20. July 2023 · 1 comment · Categories: society

I am drafting a set of rules that any reasonable society should follow in the use of advanced technology. This is my draft, and I welcome any comments on these rules so that I can improve them!

  1. Technology that creates excessive, unnecessary waste should not be created or used.
  2. Technology that emulates creative works should not be created or used. This includes AI art generation, AI writing, and other tools.
  3. Technology that emulates intelligent beings should not be created. Therefore, chatbots, robots, and other entities should be banned, including but not limited to ChatGPT.
  4. Technology should only be created if it can be used as far as its physical design allows. Therefore, developers of phones must support the phone for as long as its physical device realistically lasts, perhaps 10-15 years. That means it should receive updates and new batteries should be available for it. If updates are difficult to provide, the company must open-source enough of the device so that the open-source community can update it themselves.
  5. Technology such as electronics and machinery should be made to last. Disposable, cheap electronics should be banned and not sold, because it creates electronic waste.
  6. Medical technology that extends the natural human lifespan should be banned and never used.
  7. Scientific education should be taught only with mandatory ethical courses that will take a critical look at the use of technology. Direct research into AI systems should be avoided.
  8. The economic system should not reward endless technological development. I am not sure how this would be done.

1 Comment

  1. Well listed principles. I agree on all of them. About principle al 8. yes!, it’s really hard to conceive how this wuold be done. Perhaps, by changing the system from its very root. Thanks for this inspiring blog.

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