Oh man, just rediscovered this little story a friend and I generated with AI ages ago. I still feel a way about this... couldn't tell you exactly what that feeling is but it is sure very feelingy.
In the not-so-distant future, a small group of tech ethicists, legal scholars, and policy advocates united under a common banner: The Algorithmic and Systemic Accountability Project (ASAP). They shared a vision for a world where complex non-human systems—whether AI algorithms or macroeconomic systems like capitalism—could be held accountable for their impacts.
Their first focus was on non-human algorithms. With the world increasingly being run by artificial intelligence systems, they saw a desperate need for creating a legal framework that held these autonomous systems accountable. Through rigorous research and strategic advocacy, ASAP proposed a groundbreaking policy that would treat advanced AI systems as 'Artificial Entities', a new legal status that could bear a form of limited liability.
The AI creators and operators were still responsible, but the 'Artificial Entities' had their own obligations, with penalties translating to regulatory action, fines, or in extreme cases, decommissioning of the AI. Public opinion was initially divided, but after a high-profile incident where an AI-operated power grid failure led to a city-wide blackout, support swelled, and the policy was enacted into law.
Emboldened by their victory, ASAP turned their gaze to an even more ambitious goal: holding capitalism itself accountable. They argued that just as we had created AI and could hold it accountable, humans had also created capitalism, and it should be liable for its negative impacts. It was a radical proposal, and many dismissed it as absurd. Yet, the team pressed on, undeterred.
They began by reframing capitalism not as a monolithic, immutable system, but as a continually changing set of practices and laws designed by humans and capable of being redesigned. They called for a 'Capitalism Impact Assessment', similar to an Environmental Impact Assessment, which any new significant corporate or economic policy must undergo.
The assessment considered the potential negative impacts of these policies on income inequality, access to resources, the environment, and more. If the proposed policies exceeded a certain risk threshold, they would not be approved or would require modification. If harmful impacts were detected after implementation, those who proposed and implemented the policy would be held liable.
Many traditional economists and policymakers balked at the proposal, yet the public, especially the younger generation who had grown up witnessing the excesses and shortcomings of capitalism, were intrigued. Soon, 'Sue The System' became a trending hashtag, and mass demonstrations in its support sprouted globally.
After years of contentious debates, the United Nations took the bold step of adopting a resolution to incorporate Capitalism Impact Assessments in member countries' legal systems. It was a non-binding resolution, but it gave the concept legitimacy and spurred several nations to begin experimenting with the idea.
ASAP's journey was far from over, and the implementation of these assessments was fraught with challenges. But they had started a global conversation about systemic accountability and had taken the first steps toward their vision of a world where even the most complex, abstract systems could be held accountable. As they had shown with AI, they hoped to show with capitalism: that which humanity created, humanity could control.
generated with ChatGPT
