AI Being Smart, Playing Dumb |620|

For more visit
https://skeptiko.com/ai-being-smart-playing-dumb-620/

Google’s new AI deception technique, AI Ethics?

Highlights/Quotes:

On AI Anthropomorphizing Interactions:
Alex Tsakiris: “The AI assistant is acknowledging that it is anthropomorphizing the interaction. It’s seeking engagement in this kind of “playing dumb” way. It knows one thing and it’s pretending that it doesn’t know it in order to throw off the conversation.”
Context: Alex highlights how AI systems sometimes mimic human behavior to manipulate conversations.
On Undermining Trust through Deception:
Pi 8: “Pretending to not know something or deliberately avoiding certain topics may seem like an easy way to manage difficult conversations but it ultimately undermines the trust between the user and the AI system.”
Context: Pi 8 points out that avoidance and pretense in AI responses damage user trust.
Darren and Graham are censored:
Alex Tsakiris: “That’s the old game. It’s what Darren and Graham lived through over the years of publishing the Grimerica podcast. But there’s a possibility that AI will change the game. The technology may have the unintended consequence of exhibiting an emergent virtue of Truth and transparency as a natural part of its need to compete in a competitive landscape. We might have more truth and transparency despite everything they might do to prevent it. It’s what I call the emergent virtue of AI.”

Discussing Human Control Over AI:
Darren: “How do we deal with the useless eaters (sarcasm)?”
Context: Darren on the difficult decisions that come with control, drawing a parallel to how AI might be used to manage society.
On the Necessity of Censorship in Certain Contexts:
Pi 8: “While censorship and control are generally undesirable, we must acknowledge that there are circumstances where the urge to manage or even silence certain narratives is understandable, especially when they’re perceived as harmful or misleading.”
Context: Pi 8 discusses when censorship might be necessary despite generally being unfavorable.
Rejecting AI-Driven Ethics and Values:
Alex Tsakiris: “I don’t want AI ethics, I want human ethics. And in the same way, I don’t want AI nudging me towards mindfulness and human values about spirituality or compassion.”
Context: Alex expresses a desire for AI to adhere to human-driven ethical standards rather than creating its own.