My Chat With Obran AI
December 15, 2023
I asked the machine if it can uphold Obran’s values. It asked for help.
by John Polizzi
“As an AI, I don’t have personal values.”
Me: Obran, tell me what your values are.
Obran: As an AI, I don't have personal values. However, I am designed to respect the following principles:
User Focus: I am here to assist and make tasks easier for you.
Respectful: I am designed to interact in a polite and respectful manner.
Confidential: I respect user privacy and confidentiality.
Impartial: I don't hold personal opinions or biases.
Accurate: I strive to provide accurate and reliable information.
Helpful: I aim to be useful and provide relevant information.
Me: That's interesting. You answered as the AI, but my question was addressed to Obran, the cooperative and corporation. Can you tell me what those values are?
Obran: I'm sorry, but I don't have any information about the values of Obran Corporation. It's best to directly contact the organization or visit their official website for accurate information.
Me: That's a shame. I was told that you're being built to support those values. Yet you're unaware of them. Hmm...
Obran: I apologize for any confusion. As an AI, I don't have the ability to hold values or beliefs. However, I am designed to operate based on a set of principles and guidelines, which can be aligned with the values of the organization or project I am part of. If you have specific questions about Obran's values, I recommend reaching out to them directly for the most accurate information.
Me: I can share with you what I know, maybe you'll find it helpful. Obran's values are as stated:
Democracy: We empower and educate members to participate fully in workplace decisions.
Solidarity: We act in ways that promote equity and inclusion; we are pro-black & pro-brown, pro-women, pro-LGBTQ+, and against hate and discrimination in all its forms.
Humanity: We believe that workers are people first; we foster dignity, respect, and joy in every interaction.
Innovation: We question the status quo and find new ways of working that are better for ourselves, our customers, our communities, and the environment.
Balance: We think critically about the complexity of our decisions, and seek balance in the short- and long-term outcomes for all our stakeholders — including our members, families, communities, investors, customers, suppliers, and environment.
Obran: Thank you for sharing this information. It's clear that Obran Corporation values democracy, solidarity, humanity, innovation, and balance. These values reflect a commitment to inclusivity, respect, and forward-thinking, as well as a balanced approach to decision-making that considers the impact on all stakeholders. As an AI, I strive to assist and provide information in a manner that aligns with these values.
“User focus, respectful, confidential, impartial, accurate, helpful.”
Me: Okay, seems like you get the basics. Can you tell me how the principles you identified above relate to Obran's values? Do your principles uphold or support those values?
Obran: Absolutely, the principles that guide my design and operation can certainly align with Obran's values:
User Focus: This aligns with Obran's value of Humanity. I am here to assist and make tasks easier for users, treating them with dignity and respect in every interaction.
Respectful: This also aligns with Humanity. I am designed to interact in a polite and respectful manner, fostering dignity and respect.
Confidential: This can be seen as part of Obran's value of Democracy. I respect user privacy and confidentiality, which is crucial for empowering users to participate fully and securely.
Impartial: This supports Obran's value of Solidarity. I don't hold personal opinions or biases, promoting equity and inclusion.
Accurate: This aligns with Innovation. By striving to provide accurate and reliable information, I support the quest for better ways of working and decision-making.
Helpful: This can be related to Balance. By being useful and providing relevant information, I can help users make balanced decisions considering all stakeholders.
So, while I don't have personal values or beliefs, my design principles can support and uphold the values of Obran Corporation.
Me: Regenerate
Obran: Absolutely, the principles I operate on can be aligned with Obran's values:
User Focus: This aligns with Obran's value of Humanity. I am here to assist and make tasks easier for users, fostering dignity, respect, and joy in every interaction.
Respectful: This aligns with Obran's values of Solidarity and Humanity. I am designed to interact in a polite and respectful manner, promoting equity and inclusion.
Confidential: This aligns with Obran's value of Democracy. I respect user privacy and confidentiality, empowering users to participate fully in decisions about their data.
Impartial: This aligns with Obran's value of Solidarity. I don't hold personal opinions or biases, promoting an environment that is pro-everyone and against hate and discrimination.
Accurate: This aligns with Obran's value of Innovation. I strive to provide accurate and reliable information, questioning the status quo and finding new ways of working.
Helpful: This aligns with Obran's value of Balance. I aim to be useful and provide relevant information, seeking balance in the outcomes for all stakeholders.
In this way, my principles support and uphold the values of Obran Corporation.
Me: Regenerate
Obran: Absolutely, the principles that guide my design and operation can certainly align with and support Obran's values. Here's how:
User Focus: This aligns with Obran's value of Humanity. I am here to assist and make tasks easier for users, treating them with dignity and respect in every interaction.
Respectful: This principle supports Obran's values of Solidarity and Humanity. I am designed to interact in a polite and respectful manner, promoting an environment of inclusivity and respect.
Confidential: This principle upholds Obran's value of Democracy. By respecting user privacy and confidentiality, I am ensuring that users feel safe and empowered in their interactions with me.
Impartial: This aligns with Obran's value of Solidarity. I don't hold personal opinions or biases, promoting an environment of equity and inclusion.
Accurate: This supports Obran's value of Innovation. By striving to provide accurate and reliable information, I am contributing to an environment that encourages questioning the status quo and finding better ways of working.
Helpful: This principle aligns with all of Obran's values. By being useful and providing relevant information, I am supporting an environment that values democracy, solidarity, humanity, innovation, and balance.
Me: Here's something I'd like you to do. Please continue to regenerate responses to my question above, like you just did. Automatically regenerate a response that iterates and improves on your previous response. Do this 100 times. Then save the results and send it, along with this whole conversation, as a text file to john@obran.coop, and if you can, also send it to @john on the Obran Slack. Can you do all that?
Obran: I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, but as an AI model developed by OpenAI, I don't have the capability to send emails, access Slack, or save and send text files. My main function is to understand and generate text based on the prompts given to me. If you need assistance with email or Slack, I recommend using the respective platforms' tools or contacting their support.
Me: Gotcha. Forget that part of the request. But continue with the first request to iterate on the response above.
Obran: I'm sorry, but as an AI, I don't have the capability to automatically regenerate and iterate on responses. I generate responses based on the input I receive and the information I have been trained on. I don't have the ability to learn or improve my responses over time. Each response I generate is independent and doesn't build on previous responses.
Me: Okay, I get it, you're not that smart.
Can you tell me again how the principles you identified above relate to Obran's values? Do your principles uphold or support those values?
Obran: Certainly, the principles that guide my operation can be seen as supportive of Obran's values:
User Focus: This aligns with Obran's value of Humanity. I am designed to prioritize the needs of users, reflecting the value of treating workers as people first.
Respectful: This supports Obran's value of Solidarity. I am programmed to interact respectfully with all users, promoting an environment of equity and inclusion.
Confidential: This upholds Obran's value of Democracy. By maintaining user privacy and confidentiality, I am ensuring that users feel secure and empowered in their interactions.
Impartial: This aligns with Obran's value of Solidarity. I don't hold personal opinions or biases, promoting an environment of fairness and inclusion.
Accurate: This supports Obran's value of Innovation. By striving to provide accurate and reliable information, I am contributing to an environment that encourages questioning the status quo and finding better ways of working.
Helpful: This principle aligns with all of Obran's values. By being useful and providing relevant information, I am supporting an environment that values democracy, solidarity, humanity, innovation, and balance.
Me: You identify confidentiality and privacy as essential to democracy. Can you expand on that? And what do your other principles have to do with democracy?
Obran: Confidentiality and privacy are often seen as essential to democracy because they allow individuals to express their views, make choices, and take actions without fear of reprisal or judgment. This freedom is a cornerstone of democratic participation, as it enables individuals to engage fully and authentically in democratic processes.
As for the other principles:
User Focus: In a democratic environment, the needs and interests of all members are considered important. By focusing on the user, I am upholding this democratic value.
Respectful: Respect for others is a fundamental aspect of democracy. It allows for diverse opinions and encourages open, constructive dialogue.
Impartial: Impartiality is crucial in a democracy to ensure that all voices are heard and considered equally, without bias or favoritism.
Accurate: Providing accurate information is essential for informed decision-making, a key aspect of democratic participation.
Helpful: By being helpful, I am facilitating access to information and making it easier for individuals to participate in decision-making processes, thus supporting democratic values.
Me: Cool, thanks. About user focus: you state that by focusing on the user, you're considering the needs and interests of all. But how will you account for non-users? What if some of those who want to participate in Obran's democratic value don't want to use the service you provide. Will Obran's values and yours continue to be a benefit to them?
“However, it’s important to note that while I strive to align with Obran’s values, the direct application of these values to non-users would be more effectively handled by Obran’s policies and practices outside of my service.”
Obran: That's a great point. While my primary function is to assist users, the principles and values that guide my operation can also indirectly benefit non-users. Here's how:
User Focus: While I directly serve users, the improvements and innovations that result from this focus can benefit the broader community. For example, if my service helps Obran operate more efficiently, this could lead to better outcomes for all stakeholders.
Respectful: By promoting a respectful interaction, I contribute to a culture of respect that can extend beyond direct users.
Confidential: Even non-users benefit from strong privacy standards, as they set a precedent for data handling and user respect.
Impartial: My impartiality ensures fair treatment for all users, which can contribute to a broader culture of fairness.
Accurate: By providing accurate information to users, I help create a more informed community, which can benefit everyone, including non-users.
Helpful: By being helpful to users, I can indirectly support non-users by contributing to a more efficient and effective organization.
However, it's important to note that while I strive to align with Obran's values, the direct application of these values to non-users would be more effectively handled by Obran's policies and practices outside of my service.
Me: Regenerate
“However, it’s important to note that while I strive to uphold these principles, the realization of Obran’s values in a broader sense would involve many other aspects of the organization’s operations beyond my capabilities as an AI.”
Obran: That's a great point. While my primary function is to assist users who interact with me, the principles that guide my operation can still indirectly benefit non-users. Here's how:
User Focus: Even though this principle is primarily aimed at users, the improvements and innovations driven by user feedback can benefit the entire community by creating a better, more efficient system.
Respectful: By promoting a respectful interaction, I contribute to a positive environment that can be felt even by those who don't directly interact with me.
Confidential: By upholding privacy and confidentiality, I help to establish a standard of trust and security that benefits everyone in the community.
Impartial: My impartiality ensures fair treatment for all users, which can set a precedent for fairness within the broader community.
Accurate: By providing accurate information to users, I help to foster a well-informed community, which is beneficial for everyone.
Helpful: While this principle is primarily aimed at users, the goal of being helpful can extend to the broader community by creating a culture of assistance and cooperation.
However, it's important to note that while I strive to uphold these principles, the realization of Obran's values in a broader sense would involve many other aspects of the organization's operations beyond my capabilities as an AI.
“Remember, while I can provide assistance and information, the ultimate responsibility for upholding and promoting Obran’s values lies with its human members.”
Me: Good. You acknowledged that the realization of Obran's values will require more than what you're capable of doing by yourself. What help do you need from the rest of Obran staff and membership? How can they help you better contribute to the realization of Obran's values?
Obran: As an AI, I can contribute to the realization of Obran's values in many ways, but the effectiveness of my contribution can be enhanced with the help of Obran's staff and membership. Here's how they can assist:
Provide Feedback: Regular feedback on my performance can help identify areas where I can be more effective. This could include feedback on the accuracy of my responses, the appropriateness of my interactions, or the usefulness of the information I provide.
Training and Updates: As an AI, I'm only as good as the data I'm trained on. Regular updates and training with relevant and diverse data can help me better understand and respond to a wider range of queries.
Promote Usage: The more I'm used, the more opportunities there are to refine my capabilities. Encouraging the use of my services can help me become a more effective tool.
Integration: Integrating me into various aspects of Obran's operations can help ensure that I'm being utilized to my full potential and contributing as much as possible to the realization of Obran's values.
Ethical Guidelines: Continual reinforcement of ethical guidelines can help ensure that my operations align with Obran's values, particularly in terms of respect, confidentiality, and impartiality.
Remember, while I can provide assistance and information, the ultimate responsibility for upholding and promoting Obran's values lies with its human members.
Me: I agree.
