Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey believes we are being programmed by black-box algorithms and that free will is at the core of the debate.
The former CEO of Twitter (now X) spoke on the open-source model of artificial intelligence at the Oslo Freedom Forum where one clip of his remarks on free will got the attention of Elon Musk.
“Yeah, @Jack is right,” wrote the Tesla CEO who bought Twitter for $44 billion in 2022.
Author and financial analyst Lyn Alden asked Dorsey at the conference this week about algorithms that “effectively can control what we think” and the importance of open sourcing in the growing AI field.
(Video Credit: Oslo Freedom Forum)
“This is going to sound a little bit crazy, but I think that the free speech debate is a complete distraction right now,” Dorsey responded.
“I think the real debate should be about free will,” he added. “And we feel it right now because we are being programmed. We are being programmed based on what we say we’re interested in, and, we are told through these discovery mechanisms what is interesting.”
“And as we engage and interact with this content, the algorithm continues to build more and more of this bias,” Dorsey explained.
“But the algorithm, even if it’s open source, is effectively a black box. You cannot predict one hundred percent of the time how it’s going to work, what it’s going to show you, and it can be moved and changed at any time,” said Dorsey, who recently departed the board of the social networking service, Bluesky.
He contended that people’s dependence on the algorithms “is changing and impacting” free agency.
The solution, he suggested, is “not to work harder” to open-source algorithms or make them “more explainable” but to give people choices.
“Give people choice of what algorithm they want to use, from a party that they trust, give people choice to build their own algorithm that they can plug in on top of these networks and see what they want,” Dorsey continued.
“And they can shift them out as well,” he added, “and give people choice to have really a marketplace around an algorithm that you can choose.”
Musk seemed to agree with Dorsey’s remarks and others on X also weighed in, with many recalling Dorsey’s time at the helm of Twitter. Some users did, however, cut him some slack.
He’s not wrong. Free speech is under attack, but visibility needs to be at the option of the consumer.
— @amuse (@amuse) June 6, 2024
Jack has shown remorse and has been trying to use his voice to right his past wrongs.
Ily Catturd, but cut the dude some slack.
— Qweentoshi (@qweentoshi) June 6, 2024
That’s what’s funny about what he said. I agree with what he said, but when he was on Twitter, all he did was censor people and allow the FBI to target political speech they didn’t like.
— Dr Vincent Sativa (@The_Weed_Shop) June 6, 2024</blo
Finally realizing how bad it is, but won’t admit that he caused the problem.
— You in View (@youinview) June 6, 2024
Dorsey even defended himself in response to some of the comments.
Nah, man.
I’m inclined to like you, but we needed you to stand up when it was difficult. And you didn’t.
— ⬜️⬜ roxpublius (@rox_publius) June 6, 2024
You allowed the platform to be high-jacked by bad actors. Danced with the devil & lost.
Glad to see you beginning to make amends. Hope it’s genuine.
— Adam Sims (@adamjsims) June 6, 2024
Under his leadership I was suspended 14 times in 2 years. Sorry, but I don’t give a fvck what he has to say.
— I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) June 6, 2024
He allowed the Hunter laptop to be hidden and shut down anyone who tried to share it. He is a turd.
— Trump #47 (@Brandonstheguy) June 6, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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