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From: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Newsgroups: net.ai,net.cog-eng,sci.physics,sci.math
Subject: Re: Weizenbaum keynote address at U of Waterloo (long)
Message-ID: <699@looking.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 2-Nov-86 02:59:32 EST
Article-I.D.: looking.699
Posted: Sun Nov  2 02:59:32 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 4-Nov-86 23:43:57 EST
References: <2689@watdcsu.UUCP>
Reply-To: brad@looking.UUCP (Brad Templeton)
Distribution: can
Organization: Looking Glass Software Ltd. Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 32
Xref: watmath net.ai:3854 net.cog-eng:810 sci.physics:92 sci.math:100
Summary: 

In article <2689@watdcsu.UUCP> brewster@watdcsu.UUCP (dave brewer,  SD Eng, PAMI ) writes:
>  5) You have never seen an audience squirm, as they did for the
>     second lecture.  A once premier researcher, addresses his
>     contemporaries, and tells them they are ethically and morally
>     bankrupt, and every member of the audience has at least some
>     small buried doubt that maybe he is right. 

The audienced "squirmed" as Dr. Weizenbaum accused, not so much because
he told us we were morally bankrupt, but because he told us we might be
so.

His contstant message, or so he said, throughout the evening was,
"Computer Scientists, examine the morality of what you are doing."

I don't want to belittle this message, because it's important, but it doesn't
need a full talk.  It was obvious that he had more to say than that, even
though he denied he was saying more, but he waffled about this further ground.

An audience does not expect hints at immorality, they expect to hear a speaker's
real opinions and solid arguments.  That the audience wanted an answer to
the question, "what sort of work do you think people should abandon" is not
surprising.  The questions that people like myself, Kelly & Ian! asked all
touched on serious aspects of this issue.  Dr. Weizenbaum's answers spoke
of gray areas and the need for miracles.  The only concrete things discussed
were the areas of computer vision & self programming natural language
interfaces.

Perhaps most people in this field really are moral blank slates who have to
be reminded that they should consider the risks in what they do.  Those who
asked the questions certainly were not, and perhaps came seeking more.
-- 
Brad Templeton, Looking Glass Software Ltd. - Waterloo, Ontario 519/884-7473