Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
'Social Order Could Collapse' in AI Era, Two Top Japan Companies Say
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/social-order-could-collapse-in-ai-era-two-top-japan-companies-say-1a71cc1dTOKYO—Japan’s largest telecommunications company and the country’s biggest newspaper called for speedy legislation to restrain generative artificial intelligence, saying democracy and social order could collapse if AI is left unchecked.
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, or NTT, and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings made the proposal in an AI manifesto to be released Monday. Combined with a law passed in March by the European Parliament restricting some uses of AI, the manifesto points to rising concern among American allies about the AI programs U.S.-based companies have been at the forefront of developing.
The Japanese companies’ manifesto, while pointing to the potential benefits of generative AI in improving productivity, took a generally skeptical view of the technology. Without giving specifics, it said AI tools have already begun to damage human dignity because the tools are sometimes designed to seize users’ attention without regard to morals or accuracy.
Unless AI is restrained, “in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars,” the manifesto said.
-snip-
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone, or NTT, and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings made the proposal in an AI manifesto to be released Monday. Combined with a law passed in March by the European Parliament restricting some uses of AI, the manifesto points to rising concern among American allies about the AI programs U.S.-based companies have been at the forefront of developing.
The Japanese companies’ manifesto, while pointing to the potential benefits of generative AI in improving productivity, took a generally skeptical view of the technology. Without giving specifics, it said AI tools have already begun to damage human dignity because the tools are sometimes designed to seize users’ attention without regard to morals or accuracy.
Unless AI is restrained, “in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars,” the manifesto said.
-snip-
More, from Fortune;
https://fortune.com/2024/04/08/japanese-companies-warning-ai-social-order-collapse-trust-lies/
-snip-
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings on Monday released a joint proposal on shaping generative AI, urging officials to revise laws surrounding the technology and saying AI is already having negative impacts on users.
“If generative AI is allowed to go unchecked, trust in society as a whole may be damaged as people grow distrustful of one another and incentives are lost for guaranteeing authenticity and trustworthiness,” the paper read. “There is a concern that, in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars.”
Humans, the two companies said, are incapable of fully controlling this technology, noting that AI “lies with confidence” and humans “are easily fooled.” The design of AI systems to grab users’ attention has also been detrimental, the paper argues, damaging “autonomy and dignity, which are essential values that allow individuals in our society to be free.”
The proposal is further critical of AI being used in schools, especially for younger students whose “ability to make appropriate decisions has not fully matured.”
-snip-
Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) and Yomiuri Shimbun Group Holdings on Monday released a joint proposal on shaping generative AI, urging officials to revise laws surrounding the technology and saying AI is already having negative impacts on users.
“If generative AI is allowed to go unchecked, trust in society as a whole may be damaged as people grow distrustful of one another and incentives are lost for guaranteeing authenticity and trustworthiness,” the paper read. “There is a concern that, in the worst-case scenario, democracy and social order could collapse, resulting in wars.”
Humans, the two companies said, are incapable of fully controlling this technology, noting that AI “lies with confidence” and humans “are easily fooled.” The design of AI systems to grab users’ attention has also been detrimental, the paper argues, damaging “autonomy and dignity, which are essential values that allow individuals in our society to be free.”
The proposal is further critical of AI being used in schools, especially for younger students whose “ability to make appropriate decisions has not fully matured.”
-snip-
The companies want Japan's government to act immediately to strengthen copyright laws and pass new laws to protect elections and national security from harm done by AI.
9 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
