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I recently completed an online project called the F.A.I.R Project by 8 One Foundation in association with UNESCO. The project was inclusive of various lectures by prominent speakers on 8 different goals mainly Well-being, Nutrition, Education, Employment, Environment, Hygiene, Peace, and Gender Equality. The project gave me a lot of insights and introspection on how to create a fair world and the culmination of the project was all our (32 members and beyond) ideas published in a book! For a short period of time, we all became philosophers but with the spirit of applying these philosophies of creating a fairer world.
This experience of introspection and investigation of the inner and outer workings of this world inspired me to delve more into how the world can be made fair in the spirit of the theories that some people call our figments of imagination and actually actively work towards turning it into realities of our world!
The most cherished concept of creating a fair world that I have always admired is the concept of the Veil of Ignorance. John Rawls postulates that to create a fairer and more just world, we must imagine ourselves in an original position, a hypothetical scenario where no one has yet set foot on Earth. In this original position, everyone knows they will eventually inhabit the Earth but are unaware of their future identities, including whether they will be rich or poor. This ignorance compels individuals to make decisions that are just and fair, as they could potentially occupy any position in society. This seems such a perfect idealistic way to achieve the world that we want to live in, yet so elusive and impossible. In reality, this veil has become synonymous with the proverb that ‘ignorance is bliss’ because one might argue that someone who is unaware about the realities of the world would suggest such a thought experiment. Don't regard me as a pessimist because I still hold this theory and idea dear to my heart, but even if we had the scientific know-how to make this experiment a reality humans would never even choose to go for this way of decision making because those in power do not in any way wish to lose control. To address this, we need solutions that bridge the gap between theoretical philosophies and practical, real-time applications within existing structures. Philosophies often seem purely theoretical, but they can have real-world impact when effectively applied. This column aims to explore these solutions by starting with thought experiments and ultimately transforming them into actionable plans.
What is Fair?
Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of human rights includes the right to a free and fair world. The right to a free and fair world implies the critical need to promote equality of opportunity and outcome within and between countries." Inequality and discrimination are some of the defining challenges confronting the world today, a world that is wealthier but also more unequal than ever before” said Mr. Saad Alfarargi, the UN expert.”
Equality of opportunity must not simply exist in declarations, laws, or in speeches. It should exist in action as well as action backed by a mindset of equality of opportunity. In our collective consciousness is it even possible to instill the feeling of equality of opportunity?
Even the thought experiment designed by John Rawls, often viewed through an optimistic lens, can also be seen from a more pessimistic perspective; He had to design a thought experiment based on the assumption that humanity can only make fair decisions if their individual interests are at stake. This reflects the sad reality that, even in our imaginations, we struggle to overcome the inherent self-interest of human nature.
To think that such a mentality can percolate into decision making or philosophies of the greatest minds but a mentality of equality of opportunity cannot be instilled in our collective consciousness is extremely infuriating. Yet this gives me the space to explore the different pathways in achieving a fairer world.
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Equality of Opportunity: A mindset/ Language of thought?
We are all familiar with the concept of equality in terms of opportunities, our constitution mentions it as a fundamental right in article 16 in terms of public employment and prevents the state from any sort of discrimination on grounds of religion, race caste, descent, place of birth, or residence. This right is reflected in other spheres of fundamental rights be it in the right to education, and freedom of expression amongst others. There are laws concerning the 8 goals that I talked about including health, nutrition, sanitation, and well-being which speak in the language of equality of opportunity. However, speaking and actually believing and acting on it are two different things. Equality of opportunity has not become ingrained in our language of thought or our mindset. The language of thought hypothesis (LOTH) is the hypothesis that mental representation has a linguistic structure, or in other words, that thought takes place within a mental language. Had this idea been consistently practiced from a young age, we might have internalized it as normal and it would have inculcated in our language of thought. Unfortunately, we have failed to create this mindset across all spheres of society. Instead, the world operates in a highly capitalistic and money-minded manner. It is humans who assign value to money and currency, perpetuating this focus.
The sad reality is that even though we are the creators of this system we let the system enslave ourselves.
How to create that mindset: AI and a Fairer world?
Could AI help in understanding that mindset? Could AI bring equality of opportunity as our language of thought? We are so technologically advanced could we not treat AI as the blank slate (Tabula Rasa) as many philosophers have talked about predominantly John Locke or the new version of the ‘original position’ as stipulated by John Rawls.
AI can be trained to create digital platforms or models and hold beta tests and pilots in implementing a fairer system and how the current world system can be pivoted to a fairer world. AI has been used across the world in implementing incremental changes in various facets of life be it Education, Healthcare, Environment, Employment, etc.
Some examples include
Education-’The snappet platform powered by AI has been effectively implemented in the Netherlands restructuring the education system by providing real time feedback to teachers for students’ progress and thereby using these insights to tailor their teaching methods for these students.’
Healthcare- In India, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched the "eSanjeevani" telemedicine platform to increase healthcare access in rural areas. AI-driven tools within the platform help diagnose patients and recommend treatment plans. During the pilot phase, the platform provided remote consultations to thousands of patients, and its success led to nationwide implementation.
Environment- The European Union's "AI4EU" initiative includes projects that use AI to promote environmental justice. One such project involves using AI to monitor air quality and predict pollution levels in underserved communities. Pilot programs in cities like Barcelona and Paris have informed policies to reduce pollution exposure for vulnerable populations.
Incremental changes and models are a necessary step forward, but there is currently a lack of models used by policymakers to leverage AI from a philosophical perspective. We need to use AI to run system changes, create idealistic visions, and scientifically test major philosophies through simulations and experiments.
It is astonishing that little work has been done in this area so far. Mainstream AI is predominantly used by capitalistic structures, rather than for these experimental trials. The UN could utilise breakthrough AI models to simulate different political theories and explore how the world can be run more effectively. These simulations would allow us to learn from mistakes without facing real-world consequences. While such models cannot be 100% accurate, taking steps in this direction is crucial if we genuinely want to foster a mindset of equality of opportunity.
Conclusion?
The real world presents us with some harsh realities. Wealth and income disparity are just the beginning. We must recognize that willingness and motivation need capital, and currently, those in power control the capital. To pave the way for a fairer world model through AI simulations, we must also think in terms of cost-benefit analysis. We cannot merely be philosophers suggesting theoretical changes to the world; we must consider practical implementation within the existing framework.
Achieving funding for an AI model based on philosophies of a fair world is not inherently economical and does not align with the interests of the capitalist system. Therefore, we must be strategic. By presenting our AI models as beneficial to existing economic and political structures while subtly integrating principles of equity and fairness, we can gain the necessary support and resources. This approach allows us to work within the current system to gradually implement radical changes.
So let us for once use AI not for building the bricks of the capitalistic structure but to create our own bricks of that structure and replace it with a new radical system!
“The world is shrinking
Yet its expanding
In this obscure Natural Disaster
Let us make our own Natural Haven”
By: Anushka Gaur
References
Chimni, Ramit Singh, and Varun Achreja. “The F.A.I.R. Project.” The F.A.I.R. Project, https://thefairproject.org/about/. Accessed 20 July 2024.
“Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70: 30 Articles on 30 Articles - Article 28.” ohchr, 7 December 2018, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2018/12/universal-declaration-human-rights-70-30-articles-30-articles-article-28. Accessed 21 July 2024.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 70: Still working to ensure freedom, equality and dignity for all.” Share The World's Resources, 30 January 2020, https://sharing.org/information-centre/articles/universal-declaration-human-rights-70-still-working-ensure-freedom. Accessed 21 July 2024.
“Article 16: Equality of opportunity in matters of public employment.” Constitution of India, https://www.constitutionofindia.net/articles/article-16-equality-of-opportunity-in-matters-of-public-employment/. Accessed 22 July 2024.
“Language of Thought Hypothesis.” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, https://iep.utm.edu/lot-hypo/. Accessed 22 July 2024.
“Snippet Case Study.” AWS, https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/snappet/. Accessed 24 July 2024.
eSanjeevani, https://esanjeevani.mohfw.gov.in/#/. Accessed 23 July 2024.
“About AI4EU | AI-on-Demand.” AI-on-Demand Platform, https://www.ai4europe.eu/about-ai4eu. Accessed 23 July 2024.
Truly fortunate to be reading this article. Thanks!