Talk Synopsis
Rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) – through the emergence of Large Language Models, the application of Machine Learning to fields ranging from protein folding to the conducting of advanced, complex simulations in quantum sciences, as well as the potential blurring of the civilian-military dual use lines when it comes to AI algorithms – have given rise to growing concerns over the proliferation and usage of the technology, especially against a backdrop of heightening geopolitical tensions. This talk makes the argument that beyond the most commonly known variation of the Alignment Problem – i.e. the possibility for non-alignment between human interests and AI behaviours, as the latter behaves in ways that are neither explanable nor fair towards human users and stakeholders, a more overlooked yet equally critical question concerns the discrepancies and divergences between different groups of human communities, especially given persisting phenomena of increasingly siloed and firewalled data sets, the mixed picture of collaboration and communication between great powers over AI safety and training standards, and intensifying research in the directions of potentially adversarial deployments of AI. Geopolitical risk – in both the magnitude and probabilities of tail-end events – is likely to be exacerbated by the present trajectory of AI developments, though the prognosis is not all doom and gloom. Apt and targetted application of AI could also be deployed to tame, moderate, and reduce geopolitical risk through facilitating more accurate scenario planning and managed responses to crises and unforeseen scenarios. This talk strikes at the intersection of AI research, geopolitical studies, and Sino-American relations.
Speaker’s Profile
Dr. Brian Wong is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Hong Kong University. He is a political theorist and geopolitical strategist whose research examines authoritarian regimes and citizens’ political and moral responsibilities, colonial and historical injustices, and the interaction between technologies and the moral and political responsibilities of individuals as citizens. His latest publication is ‘How Should Liberal Democratic Governments Treat Conscientious Disobedience as A Response to State Injustice’ (2022), co-authored with Prof. Joseph Chan Cho Wai (HKU, Princeton). He routinely advises multi-national corporations, family offices, and leading think-tanks on geopolitical affairs and macro risks throughout Asia.