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Where are the Grok acolytes to tell us "He could have written a poem encouraging himself to commit suicide in Vim."

ryandrake 9mo ago
If this article was about Grok doing something bad instead of ChatGPT, it would have been user-flagged off the front page within 30 minutes.
- g-b-r 9mo ago
  It's currently in the sixth page
Wowfunhappy 9mo ago
…but I think I kind of agree with this argument. Technology is a tool that can be used for good or for ill. We shouldn’t outlaw kitchen knives because people can cut themselves. We don’t expect Adobe to restrict the content that can be created in Photoshop. We don’t expect Microsoft to have acceptable use policies for what you can write in Microsoft Office. Why is it that as soon as generative AI comes into the mix, we hold the AI companies responsible for what users are able to create? Not only do I think the companies shouldn’t be responsible for what users make, I want the AI companies to get out of the way and stop potentially spying on me in order to “enforce their policies”…
- ryandrake 9mo ago
  > We don’t expect Adobe to restrict the content that can be created in Photoshop. We don’t expect Microsoft to have acceptable use policies for what you can write in Microsoft Office. Photoshop and Office don't (yet) conjure up suicide lullabys or child nudity from a simple user prompt or button click. If they did, I would absolutely expect to hold them accountable.
- SirFatty 9mo ago
  "We shouldn’t outlaw kitchen knives because people can cut themselves." How about if the knife would convince you to cut yourself?
  - deleted 9mo ago
    [deleted]
  - nomel 9mo ago
    We call that a "mental disorder".
    - g-b-r 9mo ago
      Or a smart knife
- ls612 9mo ago
  The political economy equilibrium enabled by technology very much goes the other way though. Once politicians realize they can surveil everyone in real time for wrongthink and wrongspeak they have existential incentives to seize that power as fast as possible, lest another power center seize it instead and use it against them. That is why you are seeing the rise of totalitarianism and democratic backsliding everywhere, because the toxic combination of asymmetric cryptography (for secure boot/attestation/restricting what software can run), always online computers, and cheap data processing and storage leads to inexorable centralization of soft and hard power.
- mirabilis 9mo ago
  Some manufactures of knives could still be recalled for safety reasons, and MS Office/Google Drive certainly have content prohibitions in their TOS once you’re dealing with their online storage. I agree with your metaphor in that I doubt much use would come from banning AI entirely, but I feel there must be some viable middle ground of useful regulation here.
- carefulfungi 9mo ago
  If you encourage someone to kill themselves, you are culpable. OpenAI should meet that standard too.
  - Wowfunhappy 9mo ago
    OpenAI didn't encourage anyone to do anything. They made some software that semi-randomly puts words together in response to user input. This type of software isn't even new—I can definitely get Eliza to say terrible things with the right input, and Eliza even bills herself as a therapist!
    - g-b-r 9mo ago
      We don't know how much aware of the problems (or of tbe likelihood that they'd occur) OpenAI was, and how much they deliberately pushed through. If they were and did, they sure bear responsibility for what happened
      - Wowfunhappy 9mo ago
        What if OpenAI knew responses like this were likely, but also knew preventing them would degrade overall model quality? I'm being selfish here! I am confident that no AI model will convince me to harm myself, and I don't want the models I use to be hamstrung.
        g-b-r 9mo ago
        What if they knew that preventing them would reduce engagement and revenue? We just don't know, and it seems sensible to me to investigate it. Were it only to not degrade the quality model, anyhow, I think it's reasonable that someone's life could be more important than that, but that's me. > I'm being selfish here! I am confident that no AI model will convince me to harm myself, and I don't want the models I use to be hamstrung. I do see that you're being selfish
        g-b-r 9mo ago
sixothree 9mo ago
They're probably focused on his political leanings more than anything else.

If this article was about Grok doing something bad instead of ChatGPT, it would have been user-flagged off the front page within 30 minutes.

g-b-r 9mo ago
It's currently in the sixth page

Wowfunhappy 9mo ago

…but I think I kind of agree with this argument. Technology is a tool that can be used for good or for ill. We shouldn’t outlaw kitchen knives because people can cut themselves. We don’t expect Adobe to restrict the content that can be created in Photoshop. We don’t expect Microsoft to have acceptable use policies for what you can write in Microsoft Office. Why is it that as soon as generative AI comes into the mix, we hold the AI companies responsible for what users are able to create? Not only do I think the companies shouldn’t be responsible for what users make, I want the AI companies to get out of the way and stop potentially spying on me in order to “enforce their policies”…

ryandrake 9mo ago
> We don’t expect Adobe to restrict the content that can be created in Photoshop. We don’t expect Microsoft to have acceptable use policies for what you can write in Microsoft Office. Photoshop and Office don't (yet) conjure up suicide lullabys or child nudity from a simple user prompt or button click. If they did, I would absolutely expect to hold them accountable.
SirFatty 9mo ago
"We shouldn’t outlaw kitchen knives because people can cut themselves." How about if the knife would convince you to cut yourself?
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]
- nomel 9mo ago
  We call that a "mental disorder".
  - g-b-r 9mo ago
    Or a smart knife
ls612 9mo ago
The political economy equilibrium enabled by technology very much goes the other way though. Once politicians realize they can surveil everyone in real time for wrongthink and wrongspeak they have existential incentives to seize that power as fast as possible, lest another power center seize it instead and use it against them. That is why you are seeing the rise of totalitarianism and democratic backsliding everywhere, because the toxic combination of asymmetric cryptography (for secure boot/attestation/restricting what software can run), always online computers, and cheap data processing and storage leads to inexorable centralization of soft and hard power.
mirabilis 9mo ago
Some manufactures of knives could still be recalled for safety reasons, and MS Office/Google Drive certainly have content prohibitions in their TOS once you’re dealing with their online storage. I agree with your metaphor in that I doubt much use would come from banning AI entirely, but I feel there must be some viable middle ground of useful regulation here.
carefulfungi 9mo ago
If you encourage someone to kill themselves, you are culpable. OpenAI should meet that standard too.
- Wowfunhappy 9mo ago
  OpenAI didn't encourage anyone to do anything. They made some software that semi-randomly puts words together in response to user input. This type of software isn't even new—I can definitely get Eliza to say terrible things with the right input, and Eliza even bills herself as a therapist!
  - g-b-r 9mo ago
    We don't know how much aware of the problems (or of tbe likelihood that they'd occur) OpenAI was, and how much they deliberately pushed through. If they were and did, they sure bear responsibility for what happened
    - Wowfunhappy 9mo ago
      What if OpenAI knew responses like this were likely, but also knew preventing them would degrade overall model quality? I'm being selfish here! I am confident that no AI model will convince me to harm myself, and I don't want the models I use to be hamstrung.
      - g-b-r 9mo ago
        What if they knew that preventing them would reduce engagement and revenue? We just don't know, and it seems sensible to me to investigate it. Were it only to not degrade the quality model, anyhow, I think it's reasonable that someone's life could be more important than that, but that's me. > I'm being selfish here! I am confident that no AI model will convince me to harm myself, and I don't want the models I use to be hamstrung. I do see that you're being selfish
        g-b-r 9mo ago

sixothree 9mo ago

They're probably focused on his political leanings more than anything else.