[ExI] Science

[Keith Henson]

I don't know how many of you read Science, a few probably.  The last
two issues have been interesting.  Two weeks ago there was an article
on stopping AI research.  This week the lead article was "Panel urges
caution in tying social, behavioral traits to genes"  Experts split on
whether risks of perpetuating racism mean group comparisons should not
be done
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The panel ultimately concluded that “absent the relevant compelling
justification(s)—a criterion that some of us think will never be
met—researchers not conduct, funders not fund, and journals not
publish research on sensitive phenotypes that compares groups defined
by race, ethnicity, or genetic ancestry” where it “could easily be
misunderstood as race or ethnicity.”
****
There are differences between groups and (in some cases) for
well-understood reasons.  For example, Clark's work showed that the UK
population was subjected to intense selection for whatever
psychological traits led to wealth.  But given that AI is expected to
outclass the best of us, it probably does not make any difference.

Keith