Who Should Make the Rules That Govern AI?

One question for Google DeepMind researchers Laura Weidinger and Iason Gabriel. Plus: are we cut out for universal morality?; why a universal society is unattainable; and more. [View in browser]( | [Become a member]( May 30, 2023   Did a friend forward this? [Subscribe here](. Good Morning! Here’s the top science news—and this week’s One Question with Google DeepMind researchers [Laura Weidinger and Iason Gabriel]( [READ NAUTILUS](   DISCOVERIES The Top Science News This Week   [Walking Naturally After Spinal Cord Injury Using a Brain–Spine Interface]( A digital bridge let a paralyzed man’s brain send signals to neurons in his spinal cord so his legs could get the message to move. [Nature→](   [Time to Pay the Piper: Fossil Fuel Companies’ Reparations for Climate Damages]( ExxonMobil owes $478 billion. Shell owes $424 billion. Chevron $333 billion. [One Earth→](   [An Early Catalog of Planet-Hosting Multiple-Star Systems of Order Three and Higher]( Planets like the one from Liu Cixin’s novel The Three-Body Problem—attached to a three-star solar system—actually exist but are super rare, making up just 0.5 percent of known exoplanets. [The Astrophysical Journal→](   [The T. Rex Was a Massive Coward—and We Have the Footage to Prove It]( Why the apex predator of the dinosaur era wasn’t always up for a fight. [BBC Science Focus→]( Experience the endless possibilities and deep human connections that science offers [SUBSCRIBE TODAY](   [ONE QUESTION]( [Who Should Make the Rules That Govern AI?]( INTERVIEW BY BRIAN GALLAGHER One question for [Laura Weidinger]( and [Iason Gabriel](, research scientists at Google DeepMind, a London-based AI company, where they both focus on the ethical, political, and social implications of AI.   We think that everyone who will be affected by these technologies should have a say on what principles govern them. This presents a practical challenge—how do we gather these people’s views, from across the globe? And how do we do this repeatedly, given preferences and views on AI are likely to change over time? We think that gathering these views in a fair, inclusive, and participatory way is a key unresolved issue for building just or fair AI systems. And we try to resolve that issue in our [new paper](. [Read the interview](   Related Nautilus Stories   [PHILOSOPHY]( [Are We Cut Out for Universal Morality?]( If objective ethical values exist, we’ll have to give up tribalism to realize them. BY WILLIAM J. FITZPATRICK [Continue reading →]( [ANTHROPOLOGY]( [Why a Universal Society Is Unattainable]( Our minds evolved in an Us-vs-Them universe of our own making. BY MARK W. MOFFETT [Continue reading →](   More in Sociology [How Can We Discourage Mass Shootings?]( One question for Maurizio Porfiri and Rayan Succar, dynamical systems engineers at New York University. BY BRIAN GALLAGHER [Continue reading →]( [Yes, Your Loud Neighbors Are Driving You Bonkers]( Why are we so sensitive to residential noise? BY LINA ZELDOVICH [Continue reading →](   P.S. The Swedish plasma physicist Hannes Alfvén was born on this day in 1908. He explained a puzzling fact about the sun: that though its surface is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, its corona—the aura of plasma extending out from the surface—[can get as hot as 5.4 million degrees.]( Virat Markandeya wrote about how Alfvén’s contribution fell into obscurity even though it won the Swede a Nobel Prize in 1970.   Today’s newsletter was written by Brian Gallagher   BECOME A SUBSCRIBER [An Artisanal Candle and a Nautilus Membership, Half-off]( For the first time, a subscription to Nautilus at any membership tier is half-off along with a purchase of [The Mother Of All Growth](, our limited-edition, organic soy candle perfumed with a custom Nautilus-inspired scent of rich, loamy earth. [Join Today]( Thanks for reading. [Tell us](mailto:brian.gallagher@nautil.us) your thoughts on today’s note. Plus, [browse our archive]( of past print issues, and inspire a friend to sign up for [the Nautilus newsletter](. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( Copyright © 2023 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from nautil.us. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? Click here to [unsubscribe](.