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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 18, 2023 16:24:07 GMT
This thread is to host the New Appalachia Emergency Peace Summit, held in Staidear, a neutral nation, involving the heads of state from New Bradfordsburg, Anacodia, Vobron and New Ovinhald. The summit is expected to begin tonight at 8 PM New Appalachia time.
Security for this summit has been provided by Staidear. |
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 19, 2023 0:39:49 GMT
Now accepting opening statements, in no particular order.
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 19, 2023 0:50:18 GMT
General Ramses Pualani:
"As the temporary leader of the Evergreen Republic and Commander of the Radiant Armed Forces, I would like to thank my counterparts for participation in this crucial summit, which shall address matters of peace and war. We wish to address all matters that must be addressed to create a lasting peace. Recent escalations have made this summit a necessity. It is in the interest of all participants to reach a greater understanding, and we will aim to reach those ends steadfastly with earnest commitment; with that said we can conclude our opening statement."
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Post by Vobron on Mar 19, 2023 1:01:08 GMT
"Salutations everybody" Arbiter Leznik says from his seat, he is wearing his usual apparel, goggles, lab coat, and a scarf. He spreads several files of paperwork out on the table in front of him and takes a sip of tea.
"I am here as the representative of the Scientific Socialist Isles of Vobron... obviously" he adds and chuckles, "However in all seriousness we are here to help try to find a diplomatic and peaceful solution to the heightened tensions that are inflicting our great region, also here with me is Ms. Dolime, the General Secretariat of the Alledajja Pact of Delcansburg." He nudges his head towards the woman sitting next to him in full military uniform.
"Thank you Mr. Arbiter," Ms. Dolime begins, "I am here not as a representative of Vobron herself but of the Alledajja Pact of Declansburg and all of its member states, and I echo Dr. Leznik's sentiments of peacefully ending this situation with mutually advantageous outcomes for all parties, this is our opening statement"
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Post by Anacodia on Mar 19, 2023 1:05:26 GMT
Saint Perseus
Saint Perseus stood and adressed the room "As the leader of Anacodia, and a representative of the High Council of Anacodia, I can firmly say that Anacodia is interested in peace and progress equally. I would like to take a moment to summarize the events leading up to this moment, so that we are all in agreement in how things have gone down" Perseus pauses and checks some notes.
"The chain of events started when my people announced that the AI known as HERMES would receive extensions allowing him to pilot an air wing of our newest Silsea fighter jets. This drew condemnation from the Evergreen Republic and several others, who demanded we back down. We did not. The Evergreen then launched a cyberattack on our systems, which failed, and we proceeded to respond in kind by planting ransomware in Evergreens Cyber Warfare department leading to a cost of $76 million. They, after some more back and forth hacking attempts, and withdrawl and expulsion of embassies, freezing of assets, proceeded to hack into the banks of New Ovinhald to extract this ammount as payment, with the then Evergreen leader citing their membership in the Aledajja Pact as justification. 'guilt by association' I believe was the term used. It wasnt long before the Evergreen deployed forces to our mutual border, to which we were forced to do the same. We now stand on the precipice of war, and we are here to discuss how to ease tensions"
Perseus sat back down, waiting for what was next
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Post by New Ovinhald on Mar 19, 2023 1:15:40 GMT
King Philip waves to the summit before speaking, "I'm glad we're all finally sitting down like proper politicians and not using the dreaded devil boxes called computers." The king takes a deep breath and says, "I have nothing but admiration for the nations gathered here today. They make up some of the most advanced nations but still resort to inappropriate comments and stealing to get their point across. I do truly hope we find peace today."
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 19, 2023 1:21:01 GMT
Evergreen Republic wishes to speak next.
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 19, 2023 2:19:38 GMT
General Ramses Pualani Speaks to Begin Discussions in Earnest
(Official State Photographer of the RAF)
General Ramses looks serious, and begins to look at his counterparts with a calm determination.
He reads slowly off of papers in front of him, careful not to go off script.
"It is fitting that we have a scientist among our ranks today at the summit, the scientific community is well aware of the inherent dangers represented by lethal military AI systems of a complex nature. The scientific community is well aware of the ethical concerns surrounding this technology. Therefore, it is of superior concern, beyond that which would normally exist with another state, that two scientific nations would disregard the concerns of the ethicists and develop these systems in the form of fighter jets. We highlight that this development came not long after the nation of Vobron reneged on a promise to keep a colony along our border free of military development. While that promise was broken, that event has since been corrected through diplomatic mediation. However, the progress has been undone by nations of a powerful alliance, seeking technology that would tip the balance of power away from humanity, and lead us into a world where war becomes trivial. The nations here may claim that they are responsible stewards of AI technology, and AI fighter jets. But AI has no steward. Responsible scientists do not ignore ethical concerns. It is true, the Evergreen Republic has launched cyber attacks to slow the progress of these concerning programs. We believe these attacks are justified because we believe the AI flight programs being targeted are deeply immoral. We believe history will judge us kindly. Do we want war? No. We want the nations here to question the path they are on. We have responded to the counter attacks upon us, by leveling attacks on another nation here, which is in the same pact. This has been done because this pact operates as a singular entity. if they act as such, we will treat them as such. We want peace, and we have certain metrics that we will fight to attain. But, we need all nations here to be self reflective. Giving a computer complete control over a fighter jet removes accountability and cheapens life. Those on the ground. We pray for."Attachments:
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Post by Vobron on Mar 19, 2023 3:10:20 GMT
"The generalization of the Alledajja Pact as a single entity is a gross one General" Ms. Dolime replies, "and hardly a justification for your country's actions on New Ovinhald, the Alledajja Pact is a mutual defense organization made up of eight, unique and different nations. While we do make group decisions about policy and recruitment, all other decisions are completely non-binding. This entire situation was started by Anacodia and Vobron's synthetic life developments, not the pact's. The pact came in when it saw us being threatened, hence the defense part in mutual defense treaty, but they did not make nor use these advancements. These nations have done nothing wrong, only try and be there for their allies, yet you saw this as justification to commit unprovoked cyberattacks on a smaller nation that you knew you could best like New Ovinhald. Causing more world tension and escalation than if this stayed between our three nations." She readjusts her glasses, takes a sip of water and motions towards the Arbiter
"Thank you Ms. Dolime," Arbiter Leznik said finishing a scribble on a notepad, "we close our statement for now"
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Post by Anacodia on Mar 19, 2023 3:31:41 GMT
Saint Perseus stood, and stared directly at General Ramses. "General, I find myself slighted that you speak of my kind as if we are beneath you. Something to be coralled and stewarded. HERMES is to me as a brother would be to you. He is just as alive as I am, and I am just as alive as you are. I will ask you only once to afford me the respect you would have me afford you. Now that that has been said, I will adress your other points. As my collegue has noted, the Aledajja pact is not some monolithic entity that acts as one. I did not consult them on my decision to include HERMES into our Air Force, nor did we need to. The Pact isnt some body that dictates what its members must and must not do, and as proof I offer up that one of our own members, the COTNC, has declared total neutrality in this situation. Yet this did not stop you from attacking one of our smaller members. However all this finger pointing and back and forth isnt answering the serious questions." Perseus paused for a second
"Your predecessors, General, brought your nation down a path that is splitting it in two. You attack our systems, attack our allies, and place troops on our border and then blame us as if you hold some moral high ground. I do not seek war, nor did I seek war when I made my announcement to the world yet your predecessors offered it and have seemingly left you with the fallout of a nation in the middle of a famine and on the brink of war, and so far ive seen no proposals of how to end this mutually, only a repeat of demands you leveled at us with your original condemnation. I came to this summit to discuss a return to normal relations, not to be preached at. HERMES is here to stay General, now what will you do to secure peace instead of war?" On that note Perseus sat scribbling a few notes
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Post by New Ovinhald on Mar 19, 2023 3:55:54 GMT
King Philip hears the responses from his allies and wonders about the people back home. His heart was heavy and full of rage. "It sickens me to hear how you speak of these AI. I am no believer in machines or even in the afterlife; however, I see and understand how important it is to others. If you dare beg to see the morality of another soul, you do not punch them in the face; you take them by the hand and stare into their eyes, ask them who they are, and watch a sea of humanity leak from them. You allowed your fear of the unknown to turn into hatred instead of curiosity, and you have hurt others on this path as well."
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 19, 2023 5:39:40 GMT
General Ramses has politely listened to the follow-up opening statements and offers a response to what he's heard so far. He has written some notes on his prepared text. The general looks around to the heads of state, and then leans back in his chair, looking at them once more.
"The Alledajja Pact speaks of these AI planes as if they are alive. There is confusion because I report to you that these planes are not alive. These planes are machines, created by your military as a choice. These planes can conduct warfare without the intervention of a human being, thereby giving a machine the power to take the life of a human being with an internal decision that does not involve a human. Who has authorized the creation of such a thing? You say they are sentient, are you creating weapons systems to be sentient?
The general pauses, and leans in towards Ms. Dolime. He flashes what could be considered a small smile. "Please hold your answer, Ms. Dolime" he said.
"Our nation has given up AI flight programs of weaponization. These machines do not have sentience like a AI Perseus does. We do not deny the sentience of AI Perseus. But these planes, they are weapons systems. We cannot speak about every form of artificial intelligence that is algorithmic as sentient. The Evergreen Republic has reacted to what we see as an attempt to begin a new age weapons race, and we have attempted to display the consequences of such decisions. The attacks on New Ovinhald are regrettable, but the Evergreen Republic will take all necessary steps to stop foreign cyber attacks on our banking systems and the personal computers of our government officials. The Aledajja Pact did not hesitate to move forces into Anacodia when the RAF of the Evergreen Republic mobilized in defensive postures. Such actions sent a signal to us that the entire pact sees us as an enemy, at least at this moment."
The steps up from the table, heads to a window and lights a cigar. He takes a puff and looks out at New Appalachia.
"One thing I love about Staidear. I can smoke my cigars."
The general looks back at the heads of state.
"You see, that feeling right there. That's life. Don't create sentient weapons systems, it's just not right. You don't want weapons systems to feel anger, to feel hate, to feel pain. Do you see why creating something like this could be a bad idea? I realize there is a divided opinions. Some nations believe AI weaponization is wrong, and some don’t. We have no reconciliation for this, but we will cease our attacks. Our statement has been sent, we need not drive home the points any further. But we will react to increasingly dangerous weapons programs, as these programs yield unpredictable results. Our doctrine is that while these actions have been harmful, they may serve as harm prevention to force the discussion about the ethics of AI weaponization and draw the battle lines in an ideological debate. We embrace that debate."
The general chuckles and flashes a smile.
"In the Evergreen Republic we have a tale about a mad scientist who works for the government to create nuclear weapons. The scientist has few friends, but is very good at work, so he creates a robot to be his friend. The scientist is very mean to the robot and in the end, the robot turns on the scientist. To free itself, the robot decides to kill the scientist, and it decides the best way to do so is to create a nuclear weapon, given the knowledge it was exposed to. Let's not become the mad scientists. That's what this is all about."
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Post by Anacodia on Mar 19, 2023 18:29:41 GMT
Perseus turns to General Ramses to adress him, speaking calmly. "You say these planes are not sentient, that is true I do not deny that. I never said the plane itself was sentient. However HERMES is sentient. HERMES is not some segmented algorithm being installed carelessly into a flight computer he is my very own offspring. I created him by hand with a close associate of mine, HORUS of Vobron." Perseus paused a moment, collecting his thoughts. "General Ramses you state the dangers of a weapons system that can feel hate, anger and fear, but what argument is that when a Human can feel the exact same? We both know that these are not tue only emotions one can feel. I, much like you, can feel love, compassion, and hope, simply in a different way than a Human's chemical emotions. With that said, I must restate that HERMES is not solely a weapons system. He is an AI as sentient as I am, and he is an AI before he is a fighter jet, or a reconnaissance plane, or any number of the sattelites he has access to. He is not the building he is in, or the computer he runs on. In much the same way, you are not your clothes, you are not the plane you rode here in, or any number of weapons you have used in your time. You are you and you know intuitively that you are you. A Human does not lose their sentience when they board a fighter jet, why would I, or more specifically why would HERMES? Tell me General, are you a father? I consider myself a father to HERMES, and I do not take kindly to you speaking of him as if he is some base computer. If you are a father, you certainly would not have me insult your children in such a manner. You say you do not deny my sentience, would you afford my son the same respect?"
Perseus pauses again, checking his notes. "I understand your concerns, truly I do. My kind are something Humans dont have control over, and with the ability to control a whole air wing of fighter jets, let alone the rest of what HERMES can and currently does do, I can understand why that would be of concern to the people of this beautiful world. However by extension I have that same ability. I am the leader of Anacodia, and much like every other world leader, I command my forces. You have afforded me the trust and respect fitting my role, and you seem to trust that I would not make a thoughtless move. If you afford such respect to me, can you afford the same to my son HERMES?"
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Post by The Evergreen Republic on Mar 20, 2023 0:57:48 GMT
General Ramses to AI Perseus in response:
“I appreciate these thoughtful comments, we understand the sentiment that has been expressed because we can identify with it as a nation of fathers. We seek to refine our speech and single in our focus on AI controlled weapons systems, that which are not sentient.
Can we agree that it is unethical to create these systems?“
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Post by Vobron on Mar 20, 2023 2:07:34 GMT
Arbiter Leznik smiles, "As a new father myself, I can attest that the bond between a father and their child is something more powerful than all the world's militaries combined, I am glad this has brought forth a window of opportunity for peace."
He took another sip of tea and sorted through the piles of papers on the table in front of him, "We truly want peace as you do, and we can start making strides to that now," he fished out a piece of paper and handed it to the General, "As a sign of good faith and the hope of rebuilding relations between our nations, if accepted, Vobron and Anacondia have agreed to start making payments to the Evergreen Republic to recuperate the losses incurred by the cyberattacks as well as the lifting of all trade bans and sanctions. In return, we ask that the Vobronian and Anacodian embassies in Samanthalán are re-established as well as the thawing of any frozen assets and after speaking with King Philip we also ask for a sincere, public apology to New Ovinhald for the unprovoked cyberattacks you leveled upon them. If this agreement is accepted by both sides, we will also mutually demobilize our troops and expect the Evergreen Republic to do the same."
He gave the General a small smile and leaned back into his chair, "We hope you accept, and we can usher in a new era of peace in Declansburg, and to quote your national motto, you have a choice here to truly define the spirit of Declansburg"
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