Jim Burrows' Personified Systems

Welcome to Personified Systems

Personified Systems is the name that I, Jim Burrows, have used for reporting on the work I’ve been doing during my recent sabbatical. Originally, it was a blog hosted on Wix, and then a publication on Medium.com. When I left my position as Vice President of Advanced Development at Silent Circle, I decided that the issue of Machine Ethics was likely to be one of the industry’s next hot topics, and that I wanted to spend some time working on it.

Specifically, it was (and remains) my impression that the number of systems that we interact with as if they were persons rather than mere tools was growing at a rapid rate. More and more, they talk and listen to us, recognize us by our faces or other biometrics, advise us, drive our planes, trucks and cars, they chat with us online. They are beginning, in other words, to actually participate socially. If they are going to do that, act as if they were a form of person, then it is important that they act like trustworthy persons.

Personified Systems Resources

I’ve used the “Personified Systems” name on a number of sites on the net: Medium.com, a blog, and Facebook. Here’s a rundown.

Personified Systems on Medium

Personified Systems exists as an on-going publication on Medium.com that is the main presence on the Web for this project. The two main categories of stories published there are articles by me involving Machine Ethics, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in general, and an “AI in the News” column by Earl Wajenberg. Others have suggested that they might like to participate, so the publication may grow over time.

Recent Medium Posts

The following are recent stories of interest posted either personally or under Personified Systems. I'm not logging every post here, just the ones that are most interesting. First, the Personified Systems stories:

The Zeroth Principle of Bioethics

I was recently whacked upside the head by the difference between having all the data and knowing the facts.

Masquerading as Human

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a lightbulb

Killing the Runaway Trolley Problem

The nearly half-century-old “Trolley Problem” is a runaway success, one that itself needs to be brought to a halt.

I've also published a trio of Cybersecurity articles that have been well received. They lead into the "Masquerading as Human: On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a lightbulb." article above:

Cybersecurity as a Living Thing

Our immune systems, nervous systems, and even fungus-mediated networks in the forest may hold keys to cybersecurity.

Escaping Dark Age Cybersecurity Thinking

Much of what’s wrong today in the realm of security, especially “cybersecurity” comes from thinking that is rooted in the Dark Ages.

The Ancient Art of Cybersecurity

The supplicant comes to the venerable master and asks, “O Guru, how may I be safe on my computer? What tool must I install?” and is told, “Ah, Grasshopper, the security that may be installed is not the true security.”

Personified Systems Blog Archive

After we opened Personified Systems on Medium, we began to phase out the original blog that I was using to report on the progress of the sabbatical, and are now closing it down. The posts that appeared there have been moved to a blog archive on this site. You can get to it by clicking on the “Blog Archive” link at the top of each page, or by clicking here.

Personified Systems on Facebook

Finally, I have a Facebook page, which is used mostly for announcements and as a way for people to find out about Personified Systems in general and to communicate with me.

File downloads

I've produced a couple of papers during my sabbatical, and they and my résumé are available here. All three can be downloaded as PDF files, and the sabbatical report is also available as an eBook in ePub format, suitable for iBooks and other eBook readers. Click on the images below to download the corresponding document. My résumé is also online as a simple HTML file for automated access.

My sabbatical report as a PDF file.

My sabbatical report in iBooks ePub format.

‘AI, a “Common Sense” Approach’ as a PDF.

My résumé as a PDF.