# HG changeset patch # User Robert McIntyre # Date 1380301654 14400 # Node ID 1c6af9dd64d501cbf61a44ff3ac7527adcef3a03 # Parent be36b7325a47e6bcda3e88cc9df8d0f34bc7adc4# Parent b838bd76b081103b214f28d4f19ede2d9e6d4aa2 merge. diff -r b838bd76b081 -r 1c6af9dd64d5 org/minds-eye.org --- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000 +++ b/org/minds-eye.org Fri Sep 27 13:07:34 2013 -0400 @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +#+title: Ethics of Mind's Eye +#+author: Robert McIntyre +#+email: rlm@mit.edu +#+description: +#+keywords: +#+SETUPFILE: ../../aurellem/org/setup.org +#+INCLUDE: ../../aurellem/org/level-0.org +#+babel: :mkdirp yes :noweb yes :exports both + +* COMMENT Ethical Considerations Regarding DARPA's Mind's Eye Program + +As scientists and engineers, it is our sacred duty to explore the +boundaries of human knowledge in a responsible way. We are part of the +larger organism of humanity, and tasked with discovering new things +that help the race first, and all life second. + +While knowledge and non-sentient technology is neither morally good or +evil, the things we discover are embedded in a wider cultural context, +and in many cases it is possible to foresee possible uses and abuses +our new technology will enable. + +It is naive to think that the government or any group of humans is +either wholly good or evil, but by reasoning from the +motivations/power of such groups, we can try to infer whether a +technology will improve the lot of humanity or not. + +It is possible to give and institution/culture a technology that they +will enthusiastically accept, but which will greatly diminish their +quality of life. + +Some examples: + +PGP -- an encryption suite that can help individuals to send messages + + + +* Questions + +- What should our ethical place be in deciding whether or not to + pursue research? + + - Follow orders, assume our overall culture will use things + responsibly, and leave the ethical considerations to the + government/people. + + - Many scientists who worked on the atomic bomb later questioned + their decisions. + - Yet, an advanced society /should/ have atomic weapons, if for + nothing else than to defend themselves from meteors, blow shit + up, etc. + + - We are each morally responsible for the things we help create. We + are responsible for the misuses of technology we develop and the + pain and suffering it causes. Ultimately our contributions to + society will be judged by whether our technology did more good + than bad. + +- If we decide that we *are* morally responsible for the technology we + develop, then is the Mind's Eye project in particular something we + should be doing? + + - Here are some things you can build with Mind's Eye tech: + + - System to monitor single humans living alone and call for help + in the case of emergencies (such as a fall) + + - Same system for hospitals and nursing homes (of course, this + also makes them even more impersonal) + + - The equivalent of a FBI special agent watching everything you do + from the moment you step out your door to the moment you go back + to your house to sleep, building a dossier of every move you + make, everyone you talk to, where you shop, etc. + + - A concentration camp / prison that is ABSOLUTELY impossible to + escape from. + + - Many other countries that don't care as much about human rights + as America will use this technology to monitor their citizens + 24/7. + + - Protection from surveillance in you own home does not apply + unless you *own* your house. Say goodbye to privacy in school + dorms, apartments, rented houses, etc. + + - People are OK with current surveillance because it is + *dumb*. Mostly people only use security camera footage in the case + of crimes, and it is a painstaking process because it requires + manual human intervention. With AI, this will soon not be the + case. + + \ No newline at end of file