Why "Tech Policy - The Human Perspective?"

techpolicythp is my self-curated internet space to share opinions on tech (particularly AI) and how we can work towards attaining the highest ethical human standards within the field

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If you’re reading this. Thank you! This shall hopefully be our first of many, many encounters together.

As an avid reader and writer, writing has become a task necessary for survival. I spend hours jotting down things in notebooks, pouring my feelings into elaborately written notes on my phone, and starting fiction novels on my laptop that are yet to grow beyond a single chapter. Writing accords me the gift of unraveling and truly seeing myself. I am curious and opinionated, often diving into metaphysical introspection. I find myself particularly intrigued by evolutionary human responses to technological advancements. Simply put, I harbor profound care for how tech advancements such as generative AI will affect the human psyche, human relationships, human perceptions, and, ultimately, human outcomes.

From a young age, I inadvertently treated myself as an experimental subject, with my experiences acting as treatments. I made observations, jotted them down, dug for meaning, and altered my behaviors in hopes of altering subject outcomes. An apt example would be my health journey. I use the term “journey” loosely to signify intentionality in changing my lifestyle. However, it is a journey to which there is no destination begging the question, is it truly a journey or is it just a new way of living? Anyway, I chose to get healthier at the beginning of 2021. First, because I was bored and in desperate need of novelty, and second because I had gained a significant amount of weight during the pandemic. I simply felt like a foreigner in my body and knew that I did not want to feel that way anymore. I began reading up on the impact that food has on our bodies and minds and discovered the “gut-brain” axis; a mechanism by which our guts are in constant bi-directional communication with our brains. The production of serotonin (the happy hormone) specifically blew my mind. Did you know that approximately 95% of serotonin is made in your gut? We are literally what we eat.

I began eating better and moving more. It is worth mentioning that this process was considerably simplified by my father who has consistently worked out and eaten primarily whole foods his entire life. Once I made the switch, the weight loss became the lowest reward that the process accorded me. I had a clearer mind, my mental health skyrocketed, and I rekindled trust in myself. This single effect triggered something new within me. A deep need to evaluate everything I was consuming and putting out into the world. I went down a rabbit hole of understanding the psychological effects of the “cheap” dopamine we get through social media and how it is designed to keep us addicted. I began to comprehend my life at the atomic level. Being both the subject and the observer. I took note of patterns I observed like how I would be working on a code for an assignment and find myself “miraculously” on Instagram the second it got difficult. I began to see these patterns of avoidance not as personal failures but as a symptom of my underlying lack of confidence in my ability to complete the task at hand. This behavior created a ferocious feedback loop that many of us are familiar with.

Feedback loop showcasing the relationship between procrastination and self-concept

With time, I have accrued a wealth of personal knowledge in psychology and behavior through reading hundreds of papers and listening to informational podcasts (big shoutout to Dr. Andrew Huberman). On a professional level, I hold a BSc in Social Sciences with a double concentration in Economics and Political Science from which I have gained invaluable knowledge on interpreting policies, understanding macro and microeconomics, evaluating consumer behavior through behavioral economics, and most importantly, a deep understanding on how to problem solve and make predictions based on current information. As AI continues to integrate into our daily lives, I've made the choice to channel my knowledge and curiosity toward the realm of tech policy. My goal is to not only grasp the ethical dimensions of AI interaction but also to contribute to the development of policies that govern its use.

I share this anecdote to show how the snowball effect has played out in my life. How an attempt at losing weight turned into a deep desire to understand and curate solutions for ethical AI consumption. The pieces shared on this blog aim to spark enlightenment and foster conversation with my audience. I am by no means a professional within the psychology or tech policy field (yet) but rather an impassioned person who seeks to connect with like-minded humans.

For the first few months of building this space, I will share at least one blog post a week. Each post is designed to be a brief and convenient read, with an average reading time of approximately 4 minutes. This makes it perfect for your commute to work or a quick break during your lunch hour. I encourage you all to engage me in conversation and openly share your beliefs and opinions on the topics at hand. I look forward to the genesis of this journey and cannot wait to connect!