I am reminded of the global response to Covid-19. Local adaptations were inconsistently applied and effective strategies were not promulgated rapidly (or persuasively) enough to the global network.
At the same time, central planning is like trying to win a local battle by relying solely on hand-written instructions posted to you by a tea-sipping General 500 miles away.
If virtue is a memeplex (Dawkins) - a collection of ideas that are adaptive only in your cultural neighbourhood - it follows that it must be agile locally and not reliant on the central committee’s best guesses. However, without coordination of these local adaptations, there could be global and rapid consequences: a lab leak, not a plane crash.
I'm wondering if it behoves the EU AI office not to construct hugely complex ethical ecosystems, but instead focus on the structures that enable the rapid sharing of local learning, while restricting itself to top-line principles. There is a balance somewhere between the laissez faire libertarian and the statist, but I doubt we’ll find it when they both "know" they’re right.
This is a great comment! I had to look up "memeplex", which is a very useful word.
I agree that a balance between global principles and local action is needed, and indeed it's a balance that's hard to reach in our divided society. But worth aiming for!
I am reminded of the global response to Covid-19. Local adaptations were inconsistently applied and effective strategies were not promulgated rapidly (or persuasively) enough to the global network.
At the same time, central planning is like trying to win a local battle by relying solely on hand-written instructions posted to you by a tea-sipping General 500 miles away.
If virtue is a memeplex (Dawkins) - a collection of ideas that are adaptive only in your cultural neighbourhood - it follows that it must be agile locally and not reliant on the central committee’s best guesses. However, without coordination of these local adaptations, there could be global and rapid consequences: a lab leak, not a plane crash.
I'm wondering if it behoves the EU AI office not to construct hugely complex ethical ecosystems, but instead focus on the structures that enable the rapid sharing of local learning, while restricting itself to top-line principles. There is a balance somewhere between the laissez faire libertarian and the statist, but I doubt we’ll find it when they both "know" they’re right.
This is a great comment! I had to look up "memeplex", which is a very useful word.
I agree that a balance between global principles and local action is needed, and indeed it's a balance that's hard to reach in our divided society. But worth aiming for!