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Deep moral disagreements and defective contexts
Synthese Abstract The key characteristic of deep disagreements is that any attempt to resolve them just reveals new points of disagreement that stem from underlying commitments. Many moral disagreementsInformal LogicSemantics and Pragmatics
Popular sovereignty facing the deep state. The rule of recognition and the powers of the people
Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, published online first. doi.org/10.1080/13698230.2019.1644583 Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between the idea of popula
Deep learning diffusion by infusion into preexisting technologies - Implications for users and society at large
in: Technology in Society. 63, 101396 Abstract:Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of Deep Learning (DL) technology has diffused in the consumer domain in a unique way as compared to previous gene, i.e., by being added to preexisting technologies that are already in use. We find that DL-algorithms for recommendations or ranking have been infused into all the 15 most popular mobile applications (apps) in the U.S. (as of May 2019). DL-infusion enables fast and vast diffusion. For example, when a DL-system was infused into YouTube, it almost immediately reached a third of the world's population. We argue that existing theories of innovation diffusion and adoption have limited relevance for DL-infusion, because it is a process that is driven by enterprises rather than individuals. We also discuss its social and ethical implications. First, consumers have a limited ability to detect and evaluate an infused technology. DL-infusion may thus help to explain why AI's presence in society has not been challenged by many. Second, the DL-providers are likely to face conflicts of interest, since consumer and supplier goals are not always aligned. Third, infusion is likely to be a particularly important diffusion process for DL-technologies as compared to other innovations, because they need large data sets to function well, which can be drawn from preexisting users. Related, it seems that larger technology companies comparatively benefit more from DL-infusion, because they already have many users. This suggests that the value drawn from DL is likely to follow a Matthew Effect of accumulated advantage online: many preexisting users provide a lot of behavioral data, which bring about better DL-driven features, which attract even more users, etc. Such a self-reinforcing process could limit the possibilities for new companies to compete. This way, the notion of DL-infusion may put light on the power shift that comes with the presence of AI in society.
A future without Down syndrome? Ethical reflections on the development of technology
Have you used prenatal testing to determine if the fetus you or your partner is carrying has Down’s syndrome? If the answer is yes, you are not alone. The interest in genetic screening for Down’s synd
The rise and fall of ordoliberalism
Socio-Economic Review Abstract Ordoliberalism has been accused of being the ideational blueprint for Germany’s fiscal stance during the Eurozone-crisis. While the literature that debates the influence o
Four decisions that actually matter for climate change
Did you take part in Earth Hour last month? On the 24th of March each year a big part of the earth’s population in the most energy consuming countries turn the lights off for one hour to stress the en
Human enhancement and technological uncertainty
It's hard to know where the knowledge we acquire and the technology we develop may take us. Sometimes it is not until after several years that we learn how these skills or technologies can benefit - o
Ethnicity in England: What Parents' Country of Birth Can and Can't Tell Us about Their Children's Ethnic Identification.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(3), 399-424. DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2014.920690 Abstract Despite the importance of adequately measuring ethnicity to keep track of ethnic disparities in importa
Strategies for an unfriendly oracle AI with reset button
in: Artificial Intelligence Safety and Security (ed. Roman Yampolskiy), CRC Press. Abstract Developing a superintelligent AI might be very dangerous if it turns out to be unfriendly, in the sense of hav

Social norms and collective threats
Do social norms help dealing with collective threats? This project studies the behavior of people in the face of risk, and asks how social norms can motivate people to cooperate.