Twas the weeks before Christmas
And Santa was busy
His list was so long
It was making him dizzy
There are too many children
List checking can’t scale
If I do this by hand
I will certainly fail!
But one of his elves
Had a brilliant idea
What if we automate
Christmas this year!
There always are kids
Who are naughty or nice
Every year for millennia
You’ve checked that list twice
Every child there’s been
From Aaron to Zeta
We can build an AI
Because we have the data
Now, Santa is old
Didn’t quite understand
But he trusts his elves
So he okayed the plan
First the elves cleaned the data
They were very precise
To determine the patterns
In the naughty and nice
Gender and parents
And address and race
Grades and faves
Really, every trace
Billions of children
Made into numbers
AI makes predictions
While each child slumbers
The goal of the model
(Just to be clear)
Given these patterns
Who’s naughty this year?
They held back a sample
So that they could test
And the model? Not bad.
Ninety percent, at their best
So they brought it to Santa
And said, never fear!
Machine learning
Will save Christmas this year
Santa pulled out his list
For his own kind of test
Hours later he went
From impressed to distressed
We can’t use this, he said
You must realize the stakes
There also are patterns
In errors this makes
Like take little Aaron
Do you think it’s fair
That in numbers he’s ‘like’
Naughty kids over there?
We’re also assuming
Our own perfect past
Have we made mistakes?
We at least have to ask
Because look at this insight
The data supplies us
Some elves on these shelves
Might have unconscious bias!
And you all made choices
Which features to add
Are you sure this was fair?
And the elves looked quite sad
They had to admit
They’d bought into the hype
But those errors did matter
And Santa was right
For now, Santa said
I’ll go back to my list
Some things need a human
To ensure they’re not missed
I do think tech could help us
You didn’t mean to abuse it
But with any great power
Be careful how you use it
So next Santa hired
An AI ethics team
We moved too fast, he said
We don’t want to break things.
A few years ago someone asked me to explain AI bias to them like they were five, and so I thought of something five-year-olds care about: Santa. It also happens that the idea of using AI to predict who will land on the naughty or nice list also serves as a metaphor for biased recidivism algorithms used in the criminal justice system. (And I’ve also always thought that elf on the shelf is a good way to teach your kids about surveillance…)
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night, where you can dream of real people learning the same lesson that Santa did. :)
Hey!I'm Elif and I'm a bit confused on my shifting/manifestation journey. I almost shifted with the void state and I entered Sabbath(the flow state?) but I don't know how I did it and how I can do it again. What tips do you have for me? Have a nice day!
Hey Elif☺️ as I (obviously) also don't know how exactly you did it or what works for you, I'll see what information I can get through tarot...
What did you do that led to a successful attempt? (described by tarot)
. you followed a certain routine/plan/method. there was some type of structure that you integrated into your attempt to reach your goal. you were and thought pragmatically, you had a long term vision. you set boundaries on what you like doing and what you don't enjoy (as method). you were committed - perhaps you spent time planning or practicing beforehand, ex. for a week. perhaps you've noticed that you're gradually improving (which gave you confidence). all these things helped you feel stable and secure which in turn made you confident.
. while having a certain structure, you also tried to look at this from a spiritual perspective. perhaps you spent time thinking about a deeper meaning and about your own spiritual development. you gave the void/sabbath a (personal) deeper meaning. perhaps you tried out some other spiritual practice during 'the preparation time' or read some books. you meditated. you perhaps followed the instructions of a meditation. you had trust in the universe. you didn't rush yourself. perhaps it was night time.
. you were clear about your intentions. you knew that you're all that you need, so there was no need to wait, you just did it. perhaps you used all things available to you (your imagination, affirmation etc). you were efficient but also creative. you had a clear vision. you believed that magical things will happen. you remained positive and open for all possibilities.
. you were honest with yourself. you wanted to live or be authentic/true to yourself. perhaps that was your motivation. you freed yourself from other people's expectations and opinions. perhaps you already knew at that time what works for you and what does not, so the truth was known to you in a way. you meditated and meditation gave you answers and assurance.
🚫 I DO NOT ACCEPT TAROT READING REQUESTS RIGHT NOW. 🚫
Who: Elif @cantfightmoonlight
Where: Paradise Juice Counter
If there was more than one reason other than being healthy for Rangi to be at the juice bar more frequently, then those reasons were for her to know only. And those reasons definitely didn't involve her mother's consistent comments on how pale and ghostly she thought her daughter looked. And they definitely didn't involve her wanting to not look so "pale and ghostly" if she was going to start socializing again and maybe seeing people who she might not want to see her looking so "pale and ghostly".
The problem was that the sun didn't stay out long anymore. She was up before sunrise and home far after sunset now and she cursed the silly American tradition of observing a time change that did little for them. But cursing an entire country wasn't going to make the sun come up any earlier, and so Rangi had taken to getting her sunshine time in during her lunch breaks. And, admittedly, it was nice to get out of the lab during the day. She could really only stand Ralph's babbling for so long before even she needed a break.
And so it was with this newfound routine that Rangi found herself back at Paradise Juice Counter for the third time that week. She'd found a drink and snack she liked and a little table in the corner that soaked up the most sun, so it wasn't all bad, starting a new routine. When she pushed open the door and tucked herself into the store, she noted a woman near the counter who she thought she'd seen here the past two times she came in as well-- but who she also notedly did not recognize. Which was unusual for her, seeing as she made it her business to know as many people in town as she could.
Sauntering up to the woman, who seemed to be contemplating her choice, she leaned in a little and said, "I hear they put real fruit in these things. Guess that makes them more a-peel-ing."