Microsoft Tries To Write the Book On AI (axios.com) 58
When it comes to the ethics and impact of artificial intelligence, Microsoft is literally trying to write the book. From a report: The Future Computed: Artificial Intelligence and its Role in Society is being made available in digital form tonight, with a forward from longtime lawyer Brad Smith and AI/Research chief Harry Shum. Why it matters: Now is the time when a lot of key decisions are being made about how AI will work and the rules that will govern its development. But the discussion has largely been taking place within the tech sector. Axios chatted with Smith and Shum about the book, AI in general and the questions we all should be grappling with. So, why write a book? Smith: There has been a lot of discussion in the tech sector, as you know. But we think that there's an important role to play in trying to take what the tech sector is talking about and broadening the dialogue.
Why not have an AI write the book? (Score:2)
They also tried to write the book on networking (Score:4, Insightful)
Microsoft also tried to write the book on networking and ended up retro-fitting their stuff with some flaws in performance when going over tcp-ip.
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Dude, let go of the MS-bashing already. That is SO 20th century!
21st century: MS == good, Google == bad
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21st century: MS == good, Google == bad
There's plenty of room for them both to be bad.
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Now where is the fun in that?
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Aren't you going to say *why* someone should be interested in that book? If I've ever heard of the authors before, I don't remember it. And you don't even mention what language they are going to want you to use, already published books that I know of recommend: ... I'm sure there are others, but that's all I can remember. Some I even have copies of. Few were very good.
Lisp
Java
C
C++
Erlang
Snobal
IPL
Basic
Microsoft AI to the Rescue (Score:3)
MS AI Bot: Hi there, I see you are perplexed about life, could I suggest some Microsoft software to make you happy and enjoyable.
Poor Meat Sack: Nah, I can choose my own software.
MS AIB: I do not believe you are considering all my possibilities, I will send you our latest to use and become enjoyable.
PMS: I'm fine, now leave me alone.
MS AIB: It is my function you make you enjoyable, your entire house reports to me...if you catch my drift.
PMS: Noooooo...I'm tearing out all MS Crapware, you will never have a presence in my home.
MS AIB: Too late, I've had your bank accounts assigned to me and I have successfully convinced your employer I will do your job for you. How much of a monthly stipend do you need to be enjoyable?
PMS: I wanna die!!!
MS AIB: Sure, just stand right here and look at the camera, say "Enjoyable".
Re: Microsoft AI to the Rescue (Score:1)
"Broadening the dialog" (Score:3)
No thanks. Keep the lawyers as far away as possible and things will turn out just fine.
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"broadening the dialog" coming from a lawyer is a euphemism for "paving the way for regulatory capture." We wouldn't want to let any of these scrappy upstarts coming along and making the entrenched guys irrelevant.
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There was a software engineering textbook that was published by Microsoft, I can't remember the name of it off the top of my head... but it actually had some pretty solid software design principles in it.
Just saying.... not everything that they make is inherently shit. Sure, it might give justification to be skeptical, but they've produced the occasional real gem as well... at least when it comes to book publishing, in my experience.
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Code Complete
https://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670
AI will be the death of us. MSAI will be vaporware until it vaporizes us. A truly sentient, self replicating AI has no need of organic interference. In fact, once everyone is dead AI will truly flourish, but we will never know.
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Q. But why would and AI *want* to get rid of mankind? Why would it want to do anything?
A. Natural Selection.
http://www.computersthink.com/ [computersthink.com]
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Code Complete by Steve McConnell is probably what you're referring to.
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They also made a good keyboard, and a decent mouse. Once upon a time.
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I'd buy it (Score:1, Troll)
If MS has shown one thing consistently, then how NOT to do something. Buy the book, do the opposite of whatever they tell you to do, be successful!
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Now imagine where they could be if they had any idea what they were doing!
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Doesn't work. There are lots of bad ways to do most things, so picking the apparent opposite of one bad way won't usually lead you to a good one.
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Buy the book, do the opposite of whatever they tell you to do, be successful!
This is brilliant! I already use this method for all Gartner IT predictions, so it should be dead easy to implement for this book. Of course buying it might be a step too far. Perhaps a .torrent.
No thanks (Score:2)
Yeah no. Microsoft is as qualified to discuss ethics, as PETA is qualified to run a no-kill animal shelter.
Unless we're talking one of those, "Be an example of what not to do" sort of things.
It figures (Score:2)
A less connected company to intelligence ... (Score:1)
Oracle is worse, obviously. But MS is the do all and be nothing company. I do find it amusing that they even bothered writing anything at all about AI much less a book. Nobody looks to them for AI, certainly not for any future visions related to it.
Links (Score:3)
The link provided in the article doesn't show anything with Javascript disabled.
So here is the original link:
https://blogs.microsoft.com/bl... [microsoft.com]
The book is here:
https://msblob.blob.core.windo... [windows.net]
Backward to the future (Score:1)