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throwaway713 • today at 5:12 AM • 4 replies • view on HN

> we ask them to stop testing advanced mathematical problems on proprietary models.

Maybe I'm alone on this, but for some reason these sorts of requests strike me as akin to gatekeeping how someone should breathe air. It's math... the numbers and symbols are just out there in the platonic realm available for anyone to do as they like with them. It's patently absurd to request other people to stop.

Ensuring credit where credit is due? That's fine. If your model incorporates the efforts of many others, then it's reasonable to request acknowledgement of everyone who contributed (even indirectly). But that's not what the request states — presumably their ask subsumes any advanced ML model, including those that weren't trained on a giant corpus of text.


Replies

omnicognate • today at 6:31 AM

> gatekeeping how someone should breathe air

Air is there for all to breathe. It's a more-or-less fungible, free resource for all to use and the consumption of it is a basic requirement for life.

The AI companies, in contrast are using vast financial, human and compute resources to train and operate specialised models that are not available to the public. The advisory group's job is to give non-binding advice on how they can use this privately owned technology in a responsible manner that avoids doing unnecessary harm to the mathematical community. To call that gatekeeping misses the point entirely.

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Davidzheng • today at 5:21 AM

You're not alone, even among mathematicians.

Joker_vD • today at 5:47 AM

> gatekeeping how someone should breathe air. It's math... the numbers and symbols are just out there in the platonic realm available for anyone to do as they like with them. It's patently absurd to request other people to stop.

The chemical compounds of all kinds are also out there, available for anyone to do as they like with them. Say, mixing ammonium chlorate with peroxide, why not? Or potassium permanganate with powdered aluminum. It's patently absurd to request other people to stop.

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mmaunder • today at 5:25 AM

Humans have been trying to outlaw thinking for some time now.

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