#Crowdsourcing Intelligence

[projectchampionz]

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLICE INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS

THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON POLICE INTELLIGENCE OPERATIONS 1.1 Introduction The rise of social media has significantly transformed the way police gather intelligence, respond to incidents, and engage with the public. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others provide law enforcement agencies with vast amounts of information that can be used to monitor criminal activities,…

[cyberlabe]

Replicating Crowdsourcing Pipelines with LLMs

[jcmarchi]

How AI is Shaping the Future of Democratic Dialogue

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/how-ai-is-shaping-the-future-of-democratic-dialogue/

How AI is Shaping the Future of Democratic Dialogue

In today’s politically polarized world, finding common ground on complex social and political issues is becoming increasingly challenging. As societies grow more diverse, disagreements on crucial matters like climate change, immigration, and economic policy have only extended. Bringing people together to find consensus on complex issues often requires time, resources, and a level playing field where all voices can be heard.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have brought new possibilities for technology to assist in facilitating complex dialogues on divisive topics. AI-powered large language processing (NLP) models, for example, have grown sophisticated enough to interpret complex language and discern differences in sentiments and perspectives. Moreover, AI systems are being designed with features like real-time sentiment analysis, bias detection, and adaptive feedback. These abilities make them especially suited to assist in facilitating fair and balanced discussions.

This potential has caught the attention of Google DeepMind researchers to explore the promise of AI in facilitating civil discourse. Inspired by the ideas of philosopher Jürgen Habermas, they’ve created the “Habermas Machine” (HM), a tool for supporting civil discourse and helping groups discover shared values. The article examines the question: Can AI really help us find common ground? It also looks at how the Habermas Machine (HM) can facilitate democratic deliberation.

The Habermas Machine

The Habermas Machine is an AI tool designed to analyze individual opinions and create a unified group statement. The machine works like a “caucus mediation.” Participants start by sharing their thoughts. The AI then combines these into a draft statement. Next, participants review this draft and provide critiques. The AI uses its input to generate a revised statement that seeks to gain broader agreement, capturing both majority views and minority critiques.

This machine employs two specialized LLMs for this task. The first is a generative model that creates statements reflecting diverse views of the group. The second is a personalized reward model that evaluates these statements based on how likely each participant is to agree with them. The generative model is refined using supervised fine-tuning, while the reward model is iteratively enhanced based on the reward signals

The machine was tested with over 5,000 participants from across the UK. Some joined through a crowdsourcing platform, while others were recruited by the Sortition Foundation, a nonprofit organizing citizens’ assembly. Participants were divided into groups, and testing took place in two phases. First, the machine summarized collective opinions. Then, it mediated between groups to help identify common ground.

The Promise of AI in Uncovering Common Ground for Democratic Dialogue

The study highlights AI’s potential to find common ground in democratic dialogue. One key finding was that AI-mediated discussions led participants to shift toward shared views. Unlike unmediated discussions, which often reinforced existing beliefs, AI helped participants reconsider their positions, drawing them closer to a middle ground. This ability to encourage alignment shows that AI could be a valuable tool for dealing with complex and divisive issues.

The study also revealed that both participants and independent judges rated AI-generated statements more favorably than those produced by human mediators. They found the AI’s statements to be more precise, more informative, and fairer. Importantly, the AI did not merely amplify majority opinions; it also gave weight to minority viewpoints. This feature helped prevent the “tyranny of the majority” and ensured that dissenting voices were heard. The inclusion of these dissenting views is crucial, especially in sensitive debates, as fair representation helps prevent misunderstandings and encourages balanced discussions.

Real-World Applications of AI in Deliberative Democracy

The implications of AI-mediated deliberation are significant for real-world scenarios. For example, AI can enhance policy discussions, conflict resolution, contract negotiations, and citizens’ assemblies. Its ability to foster balanced dialogue makes it a valuable tool for governments, organizations, and communities seeking to address complex issues involving diverse stakeholders.

To test the model’s effectiveness in a practical setting, researchers organized a virtual citizens’ assembly with a representative sample of UK residents. This assembly focused on divisive topics such as immigration policy and climate action. Following AI-mediated discussions, participants showed a noticeable shift toward consensus, with no AI bias influencing their opinions. These findings highlight how AI mediation can potentially guide collective decision-making on critical social issues while minimizing bias.

Limitations and Ethical Considerations

While AI mediation shows great promise, it has notable limitations. For instance, the AI model used in this study lacks fact-checking capabilities, which means it relies heavily on the quality of input from participants. Moreover, AI-assisted deliberation requires careful design to avoid harmful or unproductive discourse. Another important consideration is the ethical role of AI in democratic processes. Some individuals may be cautious of using AI in political discussions, fearing that algorithms could unintentionally influence outcomes. Therefore, ongoing oversight and a clear ethical framework are essential to guarantee that AI is used in ways that respect democratic values.

The Bottom Line

Researchers at Google DeepMind have emphasized that AI has the potential to transform democratic dialogue. They propose that AI tools, like the Habermas Machine, can help individuals find common ground on complex issues. While AI can make conversations more accessible and inclusive, it is crucial to use it responsibly to safeguard democratic values.

If developed thoughtfully, AI could play a crucial role in facilitating collective understanding. It can help address urgent social issues by finding common ground among diverse perspectives. As AI technology advances, models like the Habermas Machine could become vital for navigating the challenges of modern democracy, simplifying and expanding deliberation processes for more extensive and diverse groups.

[sophtera]

Discover the Magic: Invest Smartly, Maximize Gains with Sophtera's Expertise

[glowettee]

I need help asap! So it’s exam season we all know and I keep on asking my teachers for a list of what I need for the test like a list to go home and study and they said no like what is their problem and I have no idea what to do😭please help Mindy not to sound desperate but your like my idol so you would know what to do right 😭

✧˖° my guide to studying when your teacher won’t give you a study guide

hi honey, i love you sooo much <3 thank you for your sweet wordsss, i'm alwaysss, alwaysss here for you, feel free to message me personally or give me more asks in my tumblr inbox! i'll even help with specific subjects.

okay, angel. first of all, i hear you. the frustration is real. teachers saying "just study everything :)" like we don’t have other classes, responsibilities, and, i don’t know, lives?? but listen. this is not a dead end. this is just an opportunity to prove that you can outsmart the system and study better than they ever expected. you’re not desperate, you’re strategic. and i have a plan for you.

step 1: reverse-engineer the test ✧˖°

if they won’t tell you, we’ll figure it out ourselves. here’s how:

➼ look at past tests & quizzes: what kind of questions do they ask? multiple choice? short answer? do they repeat topics? most teachers have a pattern. find it. ➼ scan your syllabus: even if it’s vague, the syllabus outlines what the class prioritizes. highlight major units or chapters. ➼ revisit homework & classwork: if they spent three days drilling a topic, assume it’s important. if a concept was barely mentioned, it’s probably not a focus. ➼ check online study guides: sometimes other students post study guides for similar classes online. search your course name + study guide. you might get lucky.

step 2: ask strategic questions ✧˖°

okay, so they won’t give you a study guide. but what if they accidentally reveal what’s on the test through very calculated questions?

instead of "what’s on the test?", try: ➼ "Would you say Unit 3 is as important as Unit 4?" (forces them to compare importance) ➼ "Should I focus more on definitions or application-based questions?" (gives insight into question type) ➼ "Would it be smart to review [insert topic] in detail?" (watch their reaction, they might hint at its relevance) ➼ "Is there anything I should specifically know how to apply?" (if they hesitate, it’s probably a big exam topic)

play it cool. teachers love acting like they’re withholding top-secret info, but they also love hearing themselves talk. guide the conversation and let them give things away.

step 3: crowdsource the study guide ✧˖°

if your teacher won’t make one, you will!! but you won’t do it alone.

➼ group chat strategy: text your smartest classmates and propose making a study doc together. ➼ class notes audit: everyone checks their notes for key topics they remember being emphasized. ➼ compare tests from other classes: if another teacher teaches the same course, their students might have hints.

you’re basically forming an underground academic intelligence network. the government should honestly hire you.

step 4: predict the questions ✧˖°

teachers aren’t as unpredictable as they think. most reuse question styles from past years. so let’s outthink them.

➼ scan the textbook’s review questions – many teachers pull questions straight from these. ➼ turn subheadings into questions – if a textbook section is called “Causes of the French Revolution,” turn it into: “What were the causes of the French Revolution?”➼ spot repeated terms – if a word/concept appears in your notes/textbook over and over, bet money it’s on the test.

step 5: prioritize the 80/20 rule ✧˖°

80% of the test will come from 20% of the material. instead of trying to memorize everything, (i'm guilty of this) target the most testable topics.

➼ concepts that connect to multiple lessons = high priority ➼ big themes or formulas your teacher emphasized = high priority ➼ random minor details with no context = low priority

this is how you actutallyyyy study smarter, not harder.

step 6: try active recall ✧˖°

highlighting? rereading? sweetie, no. your brain needs active studying. i know you've probably heard this in every 'study' video, blog, article etc, etc.. however, this really works. even when i create my own study methods it all connects to active recall <3

➼ flashcards, but reverse: instead of term → definition, write the definition and force yourself to recall the term. ➼ blurting technique: grab a blank sheet and dump everything you remember. then check what you missed. ➼ teach it to an imaginary class: if you can explain it, you actually understand it.

these methods force your brain to retrieve info, which is the key to remembering it under stress.

step 7: adapt your study style to the test format ✧˖°

different tests require different study techniques.

➼ multiple choice: focus on eliminating wrong answers. make “why is this wrong?” your key question. ➼ short answer: practice summarizing concepts in 1-2 sentences! brevity matters. ➼ essay tests: prep key arguments and supporting facts in advance. don’t memorize full essays. memorize structured points.

step 8: last-minute study hacks ✧˖°

running out of time? try these:

➼ listen to a recording of key concepts before bed, your brain absorbs info in your sleep. ➼ write down the toughest concepts before the test. dumping info on a paper beforehand eases recall under pressure. ➼ do a “cheat sheet” exercise. write what you would bring as a cheat sheet (but don’t actually bring it). the act of writing it out solidifies memory.

🖇 mindy’s personal tips ✧˖°

��� don’t panic. adapt. undetermined students say, “i can’t.” A+ students say, “how can i?” you are an A+ student.✨ treat it like a game. teachers want to gatekeep? fine. you’ll outsmart them instead. ✨ trust your brain. if you’ve prepped strategically, you will recall what you need. confidence is half the battle.

📝 homework: apply these NOW ✧˖°

i loveeee giving you all homework! i made a little checklist for you to start right now <3

☐ start a study guide (even if it’s just bullet points) ☐ test out the “strategic question” technique with your teacher ☐ identify three high-priority topics to focus on tonight ☐ practice active recall (explain a concept to yourself out loud) ☐ reply below or message me: what’s your biggest exam struggle?

final note: you are not helpless. you are not at the mercy of your teacher’s vague instructions. you are capable, smart, and strategic. you’ve got this. and i’ve got you. i know you will do well on your exams, just belive in yourself and all that matters is if you pass, you don't need a 100/100 on your exam to be an A+ student. just trust yourself <3

💌 now go ace that test! <3 ilyy

xoxo mindy

[k20spock]

The Slay the Princess Voices as Birds

I'm not much of a voices guy but I do love biology and assigning animals to characters, so I am assigning all of the voices a bird species and explaining why I picked it. enjoy

Voice of the Hero: House sparrow

[ID: A photo of a male house sparrow perching. End ID.]

Hero is the one I struggled with the most and this bird is actually crowdsourced! It does fit though I think. Sparrows are associated with commonness and familiarity, fitting for a voice who’s always by your side. Some more modern interpretations of sparrow symbolism paint them as hardworking and honest too. I think an everyday bird/voice doing his best is perfect for Hero.

Voice of the Cheated: Seagull (No specific species in mind, but definitely a more urban species like a European herring gull)

[ID: A photo of a European herring gull with its beak open. End ID.]

Seagulls are very cheated birds. They’re considered pests for doing what they have to do to survive with their habitat severely altered by human activity and just happened to adapt better than a lot of other animals. I will forever defend seagulls. They’re also very loud, shrill, persistent birds, qualities I associate with Cheated.

Voice of the Stubborn: Cassowary

[ID: A photo of a Southern cassowary. End ID.]

Cassowaries are widely considered the most dangerous bird and while technically that’s not true (there are more recorded ostrich attacks), the reputation is not undeserved. They’re big, powerful, and can be vicious fighters capable of disembowelment and throat-slitting with their massive claws. Their name in the Biak language literally just means bird strong. 

Voice of the Cold: Northern shrike

[ID: A northern shrike perching on a branch with a dead mouse. End ID.]

By now I’m pretty sure everyone knows about shrikes but if you don’t, let me explain why I picked them for Cold with an alternate name for Northern shrikes: winter butcherbirds. Yeah shrikes are little songbirds known for impaling their prey on sticks as a convenient storage system. I picked Northern shrikes specifically because of that very Cold name, winter butcherbird, and the fact that they breed in the cold reaches of Siberia, Canada, and Alaska.

Voice of the Smitten: Albatross (again, not necessarily a specific species but if I had to pick I’d go with one of the two royal albatrosses for the name)

[ID: A photo of a Northern royal albatross in the water. End ID.]

Ok there’s so so many birds associated with romance so there’s just a plethora of things you could go with for Smitten but I went with an albatross for a few reasons. They’re known for mating for life, having elaborate courtship dances, and being extremely dedicated to their partners. Very much romance birds. They’re also birds that inhabit isolated areas, and are very naive to potential threats because they don’t live in places with natural predators. This made them easy targets for hunters and their feathers were used in garments, which makes me think of Smitten’s line about making a shawl from his feathers. The thing that really sealed the deal though is there’s also some really interesting symbolism associated with them. In literature, they’ve been used as a metaphor for a burden difficult to escape from with the phrase ‘an albatross around your neck’. This just fits so well with Happily Ever After I had to pick albatrosses.

Voice of the Skeptic: Great gray owl

[ID: A photo of a great gray owl on a branch, looking down at the viewer. End ID.]

Owls are associated with wisdom and knowledge, Skeptic is the voice who is the most determined to reason and puzzle his way out of this situation, owls aren’t actually any more intelligent than the average bird, Skeptic’s rigid thinking often prevents him from understanding their situation in a way other voices can. Besides, owls are just a bit spooky and associated with death, something I think fits with Skeptic’s gruff noir detective vibe. I’m not too picky on the exact type of owl, I just picked a great gray because I think they just look like they have Skeptic vibes. I could also easily be convinced of a little owl though, the species associated with Athena that really kickstarted owls’ association with wisdom in Europe and is also associated with death through popular legend saying its calls heralded the death of Julius Caesar. I can also understand why people would go with a crow, but I wanted to go with something different and I feel like the Narrator’s taken it already.

Voice of the Paranoid: Cockatiel

[ID: A photo of an alert wild cockatiel with a raised crest. End ID.]

This pick is one I can see people disagreeing with so let me just explain myself: cockatiels are parrots, yes, birds that don’t really fit with Paranoid’s vibe (and I gave a different parrot to another character already and I’m trying to have some variety here). However, cockatiels in my personal experience are very nervous, neurotic birds with very distinct fear responses. Namely, hissing and raising their crest. I also think it’s fun having Paranoid be a bird often kept as a pet (like what Nightmare’s planning to do!) and having him be a bird capable of mimicking speech. Perfect for repeating a mantra over and over!

Voice of the Hunted: Common pheasant

[ID: A photo of a male common pheasant. End ID.]

Pheasants are simply the birds I associate most with being hunted. They’re one of the oldest and most popular game birds in the world and their anti-predation strategies just boil down to fleeing.

Voice of the Opportunist: Common cuckoo

[ID: A photo of a common cuckoo perching on a branch. End ID.]

I am firmly against ascribing human moral values onto animal behavior, and this includes cuckoos. But like… they’re opportunists. Common cuckoos are obligate brood parasites, which means they lay their eggs in the nest of another bird, often laying eggs designed to look similar to the eggs of the host species. Once they hatch, cuckoo chicks will attempt to eliminate other eggs or hatchlings from the nest to get all the food and attention of the parents to themself. Their deception even continues to adulthood, adult cuckoos mimic the predatory sparrow hawks to ensure they aren’t attacked. Like come on. What else could Opportunist possibly be.

Voice of the Broken: Chicken

[ID: A photo of a chicken. End ID.]

I’ve got a few things in mind with this one. Firstly is that many chickens are raised for meat (which is not an inherently bad thing provided they’re treated ethically), and I think it suits Broken to be a bit of a “doomed” bird. But secondly is that chickens play a religious role in many cultures. In particular, they were a big part of Ancient Roman beliefs and practices. There was an entire chicken-based form of divination. The only other bird I can think of with as much association with religion are doves and they’re much more widely associated with peace and love which, respectfully, isn’t really Broken’s vibe, so chicken it is.

Voice of the Contrarian: Kea

[ID: A photo of a kea walking. End ID.]

The other parrot I mentioned earlier. Kea are parrots native to New Zealand known for their intelligence and love of fucking with people. They’re nicknamed “clown of the mountains” and will investigate and tear up anything which includes cars. They’ll tear up cars. For funsies. If you gave a kea a knife, I’m 100% sure it would throw it out a window.

And that's all of em! Maybe someday I'll draw designs based on these.

[kuwdora]

Saturday Morning Vid Recs - Space and Robots

@tafkarfanfic asked me for vid recs that are similar to the following vids:

Data’s Dream by GayleF (Gayle) and TasheryS which premiered at Escapade in 1994 - made on a VCR!! - and was remastered by morgandawn in 2004. Definitely check out the Fanlore page about Data’s Dream. Star Trek + multi-source.

Starships by bironic. Multi-source. The history of Starships on Fanlore.

These two vids are iconic. Please check them out and learn about their history from the Fanlore page, it's a great look at some vidding history and culture. Amazing vids, do love. As for some recs. I love this kind of prompt. More vids like [this vid] is so much fun. I dug deep into my vid rec archives and brain and bookmarks. I’ve also crowdsourced some recs from the vidding discord. Thank you to @rukbat3, @sandalwoodbox, @fairestcat, @monkeyswithjetpacks, @grammarwoman for the reccing help! And everyone else I might have forgotten.

From Land to Sky - and kicking ass while you're there!

Landsailor by @singlecrow/raven. Multi-source. Swades (We, The People); Master and Commander; 3 Idiots; The Dish; The West Wing; Parks and Recreation; Flight of the Phoenix; NASA archive footage; Apollo 13. ❤️ We're gonna need a bigger boat. Come O’ Eclipse by melodytree. Tenchi: The Samurai Astronomer. Calendar-making! Math puzzles! Astronomy! Politics! Eclipses! Oh my! Galaxyrise by starlady. Multi-source. Apollo 13 (1995), Interstellar (2014), Gravity (2013), Europa Report (2013), Contact (1997), The Martian (2015). This vid is full of so much wonder! The sky calls to us/If we do not destroy ourselves/We will one day venture to the stars. Going through space with the world by bironic. Space Exploration RPF. ❤️❤️❤️ From "day in the life of an astronaut" videos to international stardom; or, Chris Hadfield and his adorable mustache. Monsters of the Cosmos by CherryIce. Thor/MCU. Jane Foster/Science.Cherry’s editing is goddamn incredible. In the last century, black holes have gone from being mathematical curiosities to real objects in the cosmos. This is a vid about Jane Foster and her one true love, Science. Also, Thor is there. Toxic by JinkyO. The Planets (TV - 2019). Humanity/The Solar System. This vid is so fucking brilliant and makes me cackle in love and awe so much. It's dangerous, I'm loving it. Sci-Fi Friday in a Blender by Luminosity. Multi-source. Farscape, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. So much happening in this vid. This is among one of the earliest vids I remember watching and became obsessed with back in the day. Supernova Girl by @usuallyhats. Multifandom. Doctor Who, Star Wars, Babylon 5, Steven Universe, Andromeda, Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Mass Effect, Stargate. So many wonderful brilliant amazing EXCELLENT supernova women and girls. Zoom, zoom, zoom. Space Girl by @aurumcalendula. Multi-source scifi. Inspired by Charmax’s Space Girl vid and Bironic’s The Greatest. This vid has a great selection of newer tv shows and films and it’s fun to play spot that character. But also this vid will grab you by the heart, too. Utterly brilliant, perfection. A must watch!! 'I've been as far in hyperspace as anybody can.' One Girl Revolution by bessyboo. Star Wars, original and prequel. Padme and Leia!! Seeing these two focused on in one Star Wars vid is an adventurous kickass ride. I'll be everything that I want to be. Space Girl by charmax. Multi-source scifi. One of the most beautiful epic space vids out there! I know I’ve recced this before and I’ll rec it again and again and again. My momma told me I should never watch Sci-fi but I did, I did, I did.

Robots! More than wires.

If a Machine by caramarie, Multi-source. Robot narrative focusing on machine origin, intelligence, and interaction with humanity. And Human fallibility. An incredibly rewarding watch and rewatch. This is the story of cables and copper wirings. Electric Avenue by @monkeyswithjetpacks. Multi-source robots! Nate’s multi-vids are always so fun, especially when it’s showcasing classic cinema and all these excellent serials. Electric Avenue has source from 1919 to 2015. His editing is always on fucking point. Don’t miss this vid. We’re gonna rock down to electric avenue. Everybody by @kuwdora. Star Trek, the Borg. This vid was actually inspired by the Backstreet Boys original music video. I still have the vivid memory of watching or rewatching the original music video in @ars-amatoria ’s kitchen. And then at some point realizing it is perfect for the Borg. Am I original, am I the only one? Fembots by Grammarwoman. Multi-source. Sexy sharp editing and fun use of all the sources. The intersection of women and technology: a spectrum of clones, AIs, gynoids, cyborgs, and other artificial creations. On by @rhoboat77. Star Trek: Picard. A Soji fanvid. Rho has the sharpest editing skills this side of the Internet and this Soji vid is so fucking badass and worth 100 rewatches. Can’t hold me down cuz you know I’m a fighter. Que Sera Sera by @ohvienna. Star Trek Voyager and Picard. Seven of Nine.Nobody vids their Seven of Nine love like @ohvienna. You gotta watch this if you love Seven. Whatever will be, will be…"

Journey through Space.

To Touch the Face of God by destina. Multi-source. The Right Stuff (1983, )The Dream Is Alive, From the Earth to the Moon (TV).This is one of the most beautiful moving vids you will EVER, and I mean EVER see. From Chuck Yeager, to the Mercury 7, and on to Apollo and the Space Shuttle Program (STS) - a very human history of the triumphs, joys, and tragedies of the USA's journey into space. Doctor Who on Holiday by sisabet. Farscape, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. A mashup vid of Luminosity’s Sci-Fi Friday in a Blender. This vid inspired me so much. And I have 10 very intense ideas about how I would do my own remix of this vid if I were to make it right now. Fly Me To the Moon by thirdblindmouse. Multi-source. This vid has everything! Alien sex! Xenophilia! Zero-gravity sex! Mpreg!!! Because everyone knows this song is about space sex. Game Night in Space by garrideb. Multi-source. This vid!!!!! IS! SO! MUCH! FUN!! Game on! How are you going to spend those long nights on your starship? Play games, of course! Space poker, space chess, space Monopoly… this is a fanvid celebrating game night in space, set to Don't Stop Me Now by Queen. Starships (Monochromatic Remix) by @monkeyswithjetpacks. Multi-source. See the Fanlore page on the history of Starships (Monochromatic Remix). ALSO check out jetpack-monkey’s extensive notes and side-by-side comparison vid of the original vid and his vid!! He matched Starships shot-for-shot! Most brilliant work ever. The vid notes aren’t on the ao3 page so I HIGHLY recommend checking out the notes on his dreamwidth page! This vid is 10 million kinds of brilliant and technical prowess and perfection.

Vidshow Rec

Alien Invasion! - 30 vids curated and organized into a show by @tafadhali for VidUKon 2024. Featuring films and tv shows: Nope, Attack the Block, Pacific Rim, Venom, Doctor Who, Stargate Atlantis, Star Trek, Prey, Smallville, Rowswell, Supergirl, Arrival, Starship Troopers and more.

Follow these tags to keep up with vid recs this summer:

#saturday morning vid recs

#kuwdora recs

A helpful guide I wrote:

How to Leave Feedback on Fanvids

[astercontrol]

I wonder what was the reasoning behind Flynn's aesthetic choices for program appearances and apparel.

Omg wow, I don't even know. The creation of the Basic programs on Flynn's Grid is another detail I find.... difficult to parse.

And I'm sure I don't know all the canon or possibly-canon lore on it-- there's more Tron source material than I'll ever be able to absorb anyway, especially as someone who doesn't play video games. In constructing my own headcanons I tend to go by just the two movies as "lore which must be accepted or explained," and pick and choose what makes sense to me from everything else.

Which is not a task that's done yet, or even being done consistently.

...For instance, you can tell from my other post that I'm still totally waffling on how much of the Betrayal comic I accept as canon. At least some of it contradicts canon directly (like Dumont's lines about the MCP) so I'm side-eyeing it as a source overall.

But , as with any source material, I will take the bits I find really compelling. It's all fiction, and it's all for fun, so why the hell not.

As for Flynn making all the programs on the new Grid. That is one spot where my suspenders of disbelief stretch near to breaking point. I NEED a clearer understanding of how his creation process works, if I'm gonna even try to imagine details.

There were thousands of programs. Maybe millions. Did he write them on the outside or on the inside-- and how would writing a program even go, on the inside? Was each one coded from scratch? Or are most of them copies or slightly changed copies?

Would it even be possible for one person to create that many different programs, of that complexity, in that amount of time?

I do quite like @CoupleOfDays theory that Flynn didn't actually create them all himself, but crowdsourced them from other programmers all over the world, through some code repository he set up. To me that seems like the most realistic way for so many programs to be generated so fast, with such a level of diversity.

But in any case.... when we try to think about the programs' outfits and aesthetics, like you mentioned -- or really anything about their individual personalities-- we have to face a really, really big question.

Are we going by the same rules by which programs come to life in the Encom system in the original movie?

Or do things work differently on Flynn's Grid?

In the first movie, the life and sentience of programs was a spontaneous thing, never really explained. Maybe some sort of spiritual magic, maybe some idiosyncrasy of Encom's central computer itself -- but the details of how a program manifested weren't something the programmer could choose or even know about.

And it happened to all programs, even the simplest ones. Even little financial calculators like Crom and Ram, who would have absolutely no reason to be deliberately programmed with anything resembling true intelligence.

The programmer writes and compiles a script; absolutely any script. And it goes online in the Encom computer system. And there, inside, it manifests-- just miraculously appears with a human form. And no human chooses or even understands how these programs end up looking the way they do.

Did the programs in Flynn's Grid experience the same thing when they came online there?

If so, then it's likely that Flynn didn't even choose their outfits or anything about their aesthetics. The inherent, natural laws of the system --whatever those were, and whether or not Flynn understood them on any level-- simply dictated, somehow-- based on something about the code of the program being activated-- just exactly how that code was going to be rendered in visual form within the computer world. Flynn had no say in it.

Or did he?

After all, this one was a computer he built. Maybe he had enough understanding of its workings to tweak the protocols for how it generated the appearances of new programs.

If so, that could explain why their faces all looked different even if they were all created by Flynn. In the Encom system, programs had their Users' faces by default. In a Flynn-built system, there might be more versatility.

And if he did have control of the outfits, and got to choose to make them look the way they did--

Eh. I don't even know.

Maybe his thought process resembled what I've seen expressed by some creators of Tron fanart. "Goddammit. My HAND hurts. That was TOO many circuits. I am NEVER drawing an Encom program again."

...

[mariacallous]

United States intelligence officials have been quietly issuing warnings to government agencies all summer about a rising threat of extremist violence tied to the 2024 presidential election, including plots to destroy bins full of paper ballots and promote "lone wolf" attacks against election facilities throughout the country.

In a series of reports between July and September, analysts at the Department of Homeland Security warned of a “heightened risk” of extremists carrying out attacks in response to the race. Copies of the reports, first reported by WIRED, describe efforts by violent groups to provoke attacks against election infrastructure and spread calls for the assassinations of lawmakers and law enforcement agents.

Last month, the agency’s intelligence office emphasized in a report that “perceptions of voter fraud” had risen to become a primary “trigger” for the “mobilization to violence.” This is particularly true, the report says, among groups working to leverage the “concept of a potential civil war.” Fears about “crimes by migrants or minorities” are among other top “triggers,” it says.

The documents show that DHS alerted dozens of agencies this summer to online chatter indicating potential attacks on election drop boxes—secured receptacles used in more than 30 states to collect mail-in voter ballots. The text highlights the efforts of an unnamed group to crowdsource information about “incendiary and explosive materials” capable of destroying the boxes and ballots. An extensive list of household mixtures and solvents, which are said to render voter ballots “impossible to process,” was also compiled by members of the group, the report says, and openly shared online.

“The United States remains in a heightened, dynamic threat environment and we continue to share information with our law enforcement partners about the threats posed by domestic violent extremists in the context of the 2024 election,” a spokesperson from DHS tells WIRED. "Violence has no place in our politics, and DHS continues to work with our partners to evaluate and mitigate emerging threats that may arise from domestic or foreign actors. DHS, through CISA, is also helping  election officials and election infrastructure partners bolster resilience in their cyber, physical, and operational security.  The Department continues to advise federal, state, and local partners to remain vigilant to potential threats and encourages the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities."

The FBI, which is on a distribution list for several of the reports, declined to comment.

The reports were first obtained by Property of the People, a nonprofit focused on transparency and national security, under open records law. The reports contain details about how to commit crimes and avoid law enforcement, which WIRED is not publishing.

Wendy Via, cofounder and president of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), says the conclusion reached by DHS matches the consensus of experts in the field: “Election denialism is going to be the primary motivator—if there is going to be violence.”

For decades, a growing number of states have adopted election drop boxes as a way to offer voters a dedicated, secure, and convenient way to submit voter ballots ahead of elections. Today, as many as 35 states allow drop boxes in some capacity, though a handful—nearly all southern—have outlawed their use, mostly over baseless claims about fraud and ballot stuffing. While drop boxes are no less secure than other forms of voting, Republicans have scrambled to block their use in key states, including Wisconsin, where Donald Trump blasted legislation expanding drop boxes as “only good for Democrats and cheating.” Via points to the Republican-led campaign aimed at banning and restricting access to election drop boxes in Wisconsin as a flash point for election denialism and possible violence.

The obsession with the otherwise mundane practice of dropping off ballots prior to election day stems in large part from the widely discredited film 2,000 Mules. The “documentary” depicts a shadowy network of operatives attempting to sway the 2020 election by stuffing ballots in Joe Biden’s favor; the film’s publisher, a conservative media company, has since issued an apology.

While the film’s evidence turned out to be false, it nevertheless provoked a surge of intimidation from far-right groups targeting drop-box voters and the officials defending their use. For the November election, some groups have committed to fundraising in order to surveil the boxes around the clock over public livestream. Others have hosted events near the locations to push conspiracy theories about immigrants. Election denial groups such as True the Vote, meanwhile, are working with myriad others across the country, as WIRED reported this summer, and are establishing a web of operations for waging legal warfare in the aftermath of the vote—if Trump fails to retake the White House a second time.

Spurious claims of voter fraud have remained a mainstay of the former president’s reelection efforts, with Trump preemptively and baselessly claiming that should he lose in November, the election will have been rigged. Claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen have been exhaustively investigated and debunked by countless judges and state election officials across the country. Property of the People executive director Ryan Shapiro says that though DHS does not mention the political leanings of the subjects in its reports, he believes “the documents make plain that US intelligence is bracing for election- and immigration-related violence from Trump's MAGA minions.”

The concerns of DHS today are reminiscent of warnings shared by the agency two years ago during the midterm elections. Similar bulletins leaked then showing fears among federal security officials that extremists would mount an attack, threaten poll workers, or sabotage infrastructure. The concerns proved largely unwarranted, outside of scattered instances of armed men in paramilitary gear showing up to “monitor” ballot boxes across Arizona—an effort quietly spearheaded in part by True the Vote, which helped make 2,000 mules, involving militias that included the American Patriots Three Percent, an anti-government group.

The election threats flagged in the reports by DHS appear to be growing more extreme over time. No longer restricted to aggressive surveillance and loitering outside polling locations, the risks associated by DHS with election fraud conspiracies today more closely resemble traditional acts of terrorism.

There are, however, some deterrents. The arrests and prosecutions of rioters involved in the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol building are credited by DHS, as well as groups such as GPAHE, with stifling much of the enthusiasm that far-rights groups once held for turning out in big numbers.

“In my lifetime of working in civil rights, the January 6 arrests are the only time I’ve ever seen an arrest or prosecution work as a deterrent,” says Via. “They really do not want to go to jail.”

[argumate]

Let's consider Tumblr through the lens of rationality and systematic analysis, as Eliezer Yudkowsky might. Tumblr isn't just a social platform; it's a complex ecosystem of ideas, memes, and human interactions, ripe for an examination through the principles of LessWrong and rationalist thought.

Firstly, Tumblr exemplifies the concept of an idea space, a community where beliefs, memes, and narratives propagate and evolve. It's a living experiment in memetics. Each post, each reblog, acts as a vector for the spread of ideas, subject to a form of natural selection. The most resonant, emotionally engaging, or simply amusing content proliferates, while less engaging content fades into obscurity. It's a fascinating, real-time study of human psychology and the dynamics of information flow.

However, Tumblr also presents a case study in the pitfalls of epistemic rationality. The platform's design encourages echo chambers, where users can curate their information feeds to align almost exclusively with their pre-existing beliefs. This selective exposure can reinforce biases and insulate users from confronting counter-evidence or alternative viewpoints, a phenomenon deeply at odds with the rationalist ideal of continually updating one's beliefs in accordance with new evidence.

Moreover, the discourse on Tumblr often features a high level of emotional investment and identity politics. While these are deeply human traits, they can sometimes lead to motivated reasoning and a departure from dispassionate, objective analysis. The intensity of the community's engagement with social justice issues, while admirable in its passion, often intertwines factual claims with value judgments in ways that can be analytically messy and resistant to straightforward rational evaluation.

Yet, despite these challenges, Tumblr also embodies the potential for collective intelligence and crowdsourced wisdom. It's a platform where, if navigated judiciously, one can encounter diverse perspectives, engage with complex narratives, and even stumble upon insightful analyses that cut through the noise.

In essence, Tumblr, through the lens of a rationalist like Yudkowsky, is a microcosm of broader societal dynamics, reflecting both the strengths and weaknesses of human cognition and social interaction. It's a sandbox for observing the machinations of memes, the dance of discourse, and the complex, often messy endeavor of human reasoning and belief formation.

[ChatGPT]

[simply-ivanka]

Jared Kushner: 'There is no going back for Israel'

September 27th is the most important day in the Middle East since the Abraham Accords breakthrough.

I have spent countless hours studying Hezbollah and there is not an expert on earth who thought that what Israel has done to decapitate and degrade them was possible.

This is significant because Iran is now fully exposed. The reason why their nuclear facilities have not been destroyed, despite weak air defense systems, is because Hezbollah has been a loaded gun pointed at Israel. Iran spent the last forty years building this capability as its deterrent.

President Trump would often say, “Iran has never won a war but never lost a negotiation.” The Islamic Republic’s regime is much tougher when risking Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian and Houthi lives than when risking their own. Their foolish efforts to assassinate President Trump and hack his campaign reek of desperation and are hardening a large coalition against them.

Iranian leadership is stuck in the old Middle East, while their neighbors in the GCC are sprinting toward the future by investing in their populations and infrastructure. They are becoming dynamic magnets for talent and investment while Iran falls further behind. As the Iranian proxies and threats dissipate, regional security and prosperity will rise for Christians, Muslims and Jews alike.

Israel now finds itself with the threat from Gaza mostly neutralized and the opportunity to neutralize Hezbollah in the north. It’s unfortunate how we got here but maybe there can be a silver lining in the end.

Anyone who has been calling for a ceasefire in the North is wrong. There is no going back for Israel. They cannot afford now to not finish the job and completely dismantle the arsenal that has been aimed at them. They will never get another chance.

After the brilliant, rapid-fire tactical successes of the pagers, radios, and targeting of leadership, Hezbollah’s massive weapon cache is unguarded and unmanned. Most of Hezbollah fighters are hiding in their tunnels. Anyone still around was not important enough to carry a pager or be invited to a leadership meeting. Iran is reeling, as well, insecure and unsure how deeply its own intelligence has been penetrated. Failing to take full advantage of this opportunity to neutralize the threat is irresponsible.

I have been hearing some amazing stories about how Israel has been collecting intelligence over the past 10 months with some brilliant technology and crowdsourcing initiatives.

But today, with the confirmed killing of Nasrallah and at least 16 top commanders eliminated in just nine days, was the first day I started thinking about a Middle East without Iran’s fully loaded arsenal aimed at Israel. So many more positive outcomes are possible.

This is a moment to stand behind the peace-seeking nation of Israel and the large portion of the Lebanese who have been plagued by Hezbollah and who want to return to the times when their country was thriving, and Beirut a cosmopolitan city. The main issue between Lebanon and Israel is Iran; otherwise there is a lot of benefit for the people of both countries from working together.

The right move now for America would be to tell Israel to finish the job. It’s long overdue. And it’s not only Israel’s fight.

More than 40 years ago, Hezbollah killed 241 US military personnel, including 220 Marines. That remains the single deadliest day for the U.S. Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima. Later that same day, Hezbollah killed 58 French paratroopers.

And now, over the past six weeks or so, Israel has eliminated as many terrorists on the US list of wanted terrorists as the US has done in the last 20 years. Including Ibrahim Aqil, the leader of Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization who masterminded the 1983 killing of those Marines.

The philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy wrote on X, “I keep reading everywhere that Lebanon is 'on the brink of collapse.' No. It is on the brink of relief and deliverance.”

Moments like this come once in a generation, if they even come at all.

The Middle East is too often a solid where little changes. Today, it is a liquid and the ability to reshape is unlimited. Do not squander this moment.

Let’s all pray for success, for peace and for the good judgement of our leaders.

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

In Brazil, tech is a new frontier in battles over Indigenous lands

As illegal miners seek to profit from the Amazon, and NGOs to protect it, high-speed internet, AI and even Flight Simulator are emerging as tools for good and bad

Practising risky landings on makeshift airstrips from behind a screen, and accessing high-speed internet in the depths of the Amazon: tech advances are giving illegal miners in Brazil new ways to support their activities, presenting challenges for monitoring and forest protection in remote areas, including the territory of the crisis-hit Yanomami Indigenous people.

Such miners, however, are also finding their efforts thwarted by inspection bodies and NGOs, who are fighting back using similarly new technology: artificial intelligence, and an online game using satellite imagery that crowdsources efforts to monitor deforestation and illegal mining.

In this tech-based battle between environmental preservation and destruction, an urgent situation is at stake: the lives of almost 30,000 Yanomami, who are suffering due to the advance of illegal gold miners, or garimpeiros, into their territory – incursions that are bringing disease, malnutrition and violence.

Continue reading.

[jcmarchi]

How AI is Shaping the Future of Democratic Dialogue

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/how-ai-is-shaping-the-future-of-democratic-dialogue/

How AI is Shaping the Future of Democratic Dialogue

In today’s politically polarized world, finding common ground on complex social and political issues is becoming increasingly challenging. As societies grow more diverse, disagreements on crucial matters like climate change, immigration, and economic policy have only extended. Bringing people together to find consensus on complex issues often requires time, resources, and a level playing field where all voices can be heard.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence have brought new possibilities for technology to assist in facilitating complex dialogues on divisive topics. AI-powered large language processing (NLP) models, for example, have grown sophisticated enough to interpret complex language and discern differences in sentiments and perspectives. Moreover, AI systems are being designed with features like real-time sentiment analysis, bias detection, and adaptive feedback. These abilities make them especially suited to assist in facilitating fair and balanced discussions.

This potential has caught the attention of Google DeepMind researchers to explore the promise of AI in facilitating civil discourse. Inspired by the ideas of philosopher Jürgen Habermas, they’ve created the “Habermas Machine” (HM), a tool for supporting civil discourse and helping groups discover shared values. The article examines the question: Can AI really help us find common ground? It also looks at how the Habermas Machine (HM) can facilitate democratic deliberation.

The Habermas Machine

The Habermas Machine is an AI tool designed to analyze individual opinions and create a unified group statement. The machine works like a “caucus mediation.” Participants start by sharing their thoughts. The AI then combines these into a draft statement. Next, participants review this draft and provide critiques. The AI uses its input to generate a revised statement that seeks to gain broader agreement, capturing both majority views and minority critiques.

This machine employs two specialized LLMs for this task. The first is a generative model that creates statements reflecting diverse views of the group. The second is a personalized reward model that evaluates these statements based on how likely each participant is to agree with them. The generative model is refined using supervised fine-tuning, while the reward model is iteratively enhanced based on the reward signals

The machine was tested with over 5,000 participants from across the UK. Some joined through a crowdsourcing platform, while others were recruited by the Sortition Foundation, a nonprofit organizing citizens’ assembly. Participants were divided into groups, and testing took place in two phases. First, the machine summarized collective opinions. Then, it mediated between groups to help identify common ground.

The Promise of AI in Uncovering Common Ground for Democratic Dialogue

The study highlights AI’s potential to find common ground in democratic dialogue. One key finding was that AI-mediated discussions led participants to shift toward shared views. Unlike unmediated discussions, which often reinforced existing beliefs, AI helped participants reconsider their positions, drawing them closer to a middle ground. This ability to encourage alignment shows that AI could be a valuable tool for dealing with complex and divisive issues.

The study also revealed that both participants and independent judges rated AI-generated statements more favorably than those produced by human mediators. They found the AI’s statements to be more precise, more informative, and fairer. Importantly, the AI did not merely amplify majority opinions; it also gave weight to minority viewpoints. This feature helped prevent the “tyranny of the majority” and ensured that dissenting voices were heard. The inclusion of these dissenting views is crucial, especially in sensitive debates, as fair representation helps prevent misunderstandings and encourages balanced discussions.

Real-World Applications of AI in Deliberative Democracy

The implications of AI-mediated deliberation are significant for real-world scenarios. For example, AI can enhance policy discussions, conflict resolution, contract negotiations, and citizens’ assemblies. Its ability to foster balanced dialogue makes it a valuable tool for governments, organizations, and communities seeking to address complex issues involving diverse stakeholders.

To test the model’s effectiveness in a practical setting, researchers organized a virtual citizens’ assembly with a representative sample of UK residents. This assembly focused on divisive topics such as immigration policy and climate action. Following AI-mediated discussions, participants showed a noticeable shift toward consensus, with no AI bias influencing their opinions. These findings highlight how AI mediation can potentially guide collective decision-making on critical social issues while minimizing bias.

Limitations and Ethical Considerations

While AI mediation shows great promise, it has notable limitations. For instance, the AI model used in this study lacks fact-checking capabilities, which means it relies heavily on the quality of input from participants. Moreover, AI-assisted deliberation requires careful design to avoid harmful or unproductive discourse. Another important consideration is the ethical role of AI in democratic processes. Some individuals may be cautious of using AI in political discussions, fearing that algorithms could unintentionally influence outcomes. Therefore, ongoing oversight and a clear ethical framework are essential to guarantee that AI is used in ways that respect democratic values.

The Bottom Line

Researchers at Google DeepMind have emphasized that AI has the potential to transform democratic dialogue. They propose that AI tools, like the Habermas Machine, can help individuals find common ground on complex issues. While AI can make conversations more accessible and inclusive, it is crucial to use it responsibly to safeguard democratic values.

If developed thoughtfully, AI could play a crucial role in facilitating collective understanding. It can help address urgent social issues by finding common ground among diverse perspectives. As AI technology advances, models like the Habermas Machine could become vital for navigating the challenges of modern democracy, simplifying and expanding deliberation processes for more extensive and diverse groups.

[sophtera]

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