output-from-jekyll/2020/01/06/sunny/index.html

171 lines
6.9 KiB
HTML
Raw Normal View History

2021-08-15 01:44:18 +00:00
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<link href="http://gmpg.org/xfn/11" rel="profile">
<!-- Enable responsiveness on mobile devices-->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>
A chat about ethics and technology, with Mr. Sebastian Müeller &middot; ~rogbeer's corner
</title>
<!-- CSS -->
<link rel="stylesheet" href="/~rogbeer/styles.css">
<!-- Icons -->
<link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" sizes="144x144" href="/~rogbeer/public/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png">
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/~rogbeer/public/favicon.ico">
<!-- RSS -->
<link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="~rogbeer's corner" href="/~rogbeer/atom.xml">
</head>
<body>
<div class="container content">
<header class="masthead">
<h3 class="masthead-title">
<a href="/~rogbeer/" title="Home">~rogbeer's corner</a>
<small>where ~rogbeer stashes some stuff</small>
</h3>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/archive">Archive
</a>
</small>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/atom.xml">RSS Feed
</a>
</small>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/contact">Contact
</a>
</small>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/around_town">What can I do around tilde.town?
</a>
</small>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/rogbeer">What's with the name, ~rogbeer?
</a>
</small>
<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
<small>| <a href="/~rogbeer/swap">What is the value of a cassette tape nowadays?
</a>
</small>
<br />
</header>
<main>
<article class="post">
<h1 class="post-title">A chat about ethics and technology, with Mr. Sebastian Müeller</h1>
<time datetime="2020-01-06T00:00:00+00:00" class="post-date">06 Jan 2020</time>
<p>On 12 December 2019, during the afternoon, Sebastian and I met at the
Singapore office of Minglabs, an organisation in which Sebastian is
Co-founder and COO. Let me briefly recall the approximately
one-hour-long chat, using a format of
Question-and-Answer (Q&amp;A) below - I asked most of the questions, as I recall.</p>
<p><em>Q: “Why are you interested in ethics?”</em></p>
<p>A: “I do not have [an academic] background in ethics or philosophy. I studied Computer Science in Germany. My thinking changed after I had a son - he is three years old now - and I have done much more reading since.”</p>
<p><em>Q: “I dont mean to offend you personally, but if we talk about ethics, there is the danger of being a hypocrite, that is, saying one thing and doing another. How do you ensure you are not a hypocrite?”</em></p>
<p>A: “Humans are fallible. If someone says something, and does what he says - if he walks the talk - he is an angel. [Having said that,] I try to be better today than I was yesterday.”</p>
<p><em>Q: “About Andrew Yang… [in the U.S., who proposed a Department of the Attention Economy]”</em></p>
<p>A: “Algorithm Oversight. Right now, there is a gap: the regulation-authorities have to figure out what is happening in these algorithms. It takes time to come up with regulations, and meanwhile, technology keeps moving on and on and on. They have to be paid well, because they are the best of the best of the best [that is, those who are, or might be, recruited, into The Government, to regulate algorithms that are used in software]. This is one area that I think Singapore does well in: the ministers are well-paid. In the U.S. or in Europe, working in The Government means taking a pay-cut.”</p>
<p><em>Q: “You mentioned reading. What are some of those books?”</em></p>
<p>A: “Ill email you after our chat.” [Later, Sebastian emails hyperlinks:]</p>
<ol>
<li>Cathy ONeil. (2016). “Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data increases inequality and threatens democracy”.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28186015-weapons-of-math-destruction">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28186015-weapons-of-math-destruction</a></li>
<li>Brad Smith. (2019). “Tools and weapons: The promise and the peril of the Digital Age”.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44334073-tools-and-weapons">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44334073-tools-and-weapons</a></li>
<li>Yancey Strickler. (2019). “This could be our future: A manifesto for a more generous world”.
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44525559-this-could-be-our-future">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44525559-this-could-be-our-future</a></li>
<li>Tim OReilly. (2017). “WTF?: Whats The Future and why its up to us” .
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34017076-wtf">https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34017076-wtf</a></li>
</ol>
<p>The Q&amp;A above represents only a portion of the entirety of my chat with Sebastian, which concluded with agreeing that (the application of) ethics in technology meant co-operation/collaboration of (highly skilled) people across various fields of expertise, or disciplines. As Sebastian puts it, “I observe; I act within my sphere of influence… [but] I cannot solve the problem on my own.”</p>
<p>However, Sebastian seems optimistic, if not hopeful: “[if I] keep repeating a message [about ethics, to the audience of my various talks], maybe the message will get in.”</p>
</article>
<aside class="related">
<h2>Related Posts</h2>
<ul class="related-posts">
<li>
<h3>
2023-02-13 06:35:00 +00:00
<a href="/~rogbeer/2023/02/13/cloudy/">
coffee-places with toilets attached
<small><time datetime="2023-02-13T00:00:00+00:00">13 Feb 2023</time></small>
2021-08-15 01:44:18 +00:00
</a>
</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>
2023-02-13 06:35:00 +00:00
<a href="/~rogbeer/2022/06/02/overcast/">
I've just read about war, murder and Hitler
<small><time datetime="2022-06-02T00:00:00+00:00">02 Jun 2022</time></small>
2021-08-15 01:44:18 +00:00
</a>
</h3>
</li>
<li>
<h3>
2023-02-13 06:35:00 +00:00
<a href="/~rogbeer/2021/12/08/indoors/">
tried out a grand piano
<small><time datetime="2021-12-08T00:00:00+00:00">08 Dec 2021</time></small>
2021-08-15 01:44:18 +00:00
</a>
</h3>
</li>
</ul>
</aside>
</main>
<footer class="footer">
<small>
2023-02-13 06:35:00 +00:00
&copy; <a href="">~rogbeer, whoever he is</a>, <time datetime="2023-02-13T06:29:33+00:00">2023</time>. All rights reserved.
2021-08-15 01:44:18 +00:00
Built on <a href="https://jekyllrb.com/">Jekyll</a>, using the theme
<a href="http://getpoole.com/">Poole</a>.
Hosted on <a href="http://tilde.town/">tilde.town</a>
</small>
</footer>
</div>
</body>
</html>