AI Trade-Offs.

We need a systems-level lens on responsibility. This is not a simple equation of benefits and risks but a deep understanding of what could go wrong despite guardrails and how tenuous these guardrails are. Some of you are following the Anthropic and DoD 'discussions".

Guardrails are about the power of "other" stakeholders. LLMs are broke but raise huge funds so guess the power is with investors, not the LLM companies themselves. Tech companies notional earning raise and fall with a social media post. IBM found itself in hot water when Claude was supposed to "read" Cobol and that messages resulted in a 13% drop in share prices.

While we discuss energy and water consumption, we should also be discussing e-waste recycling and whose responsibility this is. Globally this is an international problem that will contaminate everything we eat and drink.

Also, while I see many post on jobs and skills (augmentation or automation), we are missing the point! It is really a simple fact; will people have livelihoods? Enough to sustain their families for years to come, to buy a home, to educate their kids and still have enough for old age?

A Trade-off comes down to values – what are your values? Will you trade them for profits, to safeguard just yourself and your company and no other people nor the planet? It really is very simple.

Here is a paper I wrote with some amazing people!