AI in society 2

38 flashcards · English · by Mathias777-crypto

What's the primary topic of the second lecture? And what perspectives are covered (5)?
Take a look at how society may influence technology, explore various perspectives on this phenomenon: History of the future of AI Levels of relations between AI and society Social construction of Technology Sociotechnical imaginaries Complex innovation networks
In what ways does society impact artificial intelligence?
By granting this course society influences the design of AI Society influences technology if there's incremental change. However mostly, that's not how innovation usually takes place. Also, often tech is used in a different way than it was supposed to. Example: ChatGPT as search engine. Now, its engineers actually try to adapt it to be a better search engine. Social bias in data that models use. The output represents a world that we don't want to have. But also the other way of positive data is…
Machines will be capable, within twenty years, of doing any work a man can do. - Herbert Simon, 1965
Time span
In 3 to 8 years, we will have a machine with the general intelligence of an average human being. - Marvin Minsky, 1970
Certain species
Has AI been considered to change all parts of society before?
Yes
How long has the subject of artificial intelligence in a technical sense been around?
70 years. The societal framing has been here since then; it has always been stated that we're at the brink of a revolution.
What's one reason for the AI winter?
A lot of the claims that AI would change the world did not become true.
Has it happened often, too, that people said "This or that technology will never come true!"?
Indeed (see object in technological museum in Vienna).
What's the book called that proved that arteficial neural networks are no good? What subdisciplin were the authors of? What is the cover about?
'Perceptrons' by Minsky and Papert, Symbolic AI. It shows two labyrinth-like forms that an AI alledgedly cannot satisfyably distinguish.
What can judgements on AI be used for?
To foster other favored technologies
What's a good political argument?
One that claims not to be one but to be a e.g. mathematical one.
What are the levels we have to distinguish between when trying to discuss relations between AI and society (3)? What's a problem concerning them?
Narratives told by companies, authorities and people, strategic decisions and regulations of AI and the change of our daily life because of AI They get mixed up and all of a sudden, e.g. regulators talk about marketing narratives as if they were scientific research results. Or, issues are debated on that there is no solution for (Trolley Problem) or that are too far away from realization (Singularity) than they could really impact our lives.
What are current societal perspectives on AI?
Use of ChatGPT as search engine Autonomous cars in moral dilemmas: AI dominating humankind
What is a moral dilemma by definition and what's a famous example?
An ethical question you cannot answer, the Trolley Problem
Can there be an absolute moral code for AI?
To a certain degree, yes (see human rights). But it really is rather a sociological/ political question. Do we, when decision making, aim at an individual's or a community's advantage?
Why is the subject of morals so important to us about AI?
Because it's about decisions, which have a huge impact on society. Also, there are no feed back loops in other techs than AI: A knife doesn't have that, but in AI, norms and values existent in training data reproduces itself by the model which is then used for training again.
What are the basic arguments of the social construction of technology?
Technological innovation does not develop by itself but it's driven by societal interest. Against a linear model of innovation (science -> technology -> development -> production -> use -> saturation). But also it states that progress could have taken other pats and inventions could have looked very different.
What are the components of the SCOT-model? What are some examples from AI and which of the SCOT-perspectives can you apply?
Relevant social groups: Who manages to connect their interest to a technology? Interpretative flexibility: The technology could mean different things Closure and stabilization: Example: In former days, it was not clear what a car should be driven by. Gas, electricity? Eventually, it stabilized to fuel. Wider context Examples concerning AI? Large language models (stabilization and closure) Foundation of the futurists of AI group that later became OpenAI - European Union - mighty companies. Shoul…
How was the bicycle socially developed?
There was an alteration of variation and selection, it had all kinds of forms. The dominant design was not inherent in the bike, though. The model of innovation was multi-directional.
Bycicle development: Relevant social groups attached the same set of meaning to a bike. Depending on these perspective, a final type was chosen.
Type of agents in society
What's a concrete variation of the bycicle in the past that was evoked by a societal standard?
Bycicle for women where both legs were on one side, because they weren't supposed to wear trousers. This solution is transferred from horse riding. The solution is highly instable, though.
Is there a best way to design an artefact?
No
What does interpretative flexibility mean?
Social groups are attaching different meaning to a system which results in conflicts over requirements, solutions and morals. E.g. a bike is an instrument for leisure, representation or sports.
What does closure and stabilization mean in the context of social construction of technology? Give an example!
When by negotiations and closure mechanisms a technology variation is defined as final solution. Also attached meanings are a part of this search. For instance, the bycicles air tire, that satisfied both sporting cyclists due to velocity and transporters due to higher safety. Respectively, nowadays, the basic form of a bike has settled.
What do venture capital firms do - formally and informally (6)? Example of a famous start-up helped by VC firms which is big now?
Formally: finance start-ups Informally: Help selected start-ups Example: Ünti. Shitty business plan. Great outcome.
What is meant by wider context within the social construction of technology model?
Socio-cultural norms legal restrictions, economic interests and power relations
What's a sociologic term for a nations technological dream?
Sociotechnical imaginary. It was conceived as a concept about the fact that what governments think about their country influences the way, technology will be invented. It can be a contra- or pro-tech attitude. This will greatly determine funding or which techs are allowed at all, for instance.
In the reservoir of what do sociotechnical imaginaries reside in?
Norms, discourses, metaphors and cultural meanings
Visions of what do sociotechnical imaginaries project ?
Visions of what is good, desirable and worth attaining for a community
Give an example of sociotechnical imaginaries around a single technology!
The USA thought of atomic energy as a runaway technology that has to be contained responsibly and can be used for the benefit of the society. Whereas South Korea atomic energy mainly represented the dream of being a world leader in technological progress and thereby free from oppression (by e.g. Japan). Also regarding the risks which are part of the sociotechnical imaginaries there are differences: In the US, catastrophic damage was thought of the biggest risk with atomic energy; in South Korea…
What's an Austrian sociotechnical imaginary? Describe!
The atomic energy power plant Zwentendorf. Austria decided to have atomic energy because that's what progressive countries do. The government pushed it. When if was finished, there was a referendum. 0,47 percent were decisive to cancel the plan. However, this referendum became the cornerstone of a new sociotechnical imaginary: There's no party which supports the use of nuclear energy (very rare around the world). Also, in Zwentendorf it was attemted to hide the plant, whereas in the USA it was…
What does Austria's sociotechnical imaginary concerning atomic energy consist of?
Before 1978: Austria is a progressive country After 1978: Austria had anticipated the terrible consequences of accidents in nuclear power plants
What specific sociotechnical imaginary stabilized in Austria?
To keep a set of technologies out of the territory, to be a country of lakes, mountains and nature(!!)
How does the concept of sociotechnical imaginaries help to understand the relation between AI and society?
The reason why AI was fostered so much in the USA might lie in their pro-tech sociotechnological imaginary.
Which term describes that the development of technology is greatly influenced by the local environment?
Complex innovation networks; many diverse companies working together
Why are so many breakthrough technologies continuously being invented in the Silicon Valley?
Because of complex innovation networks
What are nodes in the innovation network as conceptualized by Ferrary and Granovetter, what distincts Silicon Valley's network from others and which nodes have a specific function?
Companies It's complete and robust Venture capital firms
What is a VC firm?
The idea to start a company in Silicon Valley is not to do that by your own but by a VC company's money. Then the firm are shareholders. It's different from a bank loan, who want a solid business model. VC firms go into the high risk area.