Views on AI aren't binary -- they're plural

TL;DR

This paper challenges the binary view of AI ethics and safety, emphasizing the pluralistic nature of AI discourse and offering strategies to foster collaboration and reduce conflict among diverse AI communities.

Contribution

It critiques the false binary between AI Ethics and AI Safety and provides concrete suggestions to promote pluralism and cooperation in AI development and governance.

Findings

The binary view oversimplifies AI discourse.

A pluralistic approach fosters better collaboration.

Concrete strategies can reduce community conflicts.

Abstract

Recent developments in AI have brought broader attention to tensions between two overlapping communities, "AI Ethics" and "AI Safety." In this article we (i) characterize this false binary, (ii) argue that a simple binary is not an accurate model of AI discourse, and (iii) provide concrete suggestions for how individuals can help avoid the emergence of us-vs-them conflict in the broad community of people working on AI development and governance. While we focus on "AI Ethics" an "AI Safety," the general lessons apply to related tensions, including those between accelerationist ("e/acc") and cautious stances on AI development.