Cross-posted from the EA Forum
I'm searching for examples of self-governance efforts to reduce technology risk. Do people have cases to suggest?
The more similar to AI development the better. That is, efforts by companies or academic communities to address risks that affect third parties, with minimal involvement from governments beyond basic law and order.
Examples from academia:
- Leo Szilard and other physicists coordinating to prevent Germany from obtaining atomic bomb data, 1939-1940
- Various efforts in biotechnology:
- Asilomar conference on recombinant DNA, 1975
- Mutations Database Initiative, 1999-2001
- Synthetic biology conferences SB1.0 and SB2.0, 2006
- Biology journals discussing publication restrictions, 2001-2011
Examples from the commercial sector:
- DNA synthesis companies screening orders and buyers, 2004-2012
- Efforts by the nanotechnology companies in the US, UK and Europe, 2004-2007
Thanks, I hadn't considered this series of efforts before! I just spent 15 minutes reading about denuclearization of North Korea, and it seems like most efforts (e.g. IAEA signing and crisis in 1994, withdrawal from NPT in 2003, six-party talks) involve governments and international organisations to a large degree. [1]
But if you've got more information or sources to recommend, I'd love to learn more!
[1] https://www.nti.org/learn/countries/north-korea/nuclear/