Hey, in about an hour at 8pm ET we're going to meet with Dr. Rua Williams and discuss Disabling Intelligences. I've got some thoughts about the last chapter that we read this week, and about the book as a whole, but we'll get to discuss all that with them during the video chat, so please join us.

For now, I'll present you with some of my own reflections to think about, if you want, and maybe we'll discuss as we filter into the jitsi room:

In the last chapter, I was really fascinated by Dr. Williams's observations from attending a number of AI conferences - the bit about the enthusiastic AI adopters, the conscientious AI mitigators, and the AI opportunists - and how they observed these different types of researchers play different roles and satisfy the goals of venture capitalists, government institutions like the NSF and increasingly DoD/DoW, and other singularly influential participants in the AI landscape. I'm thinking about what points of leverage may exist in the landscape of academic conferences, seminars, and other events. I'm also curious to hear if you're thinking about the field sites where "AI researchers" or other evangelists show up where you work, or where you are.

I'm also thinking a lot about this quote:

As long as there is an "other," there can be no "values alignment" that does not simply legitimize the suffering of that other—all alignment would simultaneously deploy mechanisms of human suffering while absolving any individual, organization, or government from the responsibility for it.

I've been thinking about the broader project of pushing back against the broader project of AI as I define it; all of my organizing activity and experiences have made me increasingly certain that the persistence of othering people creates the conditions for continued suffering and deprivation, as they write here. I've been trying to work through some of these thoughts for the past few weeks/months (some thoughts here), but don't feel obliged to read it in the time between now and our chat.

When you're ready to join at 8p ET, you can click on this link or you can go here:

https://al2.in/ReadingGroupRoom

See you then.