Deep Learning and the Sociology of Human-Level Artificial Intelligence

Post Date June 18, 2020
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Category articles, artificial intelligence

View the paper “Deep Learning and the Sociology of Human-Level Artificial Intelligence”

The study of artificial intelligence has a long history of contributions from critical outside perspectives, such as work by philosopher Hubert Dreyfus. Following in this tradition is a new book by sociologist Harry Collins, Artifictional Intelligence: Against Humanity’s Surrender to Computers. I was invited to review the book for the journal Metascience.

The main focus of the book is on nuances of human sociology,
especially language, and their implications for AI. This is a worthy
contribution, all …

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GCRI Statement on Racism

Post Date June 10, 2020
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Like many of you, we at GCRI are appalled by the tragic killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and Breonna Taylor over the past few months. We are awed by the massive response to these events in the US and around the world, and we are hopeful about their potential to spur meaningful change to address long-standing issues caused by racism in the US and other countries. This is a rare moment in history, and so we feel compelled to comment in our capacity as …

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Medium-Term Artificial Intelligence and Society

Post Date June 03, 2020
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Category articles, artificial intelligence

View the paper “Medium-Term Artificial Intelligence and Society”

Discussion of artificial intelligence tends to focus on either near-term or long-term AI. That includes some contentious debate between “presentists” who favor attention to the near-term and “futurists” who favor attention to the long-term. Largely absent from the conversation is any attention to the medium-term. This paper provides dedicated discussion of medium-term AI and its accompanying societal issues. It focuses on how medium-term AI can be defined and how it relates to the presentist-futurist debate. It builds on …

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May Newsletter: Pandemic and New Hire

Post Date May 08, 2020
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Dear friends,

We are amidst the most severe global event in decades. The COVID-19 pandemic is unfortunately showing all too clearly how certain threats can devastate human society and individual lives around the world. We at GCRI offer our condolences to those who have lost loved ones and stand with those working to pull through this tragic ordeal. We are not pandemics experts, but we are pursuing opportunities to apply our background in catastrophic risk to the ongoing pandemic response. For more on our perspective on …

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GCRI Welcomes Project Manager and Research Assistant McKenna Fitzgerald

Post Date May 07, 2020
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I am delighted to announce GCRI’s newest team member, McKenna Fitzgerald, who will serve as GCRI’s Project Manager and Research Assistant. Ms. Fitzgerald was selected through a competitive search process and we are excited to have her joining our team. Her initial focus will be on GCRI’s ongoing AI projects.

Until recently, Ms. Fitzgerald worked as Director of Academic Affairs at the Consulate General of Israel in San Francisco. Her work there focused on facilitating partnerships between government, academia, and industry on AI …

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The Defense Production Act and the Failure to Prepare for Catastrophic Incidents

Post Date April 16, 2020
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GCRI Special Advisor for Government Affairs Jared Brown has a new essay in War on the Rocks about the Defense Production Act and the US’ systemic failure to prepare for catastrophes like the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Brown writes in his essay that “the executive branch’s ad-hoc application of the Defense Production Act’s authorities to this pandemic is Exhibit A of how our government, across multiple Republican and Democratic administrations and throughout the national security enterprise, has failed to develop or adapt the Act’s tools for …

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GCRI Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic

Post Date April 07, 2020
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is already the most severe global event in decades. It has killed more than 80,000 people and counting worldwide, left millions more out of work, and upended the lives of a large portion of the global population. We at GCRI are monitoring the situation closely and assessing opportunities to contribute to the outbreak response.

What follows are some initial thoughts on the pandemic. We
expect to comment further as the situation unfolds.

What is GCRI’s primary message at this time?

We agree with the common …

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January Newsletter: GCRI Is Hiring + Call For Advisees/Collaborators

Post Date January 30, 2020
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Dear friends,

I am delighted to announce that GCRI is currently hiring for the position of Junior Research Assistant and Project Manager. This is a great opportunity for someone seeking to make an impact and advance their career in global catastrophic risk. Additionally, GCRI has recently launched a new advising and collaboration program for people at all career points interested in our active AI projects. Please see below for details of both of these items. They are both made possible by a generous recent donation from …

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Job Posting: Junior Research Assistant and Project Manager

Post Date January 28, 2020
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Category announcement, jobs

UPDATE: The junior research assistant and project manager position has been filled and this job posting is now closed. Thanks to everyone who applied for their interest.

The Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI) seeks to hire one or more people for research assistant and project manager roles. We aim to hire one person on a full-time basis and/or multiple people on a part-time basis.

The Global Catastrophic Risk Institute (GCRI) seeks to hire one or more people for research assistant and project manager roles. We aim to …

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Call for Advisees and Collaborators for Select AI Projects, January 2020

Post Date January 08, 2020
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UPDATE June 9: We are not taking on new participants to this advisees and collaborators program right now. However, anyone interested in seeking our advice and/or collaborating with us is still welcome to contact us as per the instructions below and we will include them in our next advisees and collaborators program.

GCRI is currently welcoming inquiries from people who are interested in seeking our advice and/or collaborating with us on select AI projects, which are detailed below. We have some funding available for select project …

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