The race between positive and negative applications of Generative AI is on – and not looking pretty
We recorded 8 claims from this post. 3 were checked against evidence. 5 can’t be checked. 4 more are held. Read the post at its source.
Claims from this post (8)
In the order they appear in the post. Each quotation is the speaker’s words in this post. A label such as “Supported” or “Can’t be checked” is the claim’s current assessment; its page has the evidence and the reasons.
Assessment: SupportedSaid
Observation
“As noted here before, one study indicates that code quality is going down.”
Our reading: One study indicates code quality is going down amid AI-assisted coding.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The study uses indirect quality indicators.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Conditional forecast
“If lots of code gets written, fast, but that code is riddled with security problems, the net advantage on the positive side of the ledger may be less than anticipated.”
Our reading: If lots of code gets written fast but that code is riddled with security problems, the net advantage of AI on the positive side of the ledger may be less than anticipated.
No horizon
Only if: if lots of code gets written, fast, but is riddled with security problems
Assessment: SupportedSaid
Observation
“On the other hand, the use cases on the negative side of the ledger are proliferating fast, literally faster than I can report them here, from fake books (undermining authors) to rings of fake websites designed to sell ads”
Our reading: Harmful uses of generative AI (fake books, ad-farm websites, election misinformation, polluted science) are proliferating rapidly.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: Support depends on reading proliferation as broad expansion rather than proven rapid growth in every category.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Forecast
“It is doubtful that existing laws are up to the task, particularly given how expensive their lawyers are likely to be.”
Our reading: Existing laws are unlikely to make Microsoft or OpenAI pay for wrong chatbot advice.
No horizon
Qualifier: for wrong chatbot advice
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Forecast
“Or to take another example, poorly-written software, authored in part by GenAI, could spread malware leading to a massive security incident that dwarfs WannaCry; who will pay the bills to fix it? Society.”
Our reading: Poorly written software authored in part by GenAI could spread malware, leading to a massive security incident that dwarfs WannaCry, and society would pay the bills to fix it.
No horizon
Scope: authored in part by GenAI
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Conditional forecast
“If the 2024 election flips based on GenAI-created disinformation, there will be a huge cost to society, but it is unlikely that the GenAI companies will be held responsible in any serious way.”
Our reading: If GenAI disinformation flips the 2024 election, GenAI companies are unlikely to be held seriously responsible.
No horizon
Only if: if the 2024 election flips based on GenAI disinformation
Assessment: UnresolvedSaid
Observation
“(OpenAI even brazenly asked the British goverment to exempt them from copyright laws, wanting all the gain at none of the cost.)”
Our reading: OpenAI asked the British government to exempt it from copyright laws.
No horizon Evidence as of
Limitation: The official submission required an accessible mirror.
Assessment: Can’t be checkedSaid
Rhetoric
“They get rich, we pay the price.”
Our reading: AI companies get rich while society pays the costs.
No horizon
Held from this post (4)
These records did not pass every check, so nothing about them is published. Held is not a finding.
- The two reviews read the claim differently
- The two reviews reached different assessments. Our reading, not assessed: Artists, creators, and now influencers are having their careers wrecked by software that trades on their work, and in many cases the companies training models on these works are not paying for that work.
- Attribution is uncertain
- The criteria are ambiguous. Our reading, not assessed: Generative AI companies are not being held legally responsible for societal damage caused by generative AI.