Congressional Candidate for CA D12; Founder @SocietyLibrary; Formerly @InternetArchive @Wikitongues; Makes Art w/ Electrons
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Joined September 2011
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Liv and I nerded out about the information ecosystem recently: xitter.cf/Liv_Boeree/status/1938…
Democracy is a hot mess right now, in part because politicians are an outdated technology. What if we replaced - or at least supplemented them with -databases that tracked their constituents' values?
That's one of many juicy topics covered in this Win-Win conversation with @JustJamieJoyce . Jamie is the founder of Society Library and a leading expert on information infrastructure, and this is one of my favourite conversations thus far.
Watch right here on X, or your usual pod platform.
Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
4:30 - Diablo Canyon Debate Map
14:26 - How To Evaluate Evidence?
16:18 - How To Minimize Bias?
19:06 - Bad Faith & Fringe Perspectives
24:16 - Flat Earth Conspiracies?
28:37 - Cyber Attacks On Internet Archive
33:54 - Modernizing Government
41:01 - The Evil of Corporate Lobbying
49:40 - Managing Info Hazards
53:19 - Virtues And Values
57:06 - When Jamie Neatly Went Blind
1:01:27 - Improving The Information Ecosystem
1:12:44 - Prediction Markets and Sensemaking
1:15:25 - Structuring Data For Improved Learning
1:22:17 - Society Library Meme Token Nonsense
1:32:21 - Rapid Fire Predictions
1:38:51 - Jamie's Favorite Win-Win
Coming as a surprise to no one - politicians mislead us.
One of the biggest claims from my rep is that she brings "hundreds of millions" or "over a billion" to the district - I believe counting on the fact that people won't look into it.
So I looked into it.
A feature of being power seeking is deferring the immediately obvious action for the chance of acquiring more power later. I think that's why there are so few brave politicians.
It's wild how many incredibly wealthy people and political funders I speak to want dark money out of politics.
They pay because they know it gives them access that they may need - but even many of them say it shouldn't be this way.
The incumbent refused 4 invitations from the @LWV (League of Women Voters) to sit in a forum. Last year, she also declined. That means I can't attend neither. Instead of complaining - let's fix it!
I put together this petition to the FEC, so when they have a quorum, hopefully they will revisit their guidelines: tinyurl.com/FECQpetition
Calling in: @LWVSouthDakota, @LWVTexas, @LWVVA, @lwvwa, @lwv_wi, @lwveastal, @lwvgb, @mobileLWV, @lwvtnv, @LWVCYC, @lwvazmp, @LWVAlameda, @LWVBC, @LWVDiabloValley, @lwvlosangeles, @LWVMarin, @lwvnevadacounty, @LWVOrangeCoast, @LWVPVP, @LWV_PA, @lwvsacramento, @LWVSB, @LWVSM, @LWVSolanoCounty, @LwvSonoma
@lwvknoxville, @NashvilleLwv, @lwvATX, @LWVBayAreaTX, @LwvCCTX, @LWVCyFair, @lwvdallastx, @lwvdenton, @LWVElPaso, @lwvhctx, @LWVHouston, @lwvirving, @LWVSA, @LWVTarrant, @LWVofBrazos, @lwvdavisut, @lwvsl, @LWVCVA, @LeagueRoanoke, @lwvloudoun, @LWV_RMA, @lwv_wa, @LWVSnoho, @lwvdanecounty, @LWVJanesville, @LWVSheboygan, @LeagueFremont, @LaramieWYLWV
@LWVNYC, @LWVWestchester, @LWVScarsdale, @LWVEastEndNY, @ABLWV, @LWVCatawba, @DareLwv, @LWV_ODC, @lwvpt, @LWV_BGOH, @LWVChillicothe, @lwvca, @lwvgeauga, @LWVGrCleveland, @LWVTulsa, @lwvberks, @LWVBucksCounty, @DelcoLwv, @LWVPGH, @LWVLancasterPA, @LeagueLehigh, @lwvlmn, @LWVRadnor, @lwvgreenville, @LWVChattanooga,
@LWVNeedhamMA, @LwvSalem, @lwvsudbury, @lwvcapecod, @lwvwinchester, @LWVFA, @lwvgta, @LWVofGP, @LWVHolland, @Lwv_MidlandMI, @LWVWASHTENAW, @lwvecc, @lwvedina, @LWVMpls, @lwvnewbrighton, @lwvnewulm, @lwvredwing, @LWVRoseville, @LWVofstcloud, @LWVStPaul, @lwvwcg, @lwvkc, @LWVGO, @lwvccnj, @lwvmontclairnj, @lwvbn_, @lwvofnassaucoun,
@LWVEA, @lwvwccc, @LWVArapahoeCO, @lwvchaffeeco, @lwvlaplata, @LarimerLeague, @lwvpuebloco, @lwvuv, @RidgefieldLWV, @LWV_SE_CT, @lwvstamford, @LWVDC, @LWVBCFL, @LWVCollier, @LwvManatee, @LWVMartinCounty, @LWVMiamiDade, @lwvnpinellas, @LWVPBC, @LWVSRQ, @LWVTallahassee, @LWVofSpaceCoast, @LWVVC, @Rome_Floyd_LWV, @lwvchampaignco, @lwvchicago
Overall, I think this is the best strategy, but this could be done well or terribly poorly. AI is a double-edged sword.
We can't tolerate power concentration. We can't tolerate this being staffed by people with one set of priorities. We have to protect civil liberties and assume AI can be weaponized to suppress rights. So in order for an external agency to address the multi-stakeholder, multipolar challenges of how AI intersects with humanity and civilization, I recommend starting with a slate of technical working groups staffed with people coming from different POVs to address specific domains individually, with coordination mechanisms.
This is what I put in The MAD Act: 19 domains, 11 technical working groups, epistemologists to help support quality reasoning working in a time-bound period. This process creates foundational policy, and a formal body emergences from that to monitor, maintain the evidentiary record, and have ready-to-introduce legislation in the event of transformative capabilities that may need to be managed.
AI could be used to benefit us and/or harm us, so can Congress' legislating if not done thoughtfully.
themadact.com/title-ii
Just emailed @RoKhanna, though The MAD Act has been sent to his leg staff before - earlier this summer.
One of my missions in this election is to educate voters on the details of legislation.
It's important to know how to tell the difference between a resolution meant to signal/impress voters, and law that actually accomplishes something.
Do you notice the art here? Sprezzatura for the affect, ethos-building for the pivot, and very little logos overall.
Something I see all the time running for office is that so many people can't distinguish content from affect.
I knew this already, but its another matter to witness it so blatantly and so often. It's why we elect politicians and not legislators.
The incumbent I am opposing has declined the @LWV (@LWV_Oakland)'s second invitation to join me in a forum, therefore they will not have one at all for this race.
It seems to me that the incumbent is afraid to debate me. It's very flattering and entirely understandable.
Obligatory Post: My congressional candidacy has been endorsed by one of the producers of "The AI Doc," Ted Tremper. The film is now on Netflix.
Even though I didn't make the final cut, those who did appear in the film include: @beffjezos, @shawmakesmagic, @tristanharris, @aza, @sama, @DarioAmodei, @JeffLadish and others.
It's a film that explores a breadth of arguments from multiple points of view on AI, highlighting the complexity of the challenges we face - which cut many ways. This is why I am arguing for congress to introduce something like The MAD Act, which takes a similar holistic and multipolar approach to AI risks and rewards.
Jamie Joyce for Congress retweeted
How did we reach a point where tech lords feel entitled to decide the rules of AI?
Elite impunity.
No one faced consequences for lying us into the Iraq war.
Or for causing the financial crash of 2008.
Or for being part of the Epstein class.
Or for spending millions to buy politicians.
It is time for We the People to stand up.
And demand to make the rules & hold people accountable with civil & criminal liability for their actions.
We have the NRC, we have the NTSB, for AI - to me it makes sense to build appendages in government (outside of Congress) which are responsible for producing evidentiary records, providing oversight, developing policy for mitigating harms, and protecting civil liberties. Markets can focus on the innovation and pushing the frontier, government is an ultimate backstop to ensure humans aren't harmed in the process, rights aren't violated, powers aren't concentrated, and capabilities become wildly uncontrollable.
I don't think Congress should be that counterweight itself: they are too slow, don't have the technical competence, and are too reactive to uninformed pressures and perverse incentives, but Congress can legislate into existence the resilient, sane entities (or standards and requirements) needed to collaborate with the AI sector to ensure an optimal future.
This is the plan I put together FWIW: "Demand A Plan for AI," which is Title II of The MAD Act: themadact.com/title-ii