Challenges for an Ontology of Artificial Intelligence

Of primary importance in formulating a response to the increasing prevalence and power of artificial intelligence (AI) applications in society are questions of ontology. Questions such as: What “are” these systems? How are they to be regarded? How does an algorithm come to be regarded as an agent? We discuss three factors which hinder discussion and obscure attempts to form a clear ontology of AI: (1) the various and evolving definitions of AI, (2) the tendency for pre-existing technologies to be assimilated and regarded as “normal,” and (3) the tendency of human beings to anthropomorphize. This list is not intended as exhaustive, nor is it seen to preclude entirely a clear ontology, however, these challenges are a necessary set of topics for consideration. Each of these factors is seen to present a 'moving target' for discussion, which poses a challenge for both technical specialists and non-practitioners of AI systems development (e.g., philosophers and theologians) to speak meaningfully given that the corpus of AI structures and capabilities evolves at a rapid pace. Finally, we present avenues for moving forward, including opportunities for collaborative synthesis for scholars in philosophy and science

Canonical Structure of Locally Homogeneous Systems on Compact Closed 3-Manifolds of Types E3E^3, Nil and Sol

In this paper we investigate the canonical structure of diffeomorphism invariant phase spaces for spatially locally homogeneous spacetimes with 3-dimensional compact closed spaces. After giving a general algorithm to express the diffeomorphism-invariant phase space and the canonical structure of a locally homogeneous system in terms of those of a homogeneous system on a covering space and a moduli space, we completely determine the canonical structures and the Hamiltonians of locally homogeneous pure gravity systems on orientable compact closed 3-spaces of the Thurston-type $E^3$, \Nil and \Sol for all possible space topologies and invariance groups. We point out that in many cases the canonical structure becomes degenerate in the moduli sectors, which implies that the locally homogeneous systems are not canonically closed in general in the full diffeomorphism-invariant phase space of generic spacetimes with compact closed spaces.Comment: 62 pages, LaTe

Mars geologic mapping program: Review and highlights

The Mars Geologic Mapping (MGM) Program was introduced by NASA in 1987 as a new initiative in the Planetary Geology and Geophysics (PGG) Program. The overall purpose of the program is to support research on topical science problems that address specific questions. Among the objectives of the project are: (1) to produce highly detailed geologic maps that will greatly increase the knowledge of the materials and processes that have contributed to the evolutionary history of Mars; (2) to define areas of special interest for possible future investigation by planned missions (Mars Observer, Mars Sample Return); and (3) to maintain the interest of the planetary community in the development of new concepts and the re-evaluation of Martian geology as new data in usable form become available. Some interesting highlights of the geologic mapping indicate that multiple flood episodes occurred at different times during the Hesperian Period in both Kasei and Maja Valles. Studies of small channels in the Memnonia, Mangala, and Tharsis regions show that fluvial events appear to have occurred during the Amazonian Period at equatorial latitudes. Flood waters occurred during the Amazonian Period at equatorial latitudes. Flood waters from Mangala Valles may have seeped into surficial materials with the subsequent development of numerous sapping channels and debris flows; this suggests that the ancient highland terrain consists of relatively unconsolidated materials. Multiple layers were observed for the first time in the ridged plains lava flows covering large areas of Lunae Planum; some wrinkle ridges in this area are associated with grabens and collapse volcanic units at Hadriaca and Tyrrhena Paterae indicates that the units may have been emplaced by gravity-driven pyroclastic flows. Unlike the north polar layered deposits, those in the south polar region show no angular unconformities or evidence of faulting and folding. Water ice in the south polar layered deposits may be protected from solar heating and sublimation by a weathering rind or lag deposit on the surface

Revising financial sector policy in transitional socialist economies : will universal banks prove viable?

Focusing on efforts under way in most transitional socialist economies, the author questions whether the banks emerging in the new policy framework will prove viable or be supervisable. He offers a model of financial sector structure designed to foster the development of a sound banking system. In describing the environment in which financial policy is being revised, the author notes that the extraordinary challenges policymakers face might influence the shape of policy. He is concerned that policies to promote a sound banking system might be overlooked or sacrificed. Fundamental policy objectives, says the author, are those important to long-term economic well-being. These include establishing and maintaining the integrity of the payments system and the safety of depositors'savings, and ensuring that money markets function. Transitional objectives, on the other hand, relate primarily to the immediate task of privatizing and restructuring enterprises. Policymakers must balance inherent conflicts between the two kinds of objectives while promoting the achievement of both. Many transitional socialist economies, he observes, adopt a policy framework that envisions universal banking. The author assesses the consequences of the immediate emergence of financial conglomerates, or universal-type banks, and questions whether - in the face of limited managerial and institutional capability, limited capability for supervising financial markets, and extraordinary financial market risks - financial conglomerates simultaneously pursuing conflicting fundamental and transitional objectives will prove viable. The author advocates delaying the emergence of financial conglomerates until skills are developed and market turmoil subsides. In the transitional period, regulatory policy would assign to banks primary responsibility for achieving fundamental objectives, and would encourage nonbank financial institutions to pursue transitional objectives. Policy should promote financial soundness in the banking system, to control the potential costs to government of achieving its fundamental objectives.Banks&Banking Reform,Financial Intermediation,Financial Crisis Management&Restructuring,Banking Law,Economic Theory&Research

Mars sample return: Recommended sites

Site selection priorities for a Mars sample return are constrained by the risks due to terrain that affect the successful descent and mobility of the sampling vehicle. At this time, evaluations of terrain roughness can be made only in a very general way. For this reason, the two candidate sites discussed are provisionally recommended primarily on the basis of their scientific value; however, no adverse surface conditions are discernable at these locations at the resolution of Viking images. The rationale is given for the selection of the sites

The growth of bilateralism

One of the most notable international economic events over the past 20 years has been the proliferation of bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). Bilateral agreements account for 80 percent of all agreements notified to the WTO, 94 percent of those signed or under negotiation, and currently 100 percent of those at the proposal stage. Some have argued that the growth of bilateralism is attributable to governments having pursued a policy of “competitive liberalization" - implementing bilateral FTAs to offset potential trade diversion caused by FTAs of “third-country-pairs" - but the growth of bilateralism can also be attributed potentially to “tariff complementarity" - the incentive for FTA members to reduce their external tariffs on nonmembers. Guided by new comparative statics from the numerical general equilibrium monopolistic competition model of FTA economic determinants in Baier and Bergstrand (2004), we augment their parsimonious logit (and probit) model of the economic determinants of bilateral FTAs to incorporate theory-motivated indexes to examine the influence of existing memberships on subsequent FTA formations. The model can predict correctly 90 percent of the bilateral FTAs within five years of their formation, while still predicting “No-FTA" correctly in 90 percent of the observations when no FTA exists, using a sample of over 350,000 observations for pairings of 146 countries from 1960-2005. Even imposing the higher correct prediction rate of “No-FTA" of 97 percent in Baier and Bergstrand (2004), the parsimonious model still predicts correctly 75 percent of these rare FTA events; only 3 percent of the observations reflect a country-pair having an FTA in any year. The results suggest that - while evidence supports that “competitive liberalization" is a force for bilateralism - the effect on the likelihood a pair of countries forming an FTA of the pair's own FTAs with other countries (i.e., tariff complementarity) is likely just as important as the effect of third-country-pairs' FTAs (i.e., competitive liberalization) for the growth of bilateralism

Slow modes in Keplerian disks

Low-mass disks orbiting a massive body can support "slow" normal modes, in which the eigenfrequency is much less than the orbital frequency. Slow modes are lopsided, i.e., the azimuthal wavenumber m=1. We investigate the properties of slow modes, using softened self-gravity as a simple model for collective effects in the disk. We employ both the WKB approximation and numerical solutions of the linear eigenvalue equation. We find that all slow modes are stable. Discrete slow modes can be divided into two types, which we label g-modes and p-modes. The g-modes involve long leading and long trailing waves, have properties determined by the self-gravity of the disk, and are only present in narrow rings or in disks where the precession rate is dominated by an external potential. In contrast, the properties of p-modes are determined by the interplay of self-gravity and other collective effects. P-modes involve both long and short waves, and in the WKB approximation appear in degenerate leading/trailing pairs. Disks support a finite number---sometimes zero---of discrete slow modes, and a continuum of singular modes.Comment: 32 pages, 12 figures. To be published in Astronomical Journa