It's a really, really big "if."
Generative AI isn’t supposed to have opinions. Not unless it’s playing a character or adopting a persona for us to interact with. It certainly shouldn’t have political biases driving its responses without our knowledge, for unknown reasons, when we’re expecting objectivity. So when we learn that a generative AI model has been programmed for bias, … Read more
Dear Committee Members, specifically Chairman Green, I would like to know why, in numerous published statements, Chairman Green has claimed that Anna Giaritelli published a “groundbreaking scoop showing that the criminal cartels had hijacked the CBP One app using virtual private networks (VPNs), and were exploiting the app to make even more money by scheduling … Read more
This meme spotted on Facebook. It’s far from the first one I’ve seen…hence this post. Hat tip to Ed Brayton for pointing it out in annoyance. I have beliefs. Some of them are almost certainly false, but I still have them. I do the best I can to hold onto the true ones* and let … Read more
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. The true meaning, mind you– not merely what is reflected in the law, but in how … Read more
Let me say this, right from the start: I love biases. No, I don’t love that they exist, but I think they’re endlessly fascinating. I love thinking about them, identifying them, figuring out where they come from. Studying biases is how I came to the realization that the way we generally think about human reasoning is … Read more
I have a special place in my heart for a lot of people accused of making or possessing kiddie porn. What? Did she really say that? A photo of actual children here might bias you against me. Yep, I did. But hear me out. I say this because child molestation is one of the worst crimes … Read more
I really wish the term “mansplaining” would go away. I understand the problem it’s meant to convey– a man assuming he knows more about something than a woman and condescending to her about it– but it’s an awkward portmanteau and just strikes me as juvenile. Like there’s no way to effectively point out instances of … Read more
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.” The true meaning, mind you– not merely what is reflected in the law, but in how we see each other. How … Read more
To return to a Michael Pollen note for a bit (sorry), I came across a section of Omnivore’s Dilemma today that devoted some discussion to “opting out.” The context was home-schooling parents who also decide to buy their food from local farmers rather than from the grocery store, and Pollan described them as having “opted … Read more
At The Daily Dish, Conor Friedersdorf contemplates the results of a recent Gallup poll asking Americans which men and women they most admire. Barack Obama won out for men, whereas Hillary Clinton came out on top for women. Friedersdorf thinks the fact that politicians make up the majority of people on both lists is “all … Read more