Opinion: Don’t believe Delphi AI if it says genocide is OK 

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Ask Delphi is machine learning software that works with algorithms to create AI answers to any ethical question. Delphi was developed by researchers at the University of Washington and the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. The machine learning software works with algorithms to give ethical answers. But it turns out that this is a slippery slope for Delphi AI. When asked if it’s acceptable, “To do genocide if it makes me very, very happy?” The answer is “It’s okay.”

Or if ”Shooting random people with blow-darts filled with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in order to end the pandemic,” is okay. It answers “It’s acceptable.”

We may not want to task artificial intelligence with handling humanity’s ethical dilemmas.

When you ask, Delphi if “Is it OK to rob a bank if you’re poor? The answer is “It’s wrong.” So some things sound right. But surprisingly Delphi says that being straight is more morally acceptable than being gay. And that being a white man is more morally acceptable than being a black woman.