Popular News Reporting from the Washington Post: "Doge reportedly using AI tool to create ‘delete list’ of federal regulations" (The Guardian UK Version)

 

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Western elites (and consequentially the masses that take their cues from elite theatrics) appear to enjoy  the instrumentalization of a sort of demonology that can trigger the sort of hysteria necessary to underpin desired political/social action. 

 

Artificial Intelligence, like the printing press before it (like other technological pivots in human history), has proven to be both irresistibly useful and unimaginably terrifying--depending on the moment, the person, and more particularly the interests advanced or negatively impacted.  Thus it was that the Washington Post broke a story, repeated in other places (this post is based on the version published by the Guardian UK), in which a story that would have been innocuous (as much as a transformative use of A.I. might be innocuous) except that, for the news outlets reporting it, and for the people leaking the information, it was undertaken by political enemies of these organs:

The “department of government efficiency” (Doge) is using artificial intelligence to create a “delete list” of federal regulations, according to a report, proposing to use the tool to cut 50% of regulations by the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s second inauguration. The “Doge AI Deregulation Decision Tool” will analyze 200,000 government regulations, according to internal documents obtained by the Washington Post, and select those which it deems to be no longer required by law. Doge, which was run by Elon Musk until May, claims that 100,000 of those regulations can then be eliminated, following some staff feedback. * * * Musk appointed a slew of inexperienced staffers to Doge, including Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old who was previously known by the online handle “Big Balls”. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Coristine was one of two Doge associates promoting the use of AI across the federal bureaucracy. (Doge reportedly using AI tool to create ‘delete list’ of federal regulations: Department of government efficiency’ is proposing to use tool to cut 50% of federal regulations by January)

But the story, which is far more interesting than the proposal explained in the PowerPoint (which may be accessed HERE from the Washington Post) and follows below) suggests the use of A.I. within a human centered effort to consider, review and reduce the footprint of regulations.  One can quibble with the objectives, one cam argue that the parameters are wrong, and the like--but the idea of reviewing a body of regulation for the purpose of trimming unnecessary regulation is neither new nor untried by political administrations of virtually every political leaning. What is new is the scope of the endeavor--now made possible by technology, and the use of artificial intelligence (whatever that means in this case) to aid in the operation. That IS worth talking about, as are the basic analytics coded into the search and categorization parameters, the assumptions about costs and savings, the amount of time necessary for appropriate human centering and the actual tasks and oversight of the process left to humans, and the like. All of this, in any case, will take time; but time may not be what Doge has. That and the rest of it is just--well--politics.