Highlights: The White House issued draft rules today that would require federal agencies to evaluate and constantly monitor algorithms used in health care, law enforcement, and housing for potential discrimination or other harmful effects on human rights.

Once in effect, the rules could force changes in US government activity dependent on AI, such as the FBI’s use of face recognition technology, which has been criticized for not taking steps called for by Congress to protect civil liberties. The new rules would require government agencies to assess existing algorithms by August 2024 and stop using any that don’t comply.

118 points

I mean that broadly seems like a good thing. Execution is important, but on paper this seems like the kind of forward thinking policy we need

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7 points

Quite frankly it didn’t put enough restrictions on the various “national security” agencies, and so while it may help to stem the tide of irresponsible usage by many of the lesser-impact agencies, it doesn’t do the same for the agencies that we know will be the worst offenders (and have been the worst offenders).

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4 points

I really don’t understand the downvotes on this comment…

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3 points

NSA bots downvoting.

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1 point
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110 points
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“If the benefits do not meaningfully outweigh the risks, agencies should not use the AI,” the memo says. But the draft memo carves out an exemption for models that deal with national security and allows agencies to effectively issue themselves waivers if ending use of an AI model “would create an unacceptable impediment to critical agency operations.”

This tells me that nothing is going to change if people can just say their algoriths would make them too inefficient. Great sentiment but this loophole will make it useless.

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47 points

This seems to me like an exception that would realistically only apply to the CIA, NSA, and sometimes the FBI. I doubt the Department of Housing and Urban Development will get a pass. Overall seems like a good change in a good direction.

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33 points

The CIA and NSA are exactly who we don’t want using it though.

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13 points

Agreed but it’s at least a step forward, setting a precedent for AI in government use. I would love a perfect world where all bills passed are “all or nothing” legislation but realistically this is a good start, and then citizens should demand tighter oversight on national security agencies as the next issue to tackle

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12 points

They’re exactly who will carry on using it, even if there weren’t any exemptions.

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5 points

Like either of those agencies will let us know what they are doing in the first place.

At a certain level, there are no rules when they never have to tell what they are doing.

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5 points

Well that and customs/border patrol

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4 points

given the “success” of Israel’s hi tech border fence it seems like bureacracies think tech will work better than actually, you know, resolving/preventing geopolitical problems with diplomacy and intelligence.

I worry these kind of tech solutions become a predictable crutch. Assuming there is some kind of real necessity to these spy programs (debatable) it seems like reliance on data tech can become a weakness as soon as those intending harm understand how it works

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1 point

I’d rather them not either, but don’t underestimate the harm bad management of other organizations can and has done.

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1 point

I’m actually less worried about them.

Local police departments on the other hand, can arrest and get you sent to jail based on flimsy facial recognition, and it doesn’t even make the local news.

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0 points
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Well they already are lol. It makes their jobs much easier so I wouldn’t be surprised if they have better library’s than the public services.

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-1 points

the fact that the CIA and NSA will have the AI is the most effective argument for why we should have the AI.

It’s the basic idea of the second amendment all over again:

  • It would be great if nobody had guns
  • But the government isn’t going to stop having guns
  • And only one side having guns is way worse than everyone having guns
  • So everyone gets to have guns

The exact same applies in this situation with AI:

  • It would be great if nobody had AI
  • But the government isn’t going to stop having AI
  • And only one side having AI is way worse than everyone having AI
  • So everyone gets to have AI
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7 points

Algorithms that gerrymander voting district boundries might be an early battleground.

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2 points

The early battleground of 2010 when they started using RedMap.

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-5 points

“Realistically” baahahaba. Right.

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16 points

Folksy narrator: “Turns out, the U.S. government can not operate without racism.”

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8 points

Great sentiment but

It’s not a “great sentiment” - it’s essentially just more of the same liberal “let’s pretend we care by doing something completely ineffective” posturing and little else.

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7 points

Democrats are so fucking naive. They actually think that a system of permission slips is sufficient to protect us from the singularity.

OpenAI’s original mission, before they forgot it, was the only workable method: distribute the AI far and wide to establish a multipolar ecosystem.

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2 points
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-7 points
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29 points

Hell fucking yea. Who is this Biden guy?

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10 points
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19 points

Nah, if this sticks, my extreme leftist ass will sing his praises.

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17 points

Extremes hate everything, so it doesn’t really matter what they think.

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-15 points

Extreme leftists share the equivalent brain power as Trump supporters

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7 points

As an extreme leftist, this rings hollow.

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2 points

A lot of my leftist friends will still let the bad be the enemy of any sort of good whatsoever it seems. It’s exhausting as a leftist when you can never be outraged enough for other leftists.

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6 points

He did something: add national security loopholes

The worst possible offenders aren’t really being reined in by this executive order.

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1 point

Dark Brandon is Awake.

I wish he was around more often than Sleepy Joe. 😔

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1 point

Sleepy Joe is just a manufactured slur by a demented idiot supported only by second-long video clips of Biden between going to meetings and making changes.

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23 points

I swear to god there has to be an entire chapter in Gödel Escher Bach about how this is literally impossible.

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4 points

Wow it’s been years since I read GEB…
I should revisit it. Thanks!

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3 points

You’re never going to be able to formally prove anything as nebulous as “harm” full stop, so this isn’t a very convincing argument imo.

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1 point

Achilles: /facepalm

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19 points
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4 points

They know, the DNC wanted single payer initially and compromised and they’ve been the party with a single payer platform ever since.

If the DNC at any point had the house and 2/3rds of the Senate then we would have Single Payer Health Care right now. We don’t because they can’t.

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