When it comes to regulating AI, I root for the bureaucrats

Image by Deep Dream Generator: “Evil AI conquers Silicon Valley, taking no hostages”

Following the launch of GPT-4, the silicon valley elite started hyping the AI-scare in an open letter.

The progress in LLMs and similar generative AI models is impressive and will have major impact on both society and the enterprise. But fearmongering is totally unhelpful and obscures the real issues.

Rather than naively stopping AI-development, society should focus on two more specific topics that are under-emphasized in the recent public debate:

  1. What data to train on? Current models aim to train on, roughly, ‘the totality of the internet’. Which already leads it interesting legal challenges about copyright infringement and ownership
  2. What applications to pursue? The current generation of AI can do amazing party tricks and can lead to major efficiency improvements. But it can also be used for deception and has has severe limitations and biases.

The key question to address: “How can we use existing legislation to protect society from misuse of AI and what additional legislation is needed?” Sounds less lofty that what the open letter calls for, but is much more constructive. Moreover, this perspective calls into question not just new AI models ‘more powerful than GPT-4’, but also existing models and the governance applied to them.

Already far before the recent open letter was written, the EU published the AI Act to address AI-related risks. Brought to you by the same institution that forced Apple to adopt compatible charging cables. It’s not perfect. It’s not complete. But it is a good start. It would have been so nice if the writers of the open letter had give credit where it is due.

When it comes to protecting my rights, security, and safety as a citizen; I put much more trust in EU bureaucrats than in the silicon valley echo-chamber that tends to over-index on libertarianism and techno-utopianism.

Mixed flour sourdough bread

Ingredients

  • 500g white flour
  • 300g wholewheat flour
  • 100g rye flour
  • 300g starter (120% hydration, activated)
  • 500g water
  • 18g salt

Method

  • Mix flours and water
  • Leave for 30 mins
  • Add starter and salt
  • Knead. In my BOSCH 1600W MaxxiMUM machine c. 9 mins:
    • c.4 mins slow (“speed 1”)
    • c. 5 mins fast (“speed 3”)
  • Let the dough rise for c. 8 hrs
  • Shape (I shape 2 batons from this amounts)
  • Let rise for another 90 minutes- 2 hours
  • Bake in pre-heated oven at 230C for 45 minutes, with cup of water at the bottom and extra moisture from the plant sprayer
    • First 15 mins: put the baking sheet with the bread on the low oven rack, with another baking sheet on top
    • After that, remove the top baking sheet and move the bread to middle rack for the final 30 minutes

Inspired by Das Brot

  • I use a bit more wholewheat compared to Das Brot.

Sourdough pita from the BBQ

Ingredients

  • 500 gr plain white flour
  • 175 gr plain yogurt
  • 12 gr salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100 gr sourdough starter (120% hydration, activated)

Method

  • Mix the dry ingredients
  • Knead for c 5 mins
  • Rise for 6-8 hours
  • Bake on BBQ of c. 200-230 C
    • Oil your grid to avoid dough sticking
    • Monitor progress closely to avoid blackening

My twist v the original:

  • Use sourdough instead of commercial yeast
  • Longer rise to compensate

Skillet baked sourdough Naan

Ingredients

  • 500 gr white flour
  • 200 gr sourdough starter (120% hydration, activated)
  • 250 gr plain yogurt
  • 100 gr water
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 6 gr salt
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp nigella seeds
  • 5 tbsp melted butter (add garlic to taste)

Method

  • Mix flour, water, and yogurt.
  • Rest for c. 30 mins
  • Mix in starter, baking powder, salt and, seeds
  • Knead c. 5 mins
  • Rise 6-8 hrs
  • Divide in portions and flatten to c. 1/2 cm (rolling pin is OK)
  • Brush with melted butter
  • Bake butter-side down in cast iron skillet until bubbles form
  • Brush top side with butter and flip to bake the other side

My twist v the original:

  • Leave out milk in favor of more yogurt + water
  • Longer rise: more reliance on sourdough, less on baking powder

Variations

  • Squeeze a garlic clove into the melted butter
  • Use anise and nigella seeds instead (Bahaa’s recommendation)

Moro Sourdough bread

Ingredients

  • 900 gr wholewheat flour (2 times 450gr needed)
  • 700 ml water
  • 250cgr sourdough starter (120% hydratation)
  • 18 gr salt

Method

  • Mix half the flour (450 gr) with the water and the starter
  • Initial rise: 8 hrs
  • Mix in the remaining flour (450 gr) and salt
  • Transfer the dough to two well-oiled tins (max. half filled)
  • rise: 4 hrs
  • Bake 45 mins at 230 C:
    • First 30 mins in tin
    • Final 15 mins out of tin

My twist v the original:

  • Wholewheat instead of plain flour
  • 120% rather than starter 167% hydratation