OPINION

Can AI Learn to Obey the Law?

CAMBRIDGE – If the British computer scientist Alan Turing’s work on “thinking machines” was the prequel to what we now call artificial intelligence, the late psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s bestselling Thinking, Fast and Slow might be the sequel, given its insights into how we ourselves think. Understanding “us” will be crucial for regulating “them.” That effort …

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The Economic Consequences of Legal Behavior

NEW YORK – The way people navigate traffic can tell us a lot about their respective cultures. Recently, while walking to my office in midtown Manhattan, I stopped at a red light when an elderly woman with a walking stick caught my attention as she cautiously looked both left and …

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The Economic Power of Gender Equality

LUXEMBOURG – It is hard to find a word that is more relevant to the world’s greatest challenges and policy priorities than “inclusion,” the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day. Inclusive, green economic growth that benefits all of society is an essential component of sustainable prosperity, social cohesion, competitiveness, …

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Japan as Number Four

TOKYO – Harvard Professor Ezra Vogel’s 1979 book, Japan as Number One: Lessons for America, became an instant bestseller in Japan. The flattering title certainly helped sales, but it was the book’s central argument – that the Japanese approach to governance and business were superior to others – that really made …

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The Toxic Legacy of the Green Revolution

NEW DELHI – There are more than 390,000 identified plant species in the world, but just three – rice, maize, and wheat – account for roughly 60% of the plant-based calories in our diets. The dominance of these three grains is largely the result of major technological breakthroughs, particularly the development of high-yielding varieties (HYVs) of …

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How to Democratize AI

‘PARIS – The rapid advance of artificial intelligence evokes both wonder and dread. Many regard AI as an object of marvel and awe (a Stupor Mundi, to borrow a Latin phrase), while others believe it can be a benevolent savior (a Salvator Mundi). Regardless of whether AI is seen as miraculous or …

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The AI Octopus

CHICAGO – With long-gestating antitrust cases against Google, Apple, and Amazon coming to fruition, many observers think that 2024 could be a turning point for Big Tech. Yet even as authorities press ahead with this litigation, they risk being blindsided by the rise of artificial intelligence, which is likely to …

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Getting over Mediocrity and Pettiness

The Gelephu Mindfulness City project is not only an economic and infrastructure project, but it is a challenge to us to get over our comfort zone of mediocrity and the mindset of pettiness when someone challenges that mediocrity. While the media likes to cite others as examples it is probably …

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The Google Trial’s Dangerous Secrecy

WASHINGTON, DC – The largest antitrust trial of the modern internet era, which wrapped up last month, has pitted the world’s most popular search engine, Google, against the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). The case hearkens back to the DOJ’s landmark lawsuit against Microsoft in the 1990s, but with a critical difference: most …

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Biden and Xi Pick the Low-Hanging Fruit

NEW HAVEN – “A Better Biden-Xi Summit?” was the title of my commentary last month, and the emphasis was on the question mark. With good reason: Last year’s summit in Bali was a flop. Owing to poor preparation and an overemphasis on slogans (setting a “floor” for the troubled US-China relationship), any …

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