{"id":4570,"date":"2024-04-15T13:32:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T12:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/?p=4570"},"modified":"2024-04-15T13:32:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T12:32:51","slug":"beyond-the-robot-apocalypse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/2024\/04\/15\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond the robot apocalypse"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Nancy S. Jecker, Caesar A. Atuire, Jean-Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho.<\/p>\n

In Christopher Nolan\u2019s film, Oppenheimer<\/em>, the protagonist frets that unleashing atomic energy will forever alter the world, making humankind\u2019s annihilation possible. Some philosophers and many tech leaders fret AI has similar prospects \u2013it imperils \u201chumankind as a whole,\u201d writes Nick Bostrom, and creates risk for \u201can adverse outcome so bad (that) it would either \u201cannihilate Earth-originating intelligent life or permanently or drastically curtail its potential<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

AI doomsayers frequently buttress their claims by appealing to the philosophies of effective altruism and longtermism. Effective altruism instructs us do as much good as we can<\/a>, while longtermism urges focusing on the well-being of future generations<\/a>, given their sheer number.<\/p>\n

The danger of this kind of catastrophizing is that it sells too well<\/em>. As it gains momentum, the voices of doomsayers push aside non-doomsday threats happening now, making them appear trifling. AI hallucinations<\/a>, displacement of human creative work<\/a>, misinformation<\/a>, and privacy hazards<\/a> look inconsequential when stacked up against human annihilation. Why worry about algorithmic bias<\/a> when we face a robot apocalypse?<\/p>\n

Yet, even if non-existential threats fall short of completely obliterating us, they are hardly inconsequential. As we transition to more AI-centered societies, embedding fairness in the transition process demands directing our gaze to the here and now.<\/p>\n

Just transitioning calls for focusing \u201cnot just on AI safety but on AI justice.<\/em><\/a>\u201d Efforts to improve fairness, accountability and transparency in algorithms<\/a> used in decision automation foster just transitioning. So do efforts to shift from purely extractive to more regenerative economies. While an extractive economy is focused on “extraction of data from our bodies, our minds, our purchases, our art, our statements, our actions, and our locations to fuel…outputs<\/a>,\u201d a regenerative economy is committed to engaging stakeholders, becoming accountable, and respecting people and the planet.<\/p>\n

Some philosophers critical of effective altruism<\/a> argue that its rock bottom principles are utilitarian, stressing impartiality, wellbeing, and maximization. They charge that these values are fundamentally at odds with social justice movements that take seriously the standpoints of those who are oppressed. While the trillions of people living in the future count too, ethics is about more than doing the math.<\/p>\n

A broader view of what is \u2018effective\u2019 and \u2018altruistic\u2019 is needed. It must be premised upon ensuring people living now can lead minimally good lives<\/a>, addressing global asymmetries in wealth and power<\/a>, and cultivating feminist insights<\/a> about the ways AI oppresses people.<\/p>\n

In an ironic plot twist, catastrophizing about the future steers investors to support philosophers working on AI\u2019s future existential threats. Thus, \u201cmany longtermists identify studying artificial intelligence as a priority: a hostile AI might end the species and wipe out generations yet unborn<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longtermism and effective altruism too often display \u201can uncritical attitude toward existing political and economic institutions<\/a>.\u201d For example, Effective Altruism\u2019s website champions the charity, \u201c80,000 Hours<\/a>,\u201d as a way to select a high-paying career that is maximally effective. Singer praises Bill Gates and Warren Buffet as \u201cthe greatest Effective Altruists in human history<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

A better place to start an ethical critique of AI is interrogating the power consolidation of AI tech giants. A profit ethos can blindside us to algorithmic biases, like gender<\/a> and racial discrimination<\/a>, child sexual abuse<\/a>, and labor exploitation<\/a>, intensifying threats to disadvantaged communities.<\/p>\n

The remedy for these <\/em>problems is not to direct our gaze to the distant future, but to partner with people left behind<\/a> and \u201celevate the voices, perspectives, and solutions of communities who directly experience the harms of AI.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Paper title:<\/strong> AI and the Falling Sky: Interrogating X-Risk<\/a><\/p>\n

Authors:<\/strong> Nancy S. Jecker, Caesar A Atuire, Jean-Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho<\/p>\n

Affiliations:<\/strong> Nancy S Jecker: University of Washington School of Medicine; Caesar Alimsinya Atuire: University of Oxford; Jean- Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon: Simon Fraser University; Vardit Ravitsky: The Hastings Center; Anita Ho: University of British Columbia and University of California San Francisco<\/p>\n

Competing interests:<\/strong> None declared<\/p>\n

Social media accounts of post authors<\/strong>: Twitter. <\/strong>Nancy S Jecker: @profjecker<\/a>; Caesar Alimsinya Atuire: @atuire<\/a>; Jean-Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon: @BelislePipon;<\/a> Vardit Ravitsky: @VarditRavitsky<\/a>; Anita Ho: @AnitaHoEthics<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Nancy S. Jecker, Caesar A. Atuire, Jean-Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho. In Christopher Nolan\u2019s film, Oppenheimer, the protagonist frets that unleashing atomic energy will forever alter the world, making humankind\u2019s annihilation possible. Some philosophers and many tech leaders fret AI has similar prospects \u2013it imperils \u201chumankind as a whole,\u201d writes Nick Bostrom, and […]<\/p>\n

Read More…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":354,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8068],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4570","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artificial-intelligence"],"yoast_head":"\nBeyond the robot apocalypse - Journal of Medical Ethics blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/2024\/04\/15\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Beyond the robot apocalypse - Journal of Medical Ethics blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Nancy S. Jecker, Caesar A. Atuire, Jean-Christophe B\u00e9lisle-Pipon, Vardit Ravitsky, Anita Ho. In Christopher Nolan\u2019s film, Oppenheimer, the protagonist frets that unleashing atomic energy will forever alter the world, making humankind\u2019s annihilation possible. Some philosophers and many tech leaders fret AI has similar prospects \u2013it imperils \u201chumankind as a whole,\u201d writes Nick Bostrom, and [...]Read More...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/medical-ethics\/2024\/04\/15\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Journal of Medical Ethics blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-15T12:32:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hazem Zohny\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hazem Zohny\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hazem Zohny\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e73152f6aa4e164c7d625d77cf4fed35\"},\"headline\":\"Beyond the robot apocalypse\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-04-15T12:32:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":686,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Artificial intelligence\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blogs.bmj.com\\\/medical-ethics\\\/2024\\\/04\\\/15\\\/beyond-the-robot-apocalypse\\\/\",\"name\":\"Beyond the robot apocalypse - 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