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High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

nytimes.com

11–20 of 23 posts

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#11

anyone up for a relevant xkcd? https://xkcd.com/2128/

Spent some time around the CMU robotics labs in the mid 2000s. This is way more real than most can imagine...

I review proposals all the time and this is still standard language.

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#13

“We really think we can enable a disaster-free future.” That statement gave me pause since it's quite the unrealistic claim to make.

I think it's reckless to make claims like this even with genuinely useful technology because it triggers the "Arrogant engineers think tech is the answer to everything" response which leads to people in other fields dismissing things out of hand that could actually be worthwhile.

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#14
post #12

> Our mission is not to make money only,” Mr. Wani said, later adding, “We’re trying to save the world.” People should probably watch Silicon Valley before giving interviews. Repeating satire verbatim isn’t a good look.

Such a good show. Everyone should watch at least that first season.

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#15
I can already see how something like this will further increase inequality due to unaccounted biases in the training data, for example worse no emergency response in black neighborhoods because there is less data about them.

The question is whether this bias is better than just relying on government agencies, which we know are absolutely infested with racists and fascists.

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#16
post #12

> Our mission is not to make money only,” Mr. Wani said, later adding, “We’re trying to save the world.” People should probably watch Silicon Valley before giving interviews. Repeating satire verbatim isn’t a good look.

But isn't emergency response literally about saving people?

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#17
Quote from article:

> Ivan Porto Carrero, who oversaw a team of engineers at One Concern, said he was fired in June after speaking out against what he viewed as a company culture of dishonesty. He said the usual start-up attitude of “fail fast and try something new” was inappropriate to apply to disaster response because, “If you fail fast, people die.”

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#18
post #12

> Our mission is not to make money only,” Mr. Wani said, later adding, “We’re trying to save the world.” People should probably watch Silicon Valley before giving interviews. Repeating satire verbatim isn’t a good look.

If they were registered as a B-corp, I might actually be inclined to believe them. I'm guessing they are not though.

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spent some time around the CMU robotics labs in the mid 2000s. This is way more real than most can imagine...

I review proposals all the time and this is still standard language.

Disaster-response is to robotics, as Lenna is to computer vision

Re: High-Tech Solution to Disaster Response May Be Too Good to Be True

#20
post #3

For one, it’s great to see startups tackling hard problems like this: generally I believe there is huge benefit and opportunity for startups in providing government services like this. It certainly helps to dispel the feeling that our brightest minds are working on ads. Secondly, this really seems like the initial phases of product development and fit — agencies would be foolish to simply rely on a startup like this…

"One Concern’s earthquake simulations rely on FEMA’s free damage-prediction method known as P58".

It may not be AI, but combining data sources and predictions. Which is useful but not world changing.

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