Ethics Archives

Effective Altruism Causes: 3 Criteria for Picking an Issue to Tackle

A woman looking at a world map with little fires in several places all over the world illustrates effective altruism causes

Are you passionate about making a real difference in the world? What criteria should you use to choose which causes to support for maximum impact? William MacAskill’s book Doing Good Better offers insights on selecting effective altruism causes. He proposes evaluating problems based on their magnitude, feasibility, and how underappreciated they are. This approach helps you identify where your efforts can have the greatest positive impact. Keep reading to discover how you can make more informed decisions about which global issues to tackle.

Can AI Be Controlled or Contained? 3 Reasons It’s Too Late

A sophisticated AI robot breaking through a wall raises the question, "Can AI be controlled?"

Are you worried about the future of AI? Have you ever wondered if we could simply stop its development? Can AI be controlled or contained? In Scary Smart, author Mo Gawdat explores why halting AI’s progress is no longer possible. He explains that we’ve reached a point of no return, where superintelligent AI will become an independent, thinking entity beyond our control. Keep reading to discover the three reasons why AI can’t be contained or controlled.

Salesforce’s 4 Core Values: Service, Inclusivity, and More

What are Salesforce’s core values? How does Salesforce promote inclusivity and excellent customer service? Marc Benioff says that Salesforce became a Fortune 500 company by practicing principled business. Salesforce prioritizes four key moral principles: service, advancement, inclusivity, and confidence. Let’s discuss how the company has translated each of these principles into action over its history.

Salesforce’s Diversity and Inclusion Initiative for Equality

A rainbow balloon as part of Salesforce's diversity and inclusion campaign

Why is diversity and inclusion important in any business? How does Salesforce create an equal space for all of its employees? Marc Benioff explains that he’s always striven for inclusivity at Salesforce. However, he didn’t explicitly focus on this principle until two key incidents brought Salesforce’s underperformance in this area to his attention. Let’s look at the two incidents that persuaded Benioff to improve Salesforce’s diversity and inclusion plan.

A Detailed Overview of Salesforce’s Business Model

What is Salesforce’s business model? What principles do the company follow? According to Marc Benioff, it’s not enough for a company to simply have principles—it must also practice those principles consistently and benefit all its stakeholders. His company, Salesforce, practices principled business in two ways. Keep reading to learn more about Salesforce’s business model and the principles it upholds.

Salesforce’s Philanthropy: A Better World Through Business

How does Salesforce give back to the world? Why is Salesforce so involved in American politics? Marc Benioff considers society and the global environment two of Salesforce’s chief stakeholders. A couple of ways he addresses social and environmental problems are through a philanthropic program and campaigning for political change to promote minorities’ rights. Discover more about Salesforce’s philanthropy efforts.

No Consequences? Taking Determinism to Its Logical Conclusion

Are you tired of feeling guilty for your actions? Is that feeling justified? What if you’re not responsible for what you do and say? In his book Determined, Robert Sapolsky explores the concept of determinism and its implications for personal responsibility. He challenges our traditional notions of praise, blame, and punishment in a world with no consequences for our choices. Keep reading to understand Sapolsky’s thought-provoking ideas about human behavior and accountability.

Why Does AI Hallucinate? How Machines Are Easily Fooled

a giraffe wearing a top hat and a bow tie raises the question Why does AI hallucinate?

What’s an AI hallucination? Why does AI hallucinate? What are the consequences of these errors? In their book Rebooting AI, Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis explore the phenomenon of AI hallucinations. They explain why these errors occur and discuss the potential risks in critical situations such as airport control towers or self-driving cars. Keep reading to learn about the challenges of debugging artificial neural networks.

AI Standards: Holding Machines to Human-Level Expectations

a graphic designer working at a computer with several electronic devices on her desk depicts the importance of AI standards

Are you concerned about the performance of AI systems in our daily lives? How can we ensure AI meets the same safety standards as other critical technologies? In their book Rebooting AI, Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis explore the current state of AI standards and performance. They discuss the challenges of measuring AI capabilities and propose minimum requirements for AI reliability before we entrust it with crucial responsibilities. Read on to discover why high AI standards are crucial for our future and what steps experts suggest we take to improve them.

The Potential of AI: What Will It Take to Achieve Strong AI?

a tech developer working at a computer with a depiction of a human brain on the screen illustrates the potential of AI

What’s the true potential of AI? What if AI could think and learn more like humans do? What would it take to get there? In Rebooting AI, Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis explore the future of artificial intelligence. They argue that, to unlock the potential of AI, developers must create systems capable of human-level cognition. This entails drawing on research in neuroscience and psychology rather than relying solely on big data and current machine-learning techniques. Keep reading to discover how strong AI could transform our world and why higher engineering standards are crucial for its development.