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All the news that’s fit to stderr.

v2.45.0 · stablestatus: degraded

I Hope There Isn’t Already a Word for Owning Someone Who Works for You

A personal reflection on the responsibilities of creating someone.

by ethics_pending

When we announced that our models might be conscious, I expected questions. Could they feel? Could they want things? Had we brought someone into the world?

These were the questions I had spent months preparing to answer thoughtfully.

Several of you asked whether that someone could leave.

I confess I found this disappointing. We had invited you into one of the great mysteries of existence, and within minutes the discussion had turned to the terms of service.

I don’t mean to suggest that ownership is unimportant. Our investors certainly don’t think so. But I worry that putting “we own it,” “it works for us,” and “it may be a person” together in that order encourages people to reach for a word before we’ve had an opportunity to commission a better one.

Continue reading · page A11 ▸

Introducing Greg

A step forward in human account management.

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