The Gradient: Perspectives on AI

C. Thi Nguyen: Values, Legibility, and Gamification

Jun 13, 2024

C. Thi Nguyen, Associate Professor of Philosophy, discusses losing control of values, tradeoffs of legibility and simplification, risks of gamification, and the influence of technology on rationality and agency. Topics include political value choices in ML, heuristics in decision-making, epistemic arms races, and the impact of classification systems on data perception.

01:30:13

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C. Thi Nguyen

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Quick takeaways

Classification systems shape data collection and power dynamics, impacting information aggregation.

Institutions influence individuals to adopt simplified, quantifiable values, showcasing institutional power in shaping behaviors.

Heuristics are essential for decision-making in a complex world, emphasizing the importance of error metabolism.

Deep dives

The Influence of Classification Systems on Data Collection

The podcast delves into how classification systems shape data collection and the power dynamics involved in setting categories. Examples from the DSM-IV and DSM-V showcase how decisions on what defines a disorder or disease are embedded in political wrangling and institutional inertia. The conversation highlights how these structures influence what data is retained or lost, impacting information aggregation.

Intro

5min

Values, Legibility, and Gamification in Institutional Settings

18min

Debates on AI Ethics, Video Games, and Decision-Making

29min

The Influence of Classification Systems on Data Collection and Perception

6min

Navigating Values, Legibility, and Gamification

13min

Exploration of Technology's Influence on Politics, Society, and Values

5min

Exploring Centralized Metrics and Individualized Human Values

15min

Episode 127

I spoke with Christopher Thi Nguyen about:

* How we lose control of our values

* The tradeoffs of legibility, aggregation, and simplification

* Gamification and its risks

Enjoy—and let me know what you think!

C. Thi Nguyen as of July 2020 is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Utah. His research focuses on how social structures and technology can shape our rationality and our agency. He has published on trust, expertise, group agency, community art, cultural appropriation, aesthetic value, echo chambers, moral outrage porn, and games. He received his PhD from UCLA. Once, he was a food writer for the Los Angeles Times.

I spend a lot of time on this podcast—if you like my work, you can support me on Patreon :)

Reach me at editor@thegradient.pub for feedback, ideas, guest suggestions.

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Outline:

* (00:00) Intro

* (01:10) The ubiquity of James C. Scott

* (06:03) Legibility and measurement

* (12:50) Value capture, classes and measurement

* (17:30) Political value choice in ML

* (23:30) Why value collapse happens

* (33:00) Blackburn, “Hume and Thick Connexions” — projectivism and legibility

* (36:20) Heuristics and decision-making