later than it would happen.

ergothus 8y ago
And yet it will only happen when those willing to do so do it. I'm not saying nothing bad will ever happen - as you say, the will to do it is there. But I'd much rather deny them the effort of all the people who COULD do it but choose not to. After all, if you're doing something you'd rather not just because someone else might (or even probably will)...you're not very convincing that you'd rather not do it.