Prof. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024

It seems like there are just endless bad ideas about how to use "AI". Here are some new ones courtesy of the UK government.

... and a short thread because there is so much awfulness in this one article.
/1

https://www.ft.com/content/f2ae55bf-b9fa-49b5-ac0e-8b7411729539

UK government to trial ‘red box’ AI tools to improve ministerial efficiency

Initiative is part of Rishi Sunak’s drive to boost Whitehall productivity through technology

Show threadProf. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024
Either it's a version of ChatGPT OR it's a search system where people can find the actual sources of the information. Both of those things can't be true at the same time. /2
Show threadProf. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024

Also: the output of "generative AI", synthetic text, is NOT information. So, UK friends, if your government is actually using it to respond to freedom of information requests, they are presumably violating their own laws about freedom of information requests. /3

(This answer to my freedom of information request is raising a lot of questions not already answered in this answer to my freedom of information request...) /4

Show threadProf. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024
Here they're basically admitting they don't trust it to speak for them (and they shouldn't) but also that they think that some government communication is just so much BS. /5
Show threadProf. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024
And the juxtaposition here is just appalling. No money for actual public services (aka the function of government) but sure, let's keep increasing the budget for the terrorist^H^H AI cell. /6
Show threadProf. Emily M. Bender(she/her)Feb 29, 2024
The level of magical thinking here is astonishing: /7
Show threadJP
@emilymbender "why are the werewolves selling us these silver bullets so cheap?"
Feb 29, 2024 at 3:28pmTusky