Having considered the possibilities and implications of large language models and their current position in society, the debate inevitably becomes dominated by the connected ethical issues.
“Technology is not neutral. We’re inside of what we make, and it’s inside of us.”
Donna J. Haraway
... or is it?
My natural instinct is to side with Haraway's world view. The issue with large language models at the moment is ethical in that they are unregulated. The choice in how when and why they are used is up to the individual.
Our response to the use of generative artificial intelligence within design education has to be based on a considered ethical response to the whole subject. This is then based on the answer to the age old, defining question is humanity innately good or innately bad, or - perhaps a better question - what sort of future do you want?
A debate famously imagined in Lord of the Flies, Hathaway is suggesting that which humanity creates, humanity has the choice in how it is used. Hathaway does not buy in to the assumption that ai will take on a life of its own. The choice is up to us.
There is a view that humanity is innately good and that we are all just doing our best. A world view deeply challenged on numerous occasions. Even when forced to question this belief system, all I can say as this quote from Brene Brown
“All I know is that my life is better when I assume that people are
doing their best. It keeps me out of judgment and lets me focus
on what is, and not what should or could be.”
As global ethical practice regarding ai is a huge subject to debate, one which in itself is worthy of a PhD, I would like to bring this right back to the intended subject of the art of copy writing within the practice of graphic design.
Words, whether originated by the human hand or mimicked by large language models hold the authority to create meaning and influence the structures by which we live. As the practice of graphic design sits within a media driven, consumer lead extreme capitalist culture, the responsibility of copywriting is no small thing - whether generated by the human mind or mimicked by algorithms. Words matter.
Do we trust real intelligence or artificial intelligence?
An interesting observation on how we use words.
An important tangent to include at this stage is what trust actually is and means. Can we use this word in connection with LLM? Effectively, can we attribute a fundamental human emotion to a machine? Or - amthropomorphise another innately human tendency. To attribute human emotions to non human things, machines, entities.
Should designers trust LLM to create authentic, targeted copy? A valid question but with an essentially flawed foundation. Is trust earned? If so it is recipricle - which it cannot be when concerning an algorithm.
Again an example of the importance of language, how it is used and its meaning. If we use language with incorrect or contradictory meaning we have a shaky foundation from which to draw an authentic plausible conclusion.
Quote on'truth' from a known copywriter
On the subject of amthropomorphise
Publisher Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands
Source ProQuest Central UK/Ireland
Description One of the main difficulties in assessing artificial intelligence (AI) is the tendency for people to anthropomorphise it. This becomes particularly problematic when we attach human moral activities to AI. For example, the European Commission’s High-level Expert Group on AI (HLEG) have adopted the position that we should establish a relationship of trust with AI and should cultivate trustworthy AI (HLEG AI Ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI, 2019, p. 35). Trust is one of the most important and defining activities in human relationships, so proposing that AI should be trusted, is a very serious claim. This paper will show that AI cannot be something that has the capacity to be trusted according to the most prevalent definitions of trust because it does not possess emotive states or can be held responsible for their actions—requirements of the affective and normative accounts of trust. While AI meets all of the requirements of the rational account of trust, it will be shown that this is not actually a type of trust at all, but is instead, a form of reliance. Ultimately, even complex machines such as AI should not be viewed as trustworthy as this undermines the value of interpersonal trust, anthropomorphises AI, and diverts responsibility from those developing and using them.
RYAN, Mark. 2020. ‘In AI We Trust : Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, and Reliability’. Science and engineering ethics 26(5), 2749–67.
"Ethics of AI studies the ethical principles, rules, guidelines, policies, and regulations that are related to AI. Ethical AI is an AI that performs and behaves ethically. One must recognize and understand the potential ethical and moral issues that may be caused by AI to formulate the necessary ethical principles, rules, guidelines, policies, and regulations for AI (i.e., Ethics of AI). With the appropriate ethics of AI, one can then build AI that exhibits ethical behavior (i.e., Ethical AI). This paper will discuss AI ethics by looking at the ethics of AI and ethical AI. What are the perceived ethical and moral issues with AI? What are the general and common ethical principles, rules, guidelines, policies, and regulations that can resolve or at least attenuate these ethical and moral issues with AI? What are some of the necessary features and characteristics of an ethical AI? How to adhere to the ethics of AI to build ethical AI?"
ABSTRACT Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ethics: Ethics of AI and Ethical AI Keng Siau, Weiyu Wang
Without conclusive national or global decisions on ...
Ethical issues on any subject can be an absolute minefield. Concensous is found in a global common denominater and understanding of what it means to be human. That defined has to be the reference point for any comment on the definition of ethical behaviour. A subject humanity has constantly debated.
There is no shortage of very learned and respected individuals, theologans, philosphers, thinkers, influencers and communities who have a lot to say on ethics.
Jacques Yves Cousteau ( a very timely quote for the current ai debate)
“The superior man understands what is right. The inferior man knows what will sell.” - Confucius
“Ethical behavior is doing in private what you would do if the world were watching.” - Gerard Braud
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about what matters.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“To believe in something and not live it is dishonest.” – Mahatma Gandhi
“To know what is right and not do it is the worst cowardice.” – Confucius
“A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary” ― Albert Einstein.2 Nov 2022
When using quotes about ethics from different generations the context of the change in cultural thinking has to be included.
Due to changes in society and culture current thinking on ethics differs to a traditional view. A traditional view steers ethical thinking towards the good of the community. Current society with a post modern world view claims individual satisfaction and rights over communial accountability and duty. As long as what I am doing is not causing harm in my world - then it is alright . A useful analagy of this point is made by
In researching the vast and complex subject of ethics one, of the groups I find the most inspiring not just in words but in action is UNESCO. The main reason being is they are a community of action and response - not just fine words and sound bites. They have a history driven by people who took a risk during an intensly difficult time. Their motivation and drive was a belief in the innate goodness of humanity triumphing over the terrifying evil of human kind.
In November 2021 UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization published the worlds first ever global standard on ai ethics. All 193 member states adopted it. The race is now on and critical as governments decide how best to implement that which they have agreed to. Meanwhile we sit in the void and grapple with the huge questions of morality, purpose and responsibility.
In no other field is the ethical compass more relevant than in artificial intelligence. These general-purpose technologies are re-shaping the way we work, interact, and live. The world is set to change at a pace not seen since the deployment of the printing press six centuries ago. AI technology brings major benefits in many areas, but without the ethical guardrails, it risks reproducing real world biases and discrimination, fueling divisions and threatening fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Gabriela Ramos Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences of UNESCO
This of course is an age old quest since we first began to work out how to live together. In 1976 Francis Schaeffer, a famous christian theologian wrote book titled 'How should we then live?' The rise and decline of western thought and culture. This continues to be a question posed by religions, families, all people groups, communities, countries, governments, institutions ... Schaeffer was absolutely right when he began How Should We Then Live? with these words:
“There is a flow to history and culture.” Yes, there is such a flow, and Christians had better know which way the culture is flowing.
“People have presuppositions, and they will live more consistently on the basis of those presuppositions than even they themselves may realize,”
Religious world view or not these words ring true for any person or community. We find ourselves again wrestling with this question.
Equally, new technology has and will, constantly been part of, if not the reason for the evolution of thinking, culture and the way humanity conducts life in participation with this planet. So the ethical issue debate of ai is nothing new. Just simply an indicator that humanity evolves. The way ethics are approached and decided on however are an indicator of humanity's ability to include and transcend. Or, move forward together.
On researching ethics in ai I looked in to the history of UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence: key facts
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