ethics – Lifeboat News: The Blog https://lifeboat.com/blog Safeguarding Humanity Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:28:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 No, Extreme Human Longevity Won’t Destroy the Planet https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/no-extreme-human-longevity-wont-destroy-the-planet https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/no-extreme-human-longevity-wont-destroy-the-planet#respond Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:28:56 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/no-extreme-human-longevity-wont-destroy-the-planet

Futurism, transhumanism, bioethics, ethics, science, philosophy, artificial intelligence, personhood.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/no-extreme-human-longevity-wont-destroy-the-planet/feed 0
Time to shift from artificial intelligence to artificial integrity https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/time-to-shift-from-artificial-intelligence-to-artificial-integrity https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/time-to-shift-from-artificial-intelligence-to-artificial-integrity#respond Wed, 11 Dec 2024 01:23:57 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/time-to-shift-from-artificial-intelligence-to-artificial-integrity

There are contexts where human cognitive and emotional intelligence takes precedence over AI, which serves a supporting role in decision-making without overriding human judgment. Here, AI “protects” human cognitive processes from things like bias, heuristic thinking, or decision-making that activates the brain’s reward system and leads to incoherent or skewed results. In the human-first mode, artificial integrity can assist judicial processes by analyzing previous law cases and outcomes, for instance, without substituting a judge’s moral and ethical reasoning. For this to work well, the AI system would also have to show how it arrives at different conclusions and recommendations, considering any cultural context or values that apply differently across different regions or legal systems.

4 – Fusion Mode:

Artificial integrity in this mode is a synergy between human intelligence and AI capabilities combining the best of both worlds. Autonomous vehicles operating in Fusion Mode would have AI managing the vehicle’s operations, such as speed, navigation, and obstacle avoidance, while human oversight, potentially through emerging technologies like Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), would offer real-time input on complex ethical dilemmas. For instance, in unavoidable crash situations, a BCI could enable direct communication between the human brain and AI, allowing ethical decision-making to occur in real-time, and blending AI’s precision with human moral reasoning. These kinds of advanced integrations between humans and machines will require artificial integrity at the highest level of maturity: artificial integrity would ensure not only technical excellence but ethical robustness, to guard against any exploitation or manipulation of neural data as it prioritizes human safety and autonomy.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/time-to-shift-from-artificial-intelligence-to-artificial-integrity/feed 0
Infants have no conception of morality https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/infants-have-no-conception-of-morality https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/infants-have-no-conception-of-morality#respond Tue, 03 Dec 2024 09:25:16 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/infants-have-no-conception-of-morality

The question as to whether morality is innate has been hotly debated in developmental psychology for decades.


An international study with LMU participation provides evidence that our moral sense is not innate.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/infants-have-no-conception-of-morality/feed 0
The Scientific American Goes Woke + Laura Helmuth’s Resignation. By Michael Shermer https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/the-scientific-american-goes-woke-laura-helmuths-resignation-by-michael-shermer https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/the-scientific-american-goes-woke-laura-helmuths-resignation-by-michael-shermer#respond Mon, 02 Dec 2024 15:24:33 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/the-scientific-american-goes-woke-laura-helmuths-resignation-by-michael-shermer

“An Unscientific American” discusses the resignation of Laura Helmuth from her position as editor-in-chief at Scientific American. The author, Michael Shermer, argues that her departure exemplifies the risks of blending facts with ideology in scientific communication.

Helmuth faced backlash after posting controversial remarks on social media regarding political views, which led to public criticism and her eventual resignation. Shermer reflects on how the magazine’s editorial direction has shifted towards progressive ideology, suggesting this has compromised its scientific integrity. He notes that had Helmuth made disparaging comments about liberal viewpoints, her outcome would likely have been more severe.

The article critiques Scientific American for endorsing positions on gender and race that Shermer sees as ideologically driven rather than based on scientific evidence. He expresses concern that such ideological capture within scientific publications can distort facts and undermine credibility.

For more details, you can read the full article here.

About the Author.
Michael Shermer is a prominent science writer and the founder of the Skeptics Society. He is known for his work promoting scientific skepticism and questioning pseudoscience. Shermer is also the author of several books on belief, morality, and the nature of science, including The Believing Brain and The Moral Arc.
https://quillette.com/2024/11/21/an-unscientific-american-sc…signation/

Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values.

Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/12/the-scientific-american-goes-woke-laura-helmuths-resignation-by-michael-shermer/feed 0
How AI Dragons Set GenAI on Fire This Year https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-ai-dragons-set-genai-on-fire-this-year https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-ai-dragons-set-genai-on-fire-this-year#respond Wed, 27 Nov 2024 19:25:23 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-ai-dragons-set-genai-on-fire-this-year

While LLMs are trained on massive, diverse datasets, SLMs concentrate on domain-specific data. In such cases, the data is often from within the enterprise. This makes SLMs tailored to industries or use cases, thereby ensuring both relevance and privacy.

As AI technologies expand, so do concerns about cybersecurity and ethics. The rise of unsanctioned and unmanaged AI applications within organisations, also referred to as ‘Shadow AI’, poses challenges for security leaders in safeguarding against potential vulnerabilities.

Predictions for 2025 suggest that AI will become mainstream, speeding up the adoption of cloud-based solutions across industries. This shift is expected to bring significant operational benefits, including improved risk assessment and enhanced decision-making capabilities.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/how-ai-dragons-set-genai-on-fire-this-year/feed 0
OpenAI is funding research into ‘AI morality’ https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/openai-is-funding-research-into-ai-morality https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/openai-is-funding-research-into-ai-morality#respond Sun, 24 Nov 2024 15:22:42 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/openai-is-funding-research-into-ai-morality

One of the leading AI companies is funding academic research into algorithms that can predict humans’ moral judgements.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/openai-is-funding-research-into-ai-morality/feed 0
Will South Africa become first country to accept controversial form of human genome editing? https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/will-south-africa-become-first-country-to-accept-controversial-form-of-human-genome-editing https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/will-south-africa-become-first-country-to-accept-controversial-form-of-human-genome-editing#respond Sat, 09 Nov 2024 05:25:17 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/will-south-africa-become-first-country-to-accept-controversial-form-of-human-genome-editing

Scientists raise the alarm following updated research ethics guidelines on heritable human genome editing.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/11/will-south-africa-become-first-country-to-accept-controversial-form-of-human-genome-editing/feed 0
#115 Alexander Rosenberg: Theory of Mind, History, Mental Illusions, and Nihilism https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/115-alexander-rosenberg-theory-of-mind-history-mental-illusions-and-nihilism https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/115-alexander-rosenberg-theory-of-mind-history-mental-illusions-and-nihilism#respond Thu, 31 Oct 2024 19:26:01 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/115-alexander-rosenberg-theory-of-mind-history-mental-illusions-and-nihilism

—————–Support the channel———–
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter.
PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter.

——————Follow me on——————–
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedissenteryt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheDissenterYT

Dr. Alexander Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He has been a visiting professor and fellow at the Center for the Philosophy of Science, at the University of Minnesota, as well as the University of California, Santa Cruz, and Oxford University, and a visiting fellow of the Philosophy Department at the Research School of Social Science, of the Australian National University. In 2016 he was the Benjamin Meaker Visiting Professor at the University of Bristol. He has held fellowships from the National Science Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation. In 1993, Dr. Rosenberg received the Lakatos Award in the philosophy of science. In 2006–2007 he held a fellowship at the National Humanities Center. He was also the Phi Beta Kappa-Romanell Lecturer for 2006–2007. He’s the author of both fictional and non-fictional literature, including The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, The Girl from Krakow, and How History Gets Things Wrong.
In this episode, we focus on Dr. Rosenberg’s most recent book, How History Gets Things Wrong, and also a little bit on some of the topics of The Atheist’s Guide to Reality. We talk about the theory of mind, and how it evolved; the errors with narrative History, and the negative consequences it might produce; mind-brain dualism; what neuroscience tells us about how our brain and cognition operate; social science, biology, and evolution; the role that evolutionary game theory can play in explaining historical events and social phenomena; why beliefs, motivations, desires, and other mental constructs might not exist at all, and the implications for moral philosophy; if AI could develop these same illusions; and nihilism.

Time Links:
01:17 What is theory of mind, and how did it evolve?
06:16 The problem with narrative History.
08:17 Is theory of mind problematic in modern societies?
11:41 The issue with mind-brain dualism.
13:23 The concept of “aboutness”
15:36 Neuroscience, and no content in the brain.
22.21 What “causes” historical events?
28:09 Why the social sciences need more biology and evolution.
37:13 Evolutionary game theory, and understanding social phenomena.
41:06 The implications for moral philosophy of not having beliefs.
44:34 About “moral progress”
47:41 The usefulness of thought experiments in Philosophy.
49:58 The theory of mind will not be going away anytime soon.
51:37 Could AI systems have these same cognitive illusions?
53:13 A note on nihilism and morality.
57:38 Follow Dr. Rosenberg’s work!

Follow Dr. Rosenberg’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/ydby3b5f.
Website: http://www.alexrose46.com/
Books: https://tinyurl.com/yag2n2fn.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY PATRONS: KARIN LIETZCKE, ANN BLANCHETTE, BRENDON J. BREWER, JUNOS, SCIMED, PER HELGE HAAKSTD LARSEN, LAU GUERREIRO, RUI BELEZA, MIGUEL ESTRADA, ANTÓNIO CUNHA, CHANTEL GELINAS, JIM FRANK, AND JERRY MULLER!

I also leave you with the link to a recent montage video I did with the interviews I have released until the end of June 2018:
https://youtu.be/efdb18WdZUo.

And check out my playlists on:
PSYCHOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/ybalf8km.
PHILOSOPHY: https://tinyurl.com/yb6a7d3p.
ANTHROPOLOGY: https://tinyurl.com/y8b42r7g.

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/115-alexander-rosenberg-theory-of-mind-history-mental-illusions-and-nihilism/feed 0
The 3 Body Problem Explored — Robin Hanson, Anders Sandberg & Joscha Bach https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/the-3-body-problem-explored-robin-hanson-anders-sandberg-joscha-bach https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/the-3-body-problem-explored-robin-hanson-anders-sandberg-joscha-bach#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:27:41 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/the-3-body-problem-explored-robin-hanson-anders-sandberg-joscha-bach

The 3 Body Problem Explored: Cosmic Sociology, Longtermism & Existential Risk — round table discussion with three great minds: Robin Hanson, Anders Sandberg and Joscha Bach — moderated by Adam Ford (SciFuture) and James Hughes (IEET).

Some of the items discussed:
- How can narratives that keep people engaged avoid falling short of being realistic?
- In what ways is AI superintelligence kept of stage to allow a narrative that is familiar and easier to make sense of?
- Differences in moral perspectives — moral realism, existentialism and anti-realism.
- Will values of advanced civilisations converge to a small number of possibilities, or will they vary greatly?
- How much will competition be the dominant dynamic in the future, compared to co-ordination?
- In a competitive dynamic, will defense or offense be the most dominant strategy?

Many thanks for tuning in!

Have any ideas about people to interview? Want to be notified about future events? Any comments about the STF series?
Please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1mr9PIfq2ZYlQsXRIn5BcLH2onbiSI7g79mOH_AFCdIk/

Kind regards.
Adam Ford.
- Science, Technology & the Future — #SciFuture — http://scifuture.org

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/the-3-body-problem-explored-robin-hanson-anders-sandberg-joscha-bach/feed 0
Michael Levin: What is Synthbiosis? Diverse Intelligence Beyond AI & The Space of Possible Minds https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/michael-levin-what-is-synthbiosis-diverse-intelligence-beyond-ai-the-space-of-possible-minds https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/michael-levin-what-is-synthbiosis-diverse-intelligence-beyond-ai-the-space-of-possible-minds#respond Tue, 29 Oct 2024 15:27:22 +0000 https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/michael-levin-what-is-synthbiosis-diverse-intelligence-beyond-ai-the-space-of-possible-minds

Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor in the Biology department at Tufts University and associate faculty at the Wyss Institute for Bioinspired Engineering at Harvard University. @drmichaellevin holds the Vannevar Bush endowed Chair and serves as director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts and the Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology. Prior to college, Michael Levin worked as a software engineer and independent contractor in the field of scientific computing. He attended Tufts University, interested in artificial intelligence and unconventional computation. To explore the algorithms by which the biological world implemented complex adaptive behavior, he got dual B.S. degrees, in CS and in Biology and then received a PhD from Harvard University. He did post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School, where he began to uncover a new bioelectric language by which cells coordinate their activity during embryogenesis. His independent laboratory develops new molecular-genetic and conceptual tools to probe large-scale information processing in regeneration, embryogenesis, and cancer suppression.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 — Introduction.
1:41 — Creating High-level General Intelligences.
7:00 — Ethical implications of Diverse Intelligence beyond AI & LLMs.
10:30 — Solving the Fundamental Paradox that faces all Species.
15:00 — Evolution creates Problem Solving Agents & the Self is a Dynamical Construct.
23:00 — Mike on Stephen Grossberg.
26:20 — A Formal Definition of Diverse Intelligence (DI)
30:50 — Intimate relationships with AI? Importance of Cognitive Light Cones.
38:00 — Cyborgs, hybrids, chimeras, & a new concept called “Synthbiosis“
45:51 — Importance of the symbiotic relationship between Science & Philosophy.
53:00 — The Space of Possible Minds.
58:30 — Is Mike Playing God?
1:02:45 — A path forward: through the ethics filter for civilization.
1:09:00 — Mike on Daniel Dennett (RIP)
1:14:02 — An Ethical Synthbiosis that goes beyond “are you real or faking it“
1:25:47 — Conclusion.

EPISODE LINKS:
- Mike’s Round 1: https://youtu.be/v6gp-ORTBlU
- Mike’s Round 2: https://youtu.be/kMxTS7eKkNM
- Mike’s Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@drmichaellevin.
- Mike’s Website: https://drmichaellevin.org/
- Blog Website: https://thoughtforms.life.
- Mike’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin.
- Mike’s Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=luouyakAAAAJ&hl=en.
- Mike’s NOEMA piece: https://www.noemamag.com/ai-could-be-a-bridge-toward-diverse-intelligence/
- Stephen Grossberg: https://youtu.be/bcV1eSgByzg.
- Mark Solms: https://youtu.be/rkbeaxjAZm4
- VPRO Roundtable: https://youtu.be/RVrnn7QW6Jg?feature=shared.

CONNECT:
- Website: https://tevinnaidu.com.
- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/drtevinnaidu.
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/drtevinnaidu.
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drtevinnaidu.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drtevinnaidu.
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drtevinnaidu.

Disclaimer: The information provided on this channel is for educational purposes only. The content is shared in the spirit of open discourse and does not constitute, nor does it substitute, professional or medical advice. We do not accept any liability for any loss or damage incurred from you acting or not acting as a result of listening/watching any of our contents. You acknowledge that you use the information provided at your own risk. Listeners/viewers are advised to conduct their own research and consult with their own experts in the respective fields.

#MichaelLevin #DiverseIntelligence #AI #Mind

]]>
https://lifeboat.com/blog/2024/10/michael-levin-what-is-synthbiosis-diverse-intelligence-beyond-ai-the-space-of-possible-minds/feed 0