Yeah, we gave China most favored nation status in the WTO because we thought they would play by the rules, if we did so. How did that work out? The answer is obvious, not well at all for the U.S. & world, but it worked out marvelously for China.
However, when you think about it for a while, I will be interested in hearing how you put guardrails on AI, that doesn't produce the same results as bestowing most favored nation status worked out for China following the rules in the WTO. On yet another issue, what has China done to reduce world pollution?
I think another thing to ponder is that ignoring evil as if it doesn't really exist, only begats more evil to rise. I believe we are seeing that happening, but probably not for the first time, because evil has risen its head many time, and it usually takes force & war to rein evil back in.
Give someone an inch, and they will eventually have taken a mile.
While I agree that guardrails are needed, those guardrails can not be implemented worldwide, and any attempt to do so, will be ignored by those so inclined to ignore them, including those within our own borders. So, by what method can we use to enforce the guardrails?
Like I said, it is an extremely complex problem for which I see no real solution, other than all out war, or the Lord asserting the powers he possesses, which I personally would welcome. Perhaps if we get a majority together we can summon him. It's worth a try. 🙂👍
We did believe that economic engagement would lead to reform and instead we empowered an authoritarian regime that’s now exporting its surveillance and control models across the globe.
I share your concern that any “guardrails” we try to build here,in good faith, might just hobble us while others push full steam ahead. That’s the same frustration we see with climate policie. Where the West takes on burdens while nations like China pollute without pause. Guardrails, if done wrong, become voluntary disarmament. Which is not acceptable.
But I’d argue this, the alternative isn’t to race to the bottom. If our systems are explainable, reliable, and grounded in trust we’ll have an edge that brute-force AI development can’t replicate. That won’t stop bad actors but it gives us a foundation worth defending.
You’re also right that ignoring evil doesn’t make it disappear, it makes it metastasize. We’ve seen what happens when wishful thinking replaces wisdom and it always comes at a cost. So if AI is now a new battleground — moral, strategic, and societal — we need to be ready to defend it as such.
I don’t have a silver bullet; no one does. But I think conversations like this, rooted in principle and realism, are exactly where the real work starts. And as for summoning the Lord...Well, if that happens, I’ll be right there with you.