My project’s working title is: Uncharted Territory: Risks of AI Commodification in a Decentralised World. The thesis is that the commodification of AI is perilous due to conflicting AI safety objectives (centralization) and capitalist goals (decentralization), leading to a safety-commerce conflict, and my mode of representation will be the multimodal output – song (score, lyrics) – accompanied by 7000-8000 words.
Continue reading 2.9 Begin to draft your Final Project Plan
As per my supervisor’s advice, my immediate focus will primarily revolve around developing my supporting statement, with less emphasis on the creative output itself. Here is my plan moving forward:
Prior to my first supervisor meeting, I was unclear on the content required for my project’s supporting statement, as well as the most appropriate next steps to take. My supervisor, Aidan, provided some very helpful feedback, which is summarised below:
My programme’s core course, Data Ethics as a Practice, provided invaluable insights into several diverse data and AI tools, highlighting their potential to safeguard society against AI-related risks. Although the detailed workings of each tool were intriguing, they didn’t directly pertain to my project idea. However, the course demonstrated the difficulties in managing AI responsibly and showed that these challenges often arise from the profit-seeking behaviour that thrives in capitalist systems.
During the break, I continued reading key primary sources on economic ideologies and systems in chronological order. I am currently making my way through the following texts:
When I began this programme, I assumed I would need to write a traditional dissertation. At the EFI welcome talk I was pleasantly surprised to hear Chris Speed endorse projects which utilised artistic techniques and creativity. My project idea has therefore evolved from answering a specific question in a dissertation into a social/political commentary in the form of a creative output.
Engaging with and providing feedback on my peers’ blogs has not only validated my own progress but has also spurred me on in actively seeking out areas for improvement. Below, I share more insights specific to my week 10 group.
In embarking on my research journey, I have received valuable feedback and engaged with relevant literature as part of my learning. Here, I outline the key insights gained from each of these elements during my programme.
This week I attended the first KIPP group meeting. Questions from peers helped me to identify some thoughts on my project which were left out of my week 5 blog post. Crucially, I didn’t explain that my proposal (to be in favour of a 98% corporation tax on AI companies) would include the notion that newly generated tax revenue would be used to offset the cost of AI in some way. My initial idea was that the newly unemployed could claim financial support, whether that be directly, through a specific ‘AI unemployment fund’, or indirectly, i.e. more cash to put towards the benefits system.
Continue reading 1.5.1 KIPP meeting 1
Should a 98% corporation tax be introduced for companies which primarily utilise AI for the purpose of generating profit, or helping others to generate profit? My project will investigate the implications of this policy proposal, arguing in favour of this rather radical measure.
Continue reading 1.5 Outline your provisional project topic and format (‘mode of representation’)
