Stuart Russell

it can better predict what people are going to click on because then it can feed them exactly that.

So the way to maximize click-through is actually to modify the people, to make them more predictable.

And one way to do that is to

feed them information which will change their behavior and preferences towards extremes that make them predictable.

Whatever is the nearest extreme or the nearest predictable point, that's where you're going to end up.

And the machines will force you there.

Now, and I think there's a reasonable argument to say that this, among other things, is contributing to the destruction of democracy in the world.

And where was the oversight of this process?

Where were the people saying, okay, you would like to apply this algorithm to 5 billion people on the face of the earth.

Can you show me that it's safe?

Can you show me that it won't have various kinds of negative effects?

No, there was no one asking that question.

There was no one placed between the undergrads with too much caffeine and the human race.

We shall see.

But in the meantime, you might even have broken the political system that enables capitalism to function.

Well, you've changed it.

Yeah, but I think it takes time to figure out what kind of oversight, what kinds of controls.

I mean, it took time to design the FDA regime.

Some people still don't like it and they want to fix it.

And I think there are clear ways that it could be improved.