3 ms·

It’s not often that you see short fiction on HN, but I’m really grateful that this made it today. Be sure to read through to the Author’s Note if you skim the s

by Doches 3y ago

It’s not often that you see short fiction on HN, but I’m really grateful that this made it today. Be sure to read through to the Author’s Note if you skim the story, since it contexualises some of the rougher scenes. The author wrote this to exorcise some of their own demons, but the story is also a…useful prophylactic against those demons in its own right. This brightened my day, or at least infused it with some much-needed philosophy.

twiss 3y ago
I really appreciated the story, but personally I wish the Author's note hadn't been there, or at least I wish the author hadn't felt the need to include it (although I don't blame them). They may well be right that the story would get misinterpreted otherwise, but that's not their fault. It's a shame that the political climate is such that they're afraid of being "accused" of having one belief or another. To me, it was clear that the story was not about taking a stance on the concrete policies discussed, but rather the larger topic of AI alignment and the fact that the results of policies and instructions can be counterintuitive, and thus the "best" policies (along some axis) can be as well. And personally, I would've preferred if the end left one thinking about that - rather than being "dragged back down" to the topic of the concrete policies - much as I sympathize with the author's situation of course; that must be terrible.
- debok 3y ago
  Huh. I read the story more as an exploration on what the phrase "human life is sacred" really means. To me the whole AI thing was just a backdrop.
  - twiss 3y ago
    Fair enough, that's also an important aspect (perhaps more important ^.^). It's just that I immediately started thinking about what other phrases could've been said, and which might be the best one for a "properly aligned AI" (whatever that means).
    - archagon 3y ago
      I'd love an alternate version of the story where the phrase is indeed "human life is scared."

by Doches 3y ago

twiss 3y ago

I really appreciated the story, but personally I wish the Author's note hadn't been there, or at least I wish the author hadn't felt the need to include it (although I don't blame them). They may well be right that the story would get misinterpreted otherwise, but that's not their fault. It's a shame that the political climate is such that they're afraid of being "accused" of having one belief or another. To me, it was clear that the story was not about taking a stance on the concrete policies discussed, but rather the larger topic of AI alignment and the fact that the results of policies and instructions can be counterintuitive, and thus the "best" policies (along some axis) can be as well. And personally, I would've preferred if the end left one thinking about that - rather than being "dragged back down" to the topic of the concrete policies - much as I sympathize with the author's situation of course; that must be terrible.

debok 3y ago
Huh. I read the story more as an exploration on what the phrase "human life is sacred" really means. To me the whole AI thing was just a backdrop.
- twiss 3y ago
  Fair enough, that's also an important aspect (perhaps more important ^.^). It's just that I immediately started thinking about what other phrases could've been said, and which might be the best one for a "properly aligned AI" (whatever that means).
  - archagon 3y ago
    I'd love an alternate version of the story where the phrase is indeed "human life is scared."