Thread by @onebreadai

Just about to start the "Culture, Society, Politics and God in in AI world" chat @greenbelt with @BVLSingler @evepoole and Jennifer George.

In the intro, have we released something we have created but is beyond our control in AI? Is that why Oppenheimer strikes a chord now too?

Chris Baker is chairing and has introduced the William Temple Foundation williamtemplefoundation.org.uk

Jennifer George is @jenni26cg

@bvlsingler focuses on "Thinking about what you think about what computers might think". As an anthropologist, she sees that the immediate societal impact of AI is likely mainly around the extra layer between us and objective facts.

@jenni26cg ended up in this space starting on the creative side (design side of human computer interaction). Came across academics combining faith with their disciplines and now feels able to combine them

@jenni26cg When you take a step back as computer scientist and Christian, @jenni26 our creativity comes from being created. In Sci fi narratives, creation and fall is prevalent, but no films end with redemption. Is AI redeemable? Can it fall? A place for exploration

@jenni26cg @jenni26 Does AI have a will... @evepoole looks to explore distinctiveness in her book Robot Souls. It's about being made in the image of God. With freewill you provide intuition and feelings in order to provide some protection... dealing with uncertainty to avoid precipitous demise

@jenni26cg @jenni26 @evepoole With the above in mind, do we have time to get a design in place that builds in these similar controls to AI now?

@jenni26cg @jenni26 @evepoole AI is is onion @BVLSingler says - what is it... but also how is it described? The narratives are so important. There's a lot more under the surface in Terminator, 2001 A Space Odyssey that is often not presented in the media

The next focus of the panel will be on one particular theme that each panellist wants to explore

Up first is "Robot Rights" - @evepoole says a discussion about this would be fruitful. We give corporations right... as we want to sue them! Who do you sue or reward when it comes to AI? Where is the disincentive for an AI to not make a mistake

@evepoole We give animal rights as we don't want to cause animals pain. We do this as we must not abuse them. Do we need similar things to stop US abusing AIs? How should we behave towards them - is anthropomorphising helpful... probably but let's get rights in place

@evepoole "What are the consequences of the fall" is what @jenni26cg wants to look at - it changed our relationship with God, others and the world. As co-creators now, we should be asking what is AI relationship with us, others and the world?

@evepoole @jenni26cg "The singularity" for @BVLSingler - when AI becomes more advanced than its creators. Will the singularity be a god? Are we blessed by ai? This conversation about the singularity is driving policy

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler Chris remarks that this panel is exploring themes far broader than just using chatgpt to write our sermons!

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler Questions from audience on copyright and bias - @bvlsingler says "this thing is very hungry". Decision making system is at a singularity - do we want to go down this route? Driven by capitalism 'this has to be the way'. You cannot create neutral data - it will always have a bias.

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler @evepoole talks about soul... how do you describe a soul? God gives a soul, something manufactured can't have a soul.

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler But how do you figure out if someone has a soul. What are the hallmarks of a soul? Those probably can be programmed - keeping safe, nurturing etc. You can't argue about the supremacy of humans without entering into the realm of theology

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler With bias, there's always a question of power says @jenni26cg. Who invented it? Why? Who will use it. Cites an example in Old Testament if bull kills someone once, no blame. If repeatedly, bull and owner die.

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler There is a responsibility as a Christian to ask the right questions as a designer, developer or manager (or another role) in creation of these things

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler Question from the audience on 60/40 split of AI passing Turing test with public. @evepoole draws parallel with blitz chess - about accessing memory banks. Playing a in chess is about watching the other person - not just about the processing of stuf

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler An added comment by @BVLSingler that we are in dangerous territory when treating robots like humans... but also humans as robots (Amazon workers recently striking with placards saying 'we are not robots')

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler As we close the panellists are asked what the future holds for AI

@evepoole @jenni26cg @BVLSingler @jenni26cg asked chatgpt what it knows about her, doesn't know much yet. God created human kind in his image. There will be creation of AI that we will try to delegate some of that responsibility to. Ai will fall short of that because we as humans fall short

"Anthropologists don't make predictions..." says @BVLSingler but with more generative ai as an interface for knowledge, there may be a decline of Internet as the standard of info becomes circular - this just takes people a step away from the core message

@BVLSingler "I love diversity of greenbelt..." says @evepoole, highlighting the make up of the panel. Her call to action is that AI reflects diversity to avoid going towards homogenised design that doesn't reflect our creative diversity - its got to be created in ALL of our images

@BVLSingler @evepoole ... and we're done. A really great discussion. In my view we need more of this sort of conversation outside academic or tech circles, with real people. Thank you @BVLSingler, @evepoole and @jenni26

Sorry, missed saying that Chris is @drchrisrbaker

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