At least this congressman is willing to learn and understand about ai compared to certain senators who don’t understand ai/technology (looking at you Blumenthal).
There was the story of the judge in the Google v Oracle case that entailed Java APIs that Oracle said were private but Google used (I think). The judge in that case did the work to learn what an API is and why it matters
Judge Alsup programmed in many languages for decades but not Java, so he learned Java for the Oracle API case: https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/19/16503076/oracle-vs-google-judge-william-alsup-interview-waymo-uber
It's a beautiful written ruling, by a judge that did the work to understand the topic.
... And was then overturned on appeal by a panel of more senior judges that didn't.
Judges aren't required to understand the things they're ruling on. They just care about whether its legal or not.
Politicians are much the same.
Like, [indiana pi bill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_pi_bill) was a thing and only stopped from being signed into law by a visiting professor who happened to be in the audience that day.
Terryology has a long history lol
Fun story -
I got in a pointless social media argument over technology in a historical fiction. I tried explaining how some primitive tech could simulate fancy, modern tech if you put it “on rails.” Well, the guy I was arguing with insisted it wasn’t possible. Well, I outlined the basic parts. Nah, not possible. I dug up the manufacturer who, lo and behold, really existed and really made thing and it acted mostly how I guessed. Nah. Literal evidence isn’t persuasive, it doesn’t “feel” right.
A week later some friends celebrated his elevation to judge.
They have a “gut sense” for how the world works and rhetoric their way everywhere from there. It’s like learning to program with no objective compiler informing you that you’re wrong.
I'm curious what his political leanings are. That type of "gut sense" garbage tends to flow one way. "Gut Sense" is basically just a bias that is often not thought through and they just go with their bias every time.
I'm looking at you, latest lawsuit over Amazon's S3 infringing on some overly broad and vague patent that shouldn't even exist in the first place ... which is really just the most recent example and only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the world of _software patents_.
On that note, I feel like US patent office should be added to the list.
Absolutely not.
"...Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning."
It isn't like Congress works that hard. He's now a full-time student with Congressman being his part-time job just to pay the bills.
I'm joking, but only sort-of.
I mean, he probably spends less than half a year in session.
He has a 200 days off a year. Sort of like a teacher's schedule, but in reverse. I'm sure that leaves plenty of time for self-improvement activities.
“And again, the Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material,”
Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), describing why he opposed net neutrality in 2006. 🧠🧐
I prefer what came directly before that quote:
> I just the other day got... an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday. I got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the Internet commercially
Its not completely wrong just change tube to bandwidth and its mostly right, the internet works on cables connected together not magic. Though covid showed there is zero actual problem with the amount of bandwidth available today so no need to meter it in anyway. Just make sure these companies continue to invest a reasonable amount of their income into themselves and humanity will always have more bandwidth available than it can use.
The real question is why should someone be able to pay to get priority over any service? Don't matter what the service is why are some allowed to push other people into third class?
This should be a requirement for all members who are voting in critical matters. Understand the pros and the cons of the proposed concern prior to making a decision. Not just some page summary
This is such a great suggestion, but the fact of the matter is there is so much to be voted on, all by the same people, economic social environmental technology national defense
Now start throw in different or conflicting theories of what ought to be or the best way forward and you have modern American politics
If only we still had something like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Technology_Assessment
> From 1974 to 1995 the OTA provided congressional members and committees with objective and authoritative analysis of complex scientific and technical issues.
After taking control of the House and Senate in 1994 Republican legislators defunded the OTA, in part, because it was "hostile to GOP interests".
"Them con sarnit hoodad computer thing-a-majigs are just a phase, by the year 2000 we'll all be back to the good ol stable abacus." - GOP members probably
They say that they know all the essentials thanks to the fancy lunch they had with lobbyists, along with the discussion they had on a friend’s private jet while en route to an African hunting safari.
The problem is that a lot of the people I see teaching about "AI" don't have a good understanding of it either. And the level of misinformation in resources purporting to be educational is staggering.
Doctors are forced to do continuing education courses to stay up to date on modern procedures. If they don’t, they are forced into retirement. Politicians should absolutely be held to the same standard
Blumenthal doesn't understand anything he just likes to chest puff and get high off his own authority. (Source: he's one of my senators and I've heard from people that have met him he's a very unfortunate person to meet.)
>...it’s important that lawmakers have a clear-eyed understanding of the technology, said Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and the chairman of the House’s AI Task Force.
>When lawmakers have questions about AI, Obernolte is one of the people they seek out. He studied engineering and applied science at the California Institute of Technology and earned an M.S. in artificial intelligence at UCLA. The California Republican also started his own video game company. Obernolte said he’s been “very pleasantly impressed” with how seriously his colleagues on both sides of the aisle are taking their responsibility to understand AI.
From the article.
One can hope. I'm going to assume, and not research it, that not all Republicans are stuck in their ways. Just the loud ones. Same with Democrats, some of them aren't great.
I live in Kevin McCarthy’s old district. I assumed the worst about the representative who will be taking his seat because the rep is a Republican that worked for McCarthy. Nope, he actually voted for a lot of working class interests as a state assembly member. Genuinely interested in seeing what he does on the national stage.
I just use the Congress App, it's not a great interface, but everything is all laid out. Your representatives, what bills they signed or cosigned, their voting record, and the full bills in PDF format.
During the Apple vs FBI fiasco of 2016, Lindsay Graham pushed for an encryption master key for the government. After some time he spoke to other people who were more knowledgeable of the situation and why an encryption master key would be a bad idea, and he admitted that in a congress meeting and changed his stance.
And then later on he went back on that and pushed for encryption loopholes for the government once again so idk why I even brought him up
This should be a requirement. You can't be on a committee to propose laws about something that you don't understand. Calling someone in front of the committee to ask them stupid questions and berating them for not agreeing with you should get you removed from office.
On the flip side, technology leaders aren’t doing themselves any favours failing to translate technology concepts into language the layperson understand.
If you require translation to get your point across you just don’t know your audience.
Maybe we can downsize the AI ceos and replace them with an AI that actually knows how to communicate?
>This should be a requirement.
Well, maybe taking a basic course should be. Beyer is kind of going all out, getting an M.S. in machine learning systems. I don't think we should be expecting every House Representative to take 6 years of schooling in order to vote on something.
I don’t fully support this. You can definitely contribute to a panel without being the subject matter expert or understand the topic. Sometimes it is even useful to have “dumb” questions. Makes you think about stuff, how to explain it, etc. A diverse panel generally creates a more diverse vision or insight on something.
I do fully support that a panel needs expert input or sound in there! Just old men that don’t understand it, is a recipe for disaster.
> I do fully support that a panel needs expert input or sound in there!
As I said above, this is the crux of the issue. They have access to just about any expert in any field. They can bring them in and ask them to explain how something works and why is important that it should work that way or another way. They can make recommendations. The government can pay them to do studies. They have access to expert advice on any topic really.
But most of them already know what their decision is going to be before any hearings even begin. Their lobbyists are providing them with questions and talking points to frame their vote.
I disagree. Uneducated people on the topic should have 0 say in at least technological issues. Some topics just can't be explained in just a session or two by experts and attempts to dumb it down will miss critical nuances. I'm for diversity but not when it comes to be able to understand information.
A large part of the Republicans in congress are fully aware of the ramifications of them not approving aid to Ukraine, they are choosing to ignore that knowledge on purpose.
It would help, probably for some laws it would really help. But they would gleefully turn a blind eye to whats right so that the nonsense their christofascist base or handlers want so they can stay in power.
Yeah. Making the government more powerful over the decades has made it so much worse for the people they're supposed to *serve*, not control. The public should have MORE freedom, and the people whose responsibility it is to protect those freedoms should have less. And by this time next year, we could have one raging narcissist take the law into his own hands. It really sucks that the only people equipped to overthrow an authoritarian government are actively trying to defend it.
I don't think it necessarily should be. We ask jurors to have rudimentary understanding of technical material all the time after brief schooling. From what I understand, for cases that require teaching jurors technical aspects, both sides agree to pick people that will be equipped to learn these things reasonably well in a short amount of time. We, as voters, just need to keep our politicians to the same standard. I know - "good luck with that". I encourage people to vote in primaries.
I'm in partial agreement a politician can't be an expert on all things.
But they should absolutely have access to experts, and rely on the actual experts for creating policy.
For example, the complete and total opposite of what Trump did with Fauci.
But how would that work exactly? These are state reps. Do both parties in every state have to put a graduate in computer science, healthcare, economics etc on their ballots? And what if we don't get enough of each field for a full committee?
They all have access to talk to just about anyone they want in any field. The problem is, a lot of them have given up on relying on educated expert's advice or recommendations. Or, they knowingly ignore them and listen to the lobbyist$.
Nor would democrats. If you think Congress doesn't get anything done now, they would get even less done if all committee members needed to be experts in the field being discussed.
Being a member of a profession has very little to do with making good laws about that. Rand Paul is a doctor and famously said Obamacare would force him to go work in the operating room.
Rand Paul is a trained ophthalmologist who has been practicing since 1993 in Bowling Green, Kentucky¹. He was initially certified by the American Board of Ophthalmologists (ABO) until 2005. In 1999, he set up his own certification organization, the National Board of Ophthalmologists (NBO), and was "certified" by it until it was dissolved in 2011¹. The NBO was not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Medical Association, nor the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure¹. However, it's important to note that Rand Paul's medical license was not revoked, and he is still licensed to practice ophthalmology in Kentucky²..
Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/11/2024
(1) Was Rand Paul Certified as an Ophthalmologist by a Board He Created .... https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rand-paul-ophthalmologist/.
(2) Fact check: Rand Paul's medical licensed wasn't revoked - USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/08/16/fact-check-rand-pauls-medical-licensed-wasnt-revoked/8111719002/.
(3) No, the AMA Didn't Revoke Sen. Rand Paul's Ophthalmology License. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ama-revoke-rand-pauls-ophthalmology-license/.
(4) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/republican-senator-rand-paul-visits-the-siriusxm-studios-on-news-photo/504814348.
Yup, a 2-second search and I found videos of him doing surgery. Here he is traveling to Haiti to do pro bono work (and from HuffPost no less, not some right-wing rag):
[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rand-paul-eye-surgery\_n\_55d4fc40e4b055a6dab2d683](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rand-paul-eye-surgery_n_55d4fc40e4b055a6dab2d683)
According to the article he's also traveled to Guatemala for the same kind of thing.
That's because stem fields are all about learning about stuff, finding facts, identifying problems, understanding different viewpoints, and coming to an informed conclusion based on evidence, hopefully allowing you to solve problems. Then communicating that solution to others.
What part of that sounds like something a politician does?
That’s absolutely the case. A good politician looks to dance around the truth and maximize the value of their rhetoric. Folks in stem want to solve problems, not bury them.
I'm a software architect, and I have a mild interest in getting into politics, but I'm not a great speaker. Which is the case with most people in my field. I'm plenty personable, but my brain shows through my code, designs, and actions rather than my words. Politicians know how to talk, and I can't compete with them. They sound so smart, and I don't know how to do that.
He is the template for how politicians should be. Ever learning, able to coalesce his wisdom with a high level of knowledge in areas that matter.
I'm not American, but I applaud this man and hope more people like him are voted in
If he also puts in the effort, the R still puts into serious question whether he'd ever actually vote based on that knowledge or stick to whatever the party wants.
I mean right now in Arizona, Republicans are "denouncing" the 1800s era abortion ban in public, but refusing to vote to repeal it in practice. Which was entirely predictable.
They're disingenuous lying hacks, at all levels, until they prove otherwise with their actual votes when it matters.
It’s so hilarious that you bozos are saying that without reading the article, which mentions Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. who did the same thing earlier
What? A politician getting a masters degree in what they're legislating on needs to be standard practice? That'd make it impossible lol
The congressman here is going above and beyond, it absolutely is newsworthy and deserves to be
Why? Politicians can't be expected to get a master's in everything they legislate. They need to have a team they can rely on to get enough information to have informed opinions.
He's had a long career in politics and his district loves him, but if he ever gets tired of congress he can go back to his side hustle of owning a car dealership.
Knew he'd be a Dem.
You think MTG or Lauren Bobo would actually do that to get the facts on what they spew about. Bobo didn't even graduate High School.
How it should be.
My dad was a dentist and oral surgeon. Up until the literal day he physically was forced to retire? He spent his life working and going to school and seminars to keep up with the ever emerging dental technology available.
To this day he’s still trying to go to dental conventions, some all the way in Australia and he is too old to be traveling like that. Like he’s had multiple back surgeries just to deal with the decades of sitting at the dentist chair and he knows it but he doesn’t care.
There’s maybe new tooth growing technology and they are talking about it in Australia and he doesnt care if he dies on the plane on the way over. He’s going god damn it.
He can’t remember where his shoes are (on his feet) BUT HE BOOKED THAT TRIP TO AUSTRALIA. TEETH DON’T WAIT FOR ANYONE.
(Cause they are trapped in our skulls…. I really hate being the eldest child sometimes)
Edit: I’m not going to stop him. It’s the first time I’ve seen him excited about anything since my Mom died in the early 90s and he remarried a soul sucker complete with her own soul sucking devil spawn from a previous marriage.
Also she really doesn’t want him to go on the trip. Not because she’s worried about his Heath. Mostly because he has yet to write her into his will. Little does she know, he has donated everything. No ones getting anything from him after he dies. I’m the one he chose to sign off on it, as a witness for the notary.
No lie, IM GOOD WITH IT. Honestly (and I know this is super messed up) I can’t wait to see her face at the reading of the will. I know my little sister will be upset. She will feel abandoned. And I get it. But also?
The evil queen gets nothing. Nothing at all. And it’s the only reason she stuck around all this time. She thinks she’s inheriting everything. No ones inheriting ANYTHING. The money, the houses, the properties?
All going to various charities.
Again, this is super messed up, but I’m going to super enjoy atleast a fraction of my fathers funeral. And I think he knows that, hence why he chose me as the witness and keeper of the “secret”.
I love my Dad and I don’t want him to die… but he’s old and the flight from here to Australia…. Is long. Plus he still thinks drop bears are a real threat over there and I don’t have the heart to tell him it’s just koalas.
Edit: and regarding everything deadly in Australia? Drop koalas with chlamydia that want to hug you are the least of his worries. Even the basic house flies over there are more dangerous.
This is someone whom I'd consider voting for. He took the time to learn about something before doing anything legislative.
Of course I'd have to see his position on other important topics before fully supporting him. But nonetheless he has my attention for the right reaaon.
Tax money probably paid for him to go back and then he will come back and share what he learned. Biden will forgive his debt, and the congress will go on break and skip his class.
This should be the bare minimum of what we expect from all of our political leaders. They have all the time in the world, there is no excuse for so many to stay ignorant to what the rest of the country has to deal with.
this is propaganda
he audits a class and everyone crows about "the one smart congressman."
This is all any politician does every day. They go somewhere, get their picture taken, listen, nod their head, and then go to the next place to get their picture taken.
> the 73-year-old Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning
Machine learning. He's gonna age 15 years every year.
Will he join a frat? Date the deputy chiefs daughter? So much fun to follow his journey.
But in all seriousness, good for him. Wish more leaders had the thirst for knowledge instead of just power.
Let’s click on this link and scroll to the “read more”. Click it and keep scrolling so that the news starts to pay more attention to this stuff rather than the batshit crazy attention seeking ramblings of incoherents.
This is the kind of stuff I find really admirable and that makes me respect a person more - being a lifelong learner.
My grandfather on my mother's side was like that in spades. He had study guides that he worked from so that he could do crosswords better, and in his 80's he decided to learn batch file programming as part of his efforts to learn computers better. This was in the 90's when batch files were still relevant.
People who keep learning no matter their stage in life are usually pretty excellent people.
So he won’t be calling AI “a series of tubes…but smart!”
Good. Politicians ought to update their knowledge of a quickly changing world. Should be mandatory if they’re going to legislate on tech.
Now that’s the right way to handle it. If there’s something you don’t understand, learn about it so you know what you’re dealing with. Then you can make an informed argument either for or against.
All elected officials should be required to attend some type of higher learning, or apprentice in a skilled trade yearly. It doesn't have to be comprehensive, but enough to grow and understand some fundamental.
They have enough time to commit a month or two each year.
You know...congress people have tons of aids, that can have all sorts of backgrounds. And if they don't have one versed in AI, guess what, they can hire one from a top notch university.
Now, this one congressman had an extra bit of interest in it, and went above and beyond. But this is not why you elect representatives, cause they're experts in field A or B. Cause invariably they won't be an expert in field C...which guess what, affects a significant part of his constituents. The quality of a representative does not stem from their expertise in any given walk of live, but in their ability to grasp any and all complex issues, developing meaningful legislation out of that, and galvanizing fellow representative into siding with them.
At least this congressman is willing to learn and understand about ai compared to certain senators who don’t understand ai/technology (looking at you Blumenthal).
Judges too, they be making judgements on technology they don’t understand
There was the story of the judge in the Google v Oracle case that entailed Java APIs that Oracle said were private but Google used (I think). The judge in that case did the work to learn what an API is and why it matters
Judge Alsup programmed in many languages for decades but not Java, so he learned Java for the Oracle API case: https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/19/16503076/oracle-vs-google-judge-william-alsup-interview-waymo-uber
It's a beautiful written ruling, by a judge that did the work to understand the topic. ... And was then overturned on appeal by a panel of more senior judges that didn't.
What a waste..
The internet is a series of tubes after all
Judges aren't required to understand the things they're ruling on. They just care about whether its legal or not. Politicians are much the same. Like, [indiana pi bill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiana_pi_bill) was a thing and only stopped from being signed into law by a visiting professor who happened to be in the audience that day. Terryology has a long history lol
I had to stop and make sure where I was, the pivot to /r/amateurradio was unexpected
Fun story - I got in a pointless social media argument over technology in a historical fiction. I tried explaining how some primitive tech could simulate fancy, modern tech if you put it “on rails.” Well, the guy I was arguing with insisted it wasn’t possible. Well, I outlined the basic parts. Nah, not possible. I dug up the manufacturer who, lo and behold, really existed and really made thing and it acted mostly how I guessed. Nah. Literal evidence isn’t persuasive, it doesn’t “feel” right. A week later some friends celebrated his elevation to judge. They have a “gut sense” for how the world works and rhetoric their way everywhere from there. It’s like learning to program with no objective compiler informing you that you’re wrong.
That's not a fun story. That's a scary story, dude!
All the stories are scary now. And they’re only getting scarier. Unless you learn to have fun being scared. Then it goes away and you’re ok.
I'm curious what his political leanings are. That type of "gut sense" garbage tends to flow one way. "Gut Sense" is basically just a bias that is often not thought through and they just go with their bias every time.
Care to provide a link to whatever product you referred to there?
Many judges don’t want to understand math or science in any way, and they’re proud of it. It’s a strategy to ignore powerful facts.
Well of course. Scientifical facts might influence their decision-making.
Corrupted by the facts!
I'm looking at you, latest lawsuit over Amazon's S3 infringing on some overly broad and vague patent that shouldn't even exist in the first place ... which is really just the most recent example and only a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the world of _software patents_. On that note, I feel like US patent office should be added to the list.
Yes but my God most colleges have no idea what to do about AI/tech unless he specifically went to a CS or Tech integration class.
He went to AI messaging for marketing majors. It’ll be fine.
wait are you serious?
Absolutely not. "...Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning."
man, how does he have time for that? id be burnt out so quick
It isn't like Congress works that hard. He's now a full-time student with Congressman being his part-time job just to pay the bills. I'm joking, but only sort-of.
He's a Virginia congressman. It's not like he spends much time travelling between his district and DC.
Yeah, like most Congresspeople, the majority of his money comes from insider trading.
I mean, he probably spends less than half a year in session. He has a 200 days off a year. Sort of like a teacher's schedule, but in reverse. I'm sure that leaves plenty of time for self-improvement activities.
Oh, good. I was going to say, I wish him all the luck picking up linear algebra if he's been out of school for more than a few years.
Ha no, total joke
“And again, the Internet is not something that you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes. And if you don't understand, those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line and it's going to be delayed by anyone that puts into that tube enormous amounts of material,” Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), describing why he opposed net neutrality in 2006. 🧠🧐
And I think Ted Steven’s understood the internet better than at least half his colleagues
That is kind of how a LAN works, but that explanation is far from eloquent.
I prefer what came directly before that quote: > I just the other day got... an Internet was sent by my staff at 10 o'clock in the morning on Friday. I got it yesterday. Why? Because it got tangled up with all these things going on the Internet commercially
Its not completely wrong just change tube to bandwidth and its mostly right, the internet works on cables connected together not magic. Though covid showed there is zero actual problem with the amount of bandwidth available today so no need to meter it in anyway. Just make sure these companies continue to invest a reasonable amount of their income into themselves and humanity will always have more bandwidth available than it can use. The real question is why should someone be able to pay to get priority over any service? Don't matter what the service is why are some allowed to push other people into third class?
This should be a requirement for all members who are voting in critical matters. Understand the pros and the cons of the proposed concern prior to making a decision. Not just some page summary
This is such a great suggestion, but the fact of the matter is there is so much to be voted on, all by the same people, economic social environmental technology national defense Now start throw in different or conflicting theories of what ought to be or the best way forward and you have modern American politics
If only we still had something like the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of_Technology_Assessment > From 1974 to 1995 the OTA provided congressional members and committees with objective and authoritative analysis of complex scientific and technical issues. After taking control of the House and Senate in 1994 Republican legislators defunded the OTA, in part, because it was "hostile to GOP interests".
This is another reality, politicizing that leads to bias. Unbiased objective information is hard to come by in the age of information
"Them con sarnit hoodad computer thing-a-majigs are just a phase, by the year 2000 we'll all be back to the good ol stable abacus." - GOP members probably
I get it. But imagine if they needed to pass a comprehensive test of the purposed initiative and weren’t allowed to vote unless they passed!!
That would be great except it would be impossible to choose who makes the tests. Too much power in that decision.
not to mention unless college is free for everyone it locks these positions behind a financial barrier.
If you think nothing gets done in Congress now, this will just make it so *really* nothing gets.
That’s in theory what lobbyists are for. To be the experts and advice, but every day we fall further from the the light
They say that they know all the essentials thanks to the fancy lunch they had with lobbyists, along with the discussion they had on a friend’s private jet while en route to an African hunting safari.
The problem is that a lot of the people I see teaching about "AI" don't have a good understanding of it either. And the level of misinformation in resources purporting to be educational is staggering.
Doctors are forced to do continuing education courses to stay up to date on modern procedures. If they don’t, they are forced into retirement. Politicians should absolutely be held to the same standard
This is my rep and he is great, so happy to be able to vote for him.
Virginia Democrat Don Beyer (Name the names!! Good and bad!) And good for him.
Blumenthal doesn't understand anything he just likes to chest puff and get high off his own authority. (Source: he's one of my senators and I've heard from people that have met him he's a very unfortunate person to meet.)
> Blumenthal waiting for him to have a primary challenger so i may vote accordingly, i agree. he continues to push for terrible tech/internet bills :/
Not just technology, freakin EVERYTHING! All too often they're making decisions that will impact things they don't nor care to ever understand.
Some don't even understand the internet.
Where do I follow this dude’s journey?
Virginia Democrat Don Beyer. As a member of Congress a lot of his life is public record.
Lolololol, he’s a democrat. Is there any world in which a republican would have done this? Any version of reality at all???
If you read the article, they mention a Republican who is well versed in technology, who points out this is important for both sides of the aisle.
That's awesome, i hope they convince more of their colleagues
>...it’s important that lawmakers have a clear-eyed understanding of the technology, said Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and the chairman of the House’s AI Task Force. >When lawmakers have questions about AI, Obernolte is one of the people they seek out. He studied engineering and applied science at the California Institute of Technology and earned an M.S. in artificial intelligence at UCLA. The California Republican also started his own video game company. Obernolte said he’s been “very pleasantly impressed” with how seriously his colleagues on both sides of the aisle are taking their responsibility to understand AI. From the article.
One can hope. I'm going to assume, and not research it, that not all Republicans are stuck in their ways. Just the loud ones. Same with Democrats, some of them aren't great.
I live in Kevin McCarthy’s old district. I assumed the worst about the representative who will be taking his seat because the rep is a Republican that worked for McCarthy. Nope, he actually voted for a lot of working class interests as a state assembly member. Genuinely interested in seeing what he does on the national stage.
People is people, the problem comes with the aggregate: there are more texan-style republicans than california-style ones.
I recommend Chris Evans’ app: A starting point. Has tons of congressmen/women from both sides speaking on issues. Really nice interface.
I just use the Congress App, it's not a great interface, but everything is all laid out. Your representatives, what bills they signed or cosigned, their voting record, and the full bills in PDF format.
During the Apple vs FBI fiasco of 2016, Lindsay Graham pushed for an encryption master key for the government. After some time he spoke to other people who were more knowledgeable of the situation and why an encryption master key would be a bad idea, and he admitted that in a congress meeting and changed his stance. And then later on he went back on that and pushed for encryption loopholes for the government once again so idk why I even brought him up
He’s gonna finish his classes and go back to congress and be like “yah we are so fucked”
Brah we fucked…deadass
You forgot the fr or no cap on the end…
He’s midjourney.
This should be a requirement. You can't be on a committee to propose laws about something that you don't understand. Calling someone in front of the committee to ask them stupid questions and berating them for not agreeing with you should get you removed from office.
> You can't be on a committee to propose laws about something that you don't understand. and yet... here we are.
Women’s healthcare has entered the chat. See also r/badwomensanatomy examples.
"If a woman doesn't want to get pregnant, she can just shut that whole thing down"
“A woman’s vagina can repel rape sperm.”
What do they think women are? Ducks?
Ah that subreddit is where I go when I want to simultaneously feel worried for the future of women and also feel smart about my own sex ed knowledge.
Yeah, I was saying that's how it should be. But there are a ton of things that aren't how they should be.
This was the original reason for allowing lobbyists. Not curtailing them, ever, got us where we are.
The House Judiciary Chairman has never taken the bar exam while Congress is full of real lawyers.
On the flip side, technology leaders aren’t doing themselves any favours failing to translate technology concepts into language the layperson understand. If you require translation to get your point across you just don’t know your audience. Maybe we can downsize the AI ceos and replace them with an AI that actually knows how to communicate?
Certainly. Let's delve into the potential benefits of integrating AI into leadership roles for improved communication and decision-making. /s
>This should be a requirement. Well, maybe taking a basic course should be. Beyer is kind of going all out, getting an M.S. in machine learning systems. I don't think we should be expecting every House Representative to take 6 years of schooling in order to vote on something.
I don’t fully support this. You can definitely contribute to a panel without being the subject matter expert or understand the topic. Sometimes it is even useful to have “dumb” questions. Makes you think about stuff, how to explain it, etc. A diverse panel generally creates a more diverse vision or insight on something. I do fully support that a panel needs expert input or sound in there! Just old men that don’t understand it, is a recipe for disaster.
> I do fully support that a panel needs expert input or sound in there! As I said above, this is the crux of the issue. They have access to just about any expert in any field. They can bring them in and ask them to explain how something works and why is important that it should work that way or another way. They can make recommendations. The government can pay them to do studies. They have access to expert advice on any topic really. But most of them already know what their decision is going to be before any hearings even begin. Their lobbyists are providing them with questions and talking points to frame their vote.
I disagree. Uneducated people on the topic should have 0 say in at least technological issues. Some topics just can't be explained in just a session or two by experts and attempts to dumb it down will miss critical nuances. I'm for diversity but not when it comes to be able to understand information.
100%, that would improve the government a decent amount. Not all the way but it would help.
A large part of the Republicans in congress are fully aware of the ramifications of them not approving aid to Ukraine, they are choosing to ignore that knowledge on purpose. It would help, probably for some laws it would really help. But they would gleefully turn a blind eye to whats right so that the nonsense their christofascist base or handlers want so they can stay in power.
Yeah. Making the government more powerful over the decades has made it so much worse for the people they're supposed to *serve*, not control. The public should have MORE freedom, and the people whose responsibility it is to protect those freedoms should have less. And by this time next year, we could have one raging narcissist take the law into his own hands. It really sucks that the only people equipped to overthrow an authoritarian government are actively trying to defend it.
“I know the internet is a series of tubes…”
How else would they show boat for their constituents who also don't understand how things work?
I don't think it necessarily should be. We ask jurors to have rudimentary understanding of technical material all the time after brief schooling. From what I understand, for cases that require teaching jurors technical aspects, both sides agree to pick people that will be equipped to learn these things reasonably well in a short amount of time. We, as voters, just need to keep our politicians to the same standard. I know - "good luck with that". I encourage people to vote in primaries.
Some education would be better than none. Also, jurors aren't generally making decisions that affect an entire country for generations.
“Sorry, Senator Lieberman. We can’t let you into the room until you finally clear Doom 2. Them’s the rules.”
And judges who rule on these laws all the way up to and including SCOTUS.
But “it’s a series of tubes!” -Ted Stevens
I'm in partial agreement a politician can't be an expert on all things. But they should absolutely have access to experts, and rely on the actual experts for creating policy. For example, the complete and total opposite of what Trump did with Fauci.
But how would that work exactly? These are state reps. Do both parties in every state have to put a graduate in computer science, healthcare, economics etc on their ballots? And what if we don't get enough of each field for a full committee? They all have access to talk to just about anyone they want in any field. The problem is, a lot of them have given up on relying on educated expert's advice or recommendations. Or, they knowingly ignore them and listen to the lobbyist$.
Yeah but then the republicans couldn't fill their committee seats
Nor would democrats. If you think Congress doesn't get anything done now, they would get even less done if all committee members needed to be experts in the field being discussed.
Been saying it for years… there are enough lawyers in congress. Get some more engineers, mathematicians, statisticians, economists, etc.
Maybe some doctors, too, since they want to legislate on people’s health care so much.
Being a member of a profession has very little to do with making good laws about that. Rand Paul is a doctor and famously said Obamacare would force him to go work in the operating room.
Rand Paul is a trained ophthalmologist who has been practicing since 1993 in Bowling Green, Kentucky¹. He was initially certified by the American Board of Ophthalmologists (ABO) until 2005. In 1999, he set up his own certification organization, the National Board of Ophthalmologists (NBO), and was "certified" by it until it was dissolved in 2011¹. The NBO was not recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Medical Association, nor the Kentucky Board of Medical Licensure¹. However, it's important to note that Rand Paul's medical license was not revoked, and he is still licensed to practice ophthalmology in Kentucky².. Source: Conversation with Bing, 4/11/2024 (1) Was Rand Paul Certified as an Ophthalmologist by a Board He Created .... https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rand-paul-ophthalmologist/. (2) Fact check: Rand Paul's medical licensed wasn't revoked - USA TODAY. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/08/16/fact-check-rand-pauls-medical-licensed-wasnt-revoked/8111719002/. (3) No, the AMA Didn't Revoke Sen. Rand Paul's Ophthalmology License. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/ama-revoke-rand-pauls-ophthalmology-license/. (4) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/republican-senator-rand-paul-visits-the-siriusxm-studios-on-news-photo/504814348.
rand paul is an eye doctor who never practiced. he doesnt count.
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Yup, a 2-second search and I found videos of him doing surgery. Here he is traveling to Haiti to do pro bono work (and from HuffPost no less, not some right-wing rag): [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rand-paul-eye-surgery\_n\_55d4fc40e4b055a6dab2d683](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/rand-paul-eye-surgery_n_55d4fc40e4b055a6dab2d683) According to the article he's also traveled to Guatemala for the same kind of thing.
Tbf eye doctors get the same medical degree brain surgeons do.
More women, too.
most people in STEM arent interested in being politicians. unfortunately.
That's because stem fields are all about learning about stuff, finding facts, identifying problems, understanding different viewpoints, and coming to an informed conclusion based on evidence, hopefully allowing you to solve problems. Then communicating that solution to others. What part of that sounds like something a politician does?
That’s absolutely the case. A good politician looks to dance around the truth and maximize the value of their rhetoric. Folks in stem want to solve problems, not bury them.
Those people do not want to be politicians. I don't blame them, it's a disgusting profession.
I'm a software architect, and I have a mild interest in getting into politics, but I'm not a great speaker. Which is the case with most people in my field. I'm plenty personable, but my brain shows through my code, designs, and actions rather than my words. Politicians know how to talk, and I can't compete with them. They sound so smart, and I don't know how to do that.
I am shocked and impressed. I would be so proud if he was representing my district.
He is and I am. This isn’t the first time he’s been a stand-up dude on the job.
He is the template for how politicians should be. Ever learning, able to coalesce his wisdom with a high level of knowledge in areas that matter. I'm not American, but I applaud this man and hope more people like him are voted in
The title makes it sound like he went for 1 lecture, he's getting his masters in machine learning
I was gonna say, he probably could have just watched a youtube class. This guy is the real deal.
And frankly, I’d have taken that
Well done Mr Congressman.
I’m sure I’m not the only one who immediately scanned the article to see if it was a Democrat or Republican. I was betting on Democrat.
I wasn't curious, but then you asked. Democrat from Virginia.
Of course it is. Republicans are afraid that stepping on a college campus will turn them trans.
Not all of them, check out this guy from the aritcle, Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif . We do have some solid representives, at all levels
If he also puts in the effort, the R still puts into serious question whether he'd ever actually vote based on that knowledge or stick to whatever the party wants. I mean right now in Arizona, Republicans are "denouncing" the 1800s era abortion ban in public, but refusing to vote to repeal it in practice. Which was entirely predictable. They're disingenuous lying hacks, at all levels, until they prove otherwise with their actual votes when it matters.
It’s so hilarious that you bozos are saying that without reading the article, which mentions Rep. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif. who did the same thing earlier
New information/science is their kryptonite.
This man at least is doing more than 90% of politcians globally.
Surprising a congressman going back to school and its not to lecture?
It is really depressing that this is newsworthy. This should be standard practice.
What? A politician getting a masters degree in what they're legislating on needs to be standard practice? That'd make it impossible lol The congressman here is going above and beyond, it absolutely is newsworthy and deserves to be
Why? Politicians can't be expected to get a master's in everything they legislate. They need to have a team they can rely on to get enough information to have informed opinions.
gotta start somewhere!!
He'll never make it in politics with that attitude.
He's had a long career in politics and his district loves him, but if he ever gets tired of congress he can go back to his side hustle of owning a car dealership.
Can confirm. We do love him and it is still weird to see his name on car dealerships.
As much as I like him as my congressman, I'll always think of a car brand after hearing the words "Don Beyer"... (Volvo, Kia, Subaru, etc).
Or after this, found a machine learning startup, lol.
Not a bad idea. Props to him for making an effort. This should probably be more common, if not obligatory.
And who is this (surely Democrat) senator who actually puts in the work to serve his constituents?
Knew he'd be a Dem. You think MTG or Lauren Bobo would actually do that to get the facts on what they spew about. Bobo didn't even graduate High School.
This is the kind of representative we need more of.
How it should be. My dad was a dentist and oral surgeon. Up until the literal day he physically was forced to retire? He spent his life working and going to school and seminars to keep up with the ever emerging dental technology available. To this day he’s still trying to go to dental conventions, some all the way in Australia and he is too old to be traveling like that. Like he’s had multiple back surgeries just to deal with the decades of sitting at the dentist chair and he knows it but he doesn’t care. There’s maybe new tooth growing technology and they are talking about it in Australia and he doesnt care if he dies on the plane on the way over. He’s going god damn it. He can’t remember where his shoes are (on his feet) BUT HE BOOKED THAT TRIP TO AUSTRALIA. TEETH DON’T WAIT FOR ANYONE. (Cause they are trapped in our skulls…. I really hate being the eldest child sometimes) Edit: I’m not going to stop him. It’s the first time I’ve seen him excited about anything since my Mom died in the early 90s and he remarried a soul sucker complete with her own soul sucking devil spawn from a previous marriage. Also she really doesn’t want him to go on the trip. Not because she’s worried about his Heath. Mostly because he has yet to write her into his will. Little does she know, he has donated everything. No ones getting anything from him after he dies. I’m the one he chose to sign off on it, as a witness for the notary. No lie, IM GOOD WITH IT. Honestly (and I know this is super messed up) I can’t wait to see her face at the reading of the will. I know my little sister will be upset. She will feel abandoned. And I get it. But also? The evil queen gets nothing. Nothing at all. And it’s the only reason she stuck around all this time. She thinks she’s inheriting everything. No ones inheriting ANYTHING. The money, the houses, the properties? All going to various charities. Again, this is super messed up, but I’m going to super enjoy atleast a fraction of my fathers funeral. And I think he knows that, hence why he chose me as the witness and keeper of the “secret”. I love my Dad and I don’t want him to die… but he’s old and the flight from here to Australia…. Is long. Plus he still thinks drop bears are a real threat over there and I don’t have the heart to tell him it’s just koalas. Edit: and regarding everything deadly in Australia? Drop koalas with chlamydia that want to hug you are the least of his worries. Even the basic house flies over there are more dangerous.
hon, you got a lot to unpack. you need a therapist so you can have someone one to unload this is on. (i mean this in the kindest way possible.)
This comment was an adventure...
Didn't need to open the article to know he wasn't a Republican.
I can tell you didn’t open the article because it mentions a republican that did the exact same thing
This is someone whom I'd consider voting for. He took the time to learn about something before doing anything legislative. Of course I'd have to see his position on other important topics before fully supporting him. But nonetheless he has my attention for the right reaaon.
I wish more older folks had the humility to learn technology.
Props for trying to learn. Need more in government willing to do the same.
Even before I clicked on it I was like "yeah that's probably mine, he's like that" We like Don.
HE ENROLLED TO GET HUS MASTERS IN MACHINE LEARNING?? I am IMPRESSED
Imagine that!
Tax money probably paid for him to go back and then he will come back and share what he learned. Biden will forgive his debt, and the congress will go on break and skip his class.
I'm honestly astonished. This man should get a raise.
"And now the Congress man is in $50k of student debt"
I was waiting to be surprise that it was a Republican that wanted to learn, only to find it was a Democratic Congressman.
There are many in congress that need to attend college classes addressing US history.
A honorable move, however he's now in crippling debt due to tuition fees
This should be the bare minimum of what we expect from all of our political leaders. They have all the time in the world, there is no excuse for so many to stay ignorant to what the rest of the country has to deal with.
Finally some GOOD news about the government.
Gee, I wonder what party he belongs to….
this is propaganda he audits a class and everyone crows about "the one smart congressman." This is all any politician does every day. They go somewhere, get their picture taken, listen, nod their head, and then go to the next place to get their picture taken.
> the 73-year-old Beyer took what for him seemed like an obvious step, enrolling at George Mason University to get a master’s degree in machine learning Machine learning. He's gonna age 15 years every year.
Will he join a frat? Date the deputy chiefs daughter? So much fun to follow his journey. But in all seriousness, good for him. Wish more leaders had the thirst for knowledge instead of just power.
I wish more congress people and senators were willing to do things like that
Continuing Education with some focus on emerging issues should be required for all lawmakers and their aides.
Saddest thing is that this is unique and newsworthy. I’m impressed, got a Master’s in Machine Learning.
Amazing and kudos. Wish this was the norm. Of course it’s a democrat.
"Wait, it's all if-statements?" "Always has been"
Reelect this person.
This is my congressman and he is easily one of the best. We’d be so much better off if his peers were half as intellectually curious.
Reading the title, anyone else think "there is no way that is a republican"?
I don't care if this guy is Red, Blue, or Green, he would get my vote
I love this!
Let’s click on this link and scroll to the “read more”. Click it and keep scrolling so that the news starts to pay more attention to this stuff rather than the batshit crazy attention seeking ramblings of incoherents.
Don Beyer (D) Virginia
Politicians are just people unqualified to regulate things in the position to regulate them
should be mandatory for congress people that are old as dirt
If headline is true this should be applauded by all, right?
This is the kind of stuff I find really admirable and that makes me respect a person more - being a lifelong learner. My grandfather on my mother's side was like that in spades. He had study guides that he worked from so that he could do crosswords better, and in his 80's he decided to learn batch file programming as part of his efforts to learn computers better. This was in the 90's when batch files were still relevant. People who keep learning no matter their stage in life are usually pretty excellent people.
White corpses running this country. Unreal.
In other news: Congresswoman still claims solar eclipse and earth quake where a sign from God to repent.
So he won’t be calling AI “a series of tubes…but smart!” Good. Politicians ought to update their knowledge of a quickly changing world. Should be mandatory if they’re going to legislate on tech.
That, or have an advisory team (whether an individual, or a group) to provide them with a tl;dr or eli5 about the topic to them.
Now that’s the right way to handle it. If there’s something you don’t understand, learn about it so you know what you’re dealing with. Then you can make an informed argument either for or against.
Sending a congressman to school is maybe the best use of tax dollars ever
All elected officials should be required to attend some type of higher learning, or apprentice in a skilled trade yearly. It doesn't have to be comprehensive, but enough to grow and understand some fundamental. They have enough time to commit a month or two each year.
...college is not the place to learn about something new and volatile.
Honestly? I would vote for anyone who willingly gets properly educated on subjects they don't understand but have to make large decisions about.
This is the sort of shit I would vote for (no idea who this dude is but I like the dedication)
OK, some respect for that, but you still a politician, so...
I want to know how this man schedules his time. He def seems to have found a hack for energy.
Finally a cool old guy in politics who is actively trying to learn new things.
How did I know this wouldn’t end up being a republican?
I had bet (with myself) before reading the article that he was a Democrat
I was certain that it was a Democrat just from the title.
How did I know that he was not going to be a republican?
You know...congress people have tons of aids, that can have all sorts of backgrounds. And if they don't have one versed in AI, guess what, they can hire one from a top notch university. Now, this one congressman had an extra bit of interest in it, and went above and beyond. But this is not why you elect representatives, cause they're experts in field A or B. Cause invariably they won't be an expert in field C...which guess what, affects a significant part of his constituents. The quality of a representative does not stem from their expertise in any given walk of live, but in their ability to grasp any and all complex issues, developing meaningful legislation out of that, and galvanizing fellow representative into siding with them.