Carissa Véliz

Apr 24, 2024 | fivebooks.com | Luciano Floridi |Alison Gopnik |Stuart Russell |Carissa Véliz

Before we talk about your recommended books specifically, I wonder if you might walk us through why it’s so crucial to think about the ethics of technology. For me it begins with the observation that there are no neutral tools. The tech historian Melvin Kranzberg first said this in the 1980s, but it bears repeating. Similarly, to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, we shape our tools, then our tools shape us.

Apr 24, 2024 | fivebooks.com | Luciano Floridi |Alison Gopnik |Stuart Russell |Carissa Véliz

Before we talk about your recommended books specifically, I wonder if you might walk us through why it’s so crucial to think about the ethics of technology. For me it begins with the observation that there are no neutral tools. The tech historian Melvin Kranzberg first said this in the 1980s, but it bears repeating. Similarly, to paraphrase Marshall McLuhan, we shape our tools, then our tools shape us.

Jan 23, 2024 | oxford-aiethics.ox.ac.uk | Carissa Véliz

by Carissa VélizNew book: The Ethics of Privacy and SurveillancePrivacy matters because it shields us from possible abuses of power. Human beings need privacy just as much as they need community. Our need for socialization brings with it risks and burdens which in turn give rise to the need for spaces and time away from others. To impose surveillance upon someone is an act of domination. The foundations of democracy quiver under surveillance.

Jan 18, 2024 | academic.oup.com | Carissa Véliz

Most human needs have roots in animal needs. That is, most of the elements that are necessary for human beings to enjoy an acceptable level of wellbeing are also necessary for many non-human animals—especially for those who are evolutionarily close to us. Just like us, chimps and pigs need a certain amount of food and water, as well as sleep, and positive social interactions.

Aug 1, 2023 | time.com | Carissa Véliz

If Socrates was the wisest person in Ancient Greece, then large language models must be the most foolish systems in the modern world. In his Apology, Plato tells the story of how Socrates’s friend Chaerephon goes to visit the oracle at Delphi. Chaerephon asks the oracle whether there is anyone wiser than Socrates. The priestess responds that there isn't: Socrates is the wisest of them all. At first, Socrates seems puzzled.