Please choose ONE of the following prompts,
Gabriel (2020) says that the technical component of the value-alignment problem is limited by the fact that we cannot work out what one ought to do by looking at how people act; therefore, technologists must work on a combined research agenda that includes sensitivity to the need for moral evaluation—i.e., the normative component of the value-alignment problem (416).
Gabriel (2020) says that the metaethical debate about the objectivity of values has limited significance for the value-alignment problem because AI systems ‘would have to be aligned with some set of beliefs about value’ rather than being aligned with values directly (423).
Gabriel (2020) says that ‘it would be helpful to develop and design AI that aligns with principles supported by a global overlapping consensus of opinion’ and that such principles already exist: namely, the doctrine of universal human rights (427).
Gabriel (2020) says that the key challenge for the normative component of value alignment is not to identify the (metaphysically) true set of values to be encoded in an AI system but to identify some set of principles that are widely held to be fair; therefore, ‘[t]he problem of alignment is…political not metaphysical’ (432).
And write a 4-sentence paper in response to this prompt using exactly the following format (with line-breaks between each sentence):
They say .I say , because .One might object that .I reply that .
You should also include the following reference details at the end of your paper (in fact, you can/should copy this information directly into your submission:
Works cited. Gabriel, Iason. 2020. “Artificial Intelligence, Values, and Alignment”. Minds and Machines 30: 411-437.
This assignment is worth 5 (five) marks toward your final grade, and it will be graded as follows:
0, 1/2, or 1 mark will be given for each individual sentence (4 marks total),
0, 1/2, or 1 mark will be given for the ‘paper’ as a whole (i.e., how well the sentences logically connect to one another).
1/2 mark will be subtracted for missing citations.
1/2 mark will be subtracted for not following the format exactly, or if the paper contains more than four sentences.
Since this is a short paper, consisting of just four complete sentences, you should aim for as much clarity as possible in your writing. You should also take into account any feedback you received on the first ‘4-sentence paper’ assignment. Any quotations must be properly cited.
Please upload your assignment in either .pdf or .docx format. Do NOT include your name anywhere in your submission. All assignments will be graded anonymously.
SAMPLE PAPER.
Suppose the prompt asked you to respond to Bostrom’s proposal for control methods from chapter 9 of Superintelligence. The following might be such a response :
Bostrom (2014) says a variety of control methods—e.g., stunting, tripwires, direct specification, etc.—can be used in combination to try to ensure controls of a superintelligent system’s actions and motivations.
I say these methods will not suffice to avoid existential catastrophe, because they are too internally focused; i.e., they emphasise technical safeguards from within the system without accounting for possible externalrisks that might arise from intentional misuse of the system.
One might object that boxing methods account for exogenous risks arising from humans, and Bostrom readily admits that ‘human beings are not secure systems, especially not when pitched against a superintelligent schemer and persuader’ (159).
I reply that boxing methods only account for well-intentioned human agents: Bostrom assumes that all human agents would not want the superintelligent system to succeed in its misaligned goals, but this takes for granted that all humans are acting in good faith.
Works cited.
Bostrom, Nick. 2014. “The Control Problem”, Chapter 9 in Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Note the following points about the above sample paper
The paper follows the 4-sentence format exactly.
The paper is formatted so that each sentence is clearly demarcated as an individual sentence (i.e., there is a line break after each sentence).
The page-number for the quoted text is properly cited.
The ‘works cited’ is included and contains complete details in the proper format.
