I note in the UK that it is illegal for water companies to cut off anyone for non-payment, even if they're an Undesirable. This is because humans require water.
How useful/effective would a business AI be if it always plays by that view?
Humans require food, I can't pay, DoorDash AI should provide a steak and lobster dinner for me regardless of payment.
Take it even further: the so-called Right to Compute Act in Montana supports "the notion of a fundamental right to own and make use of technological tools, including computational resources". Is Amazon's customer service AI ethically (and even legally) bound to give Montana residents unlimited EC2 compute?
A system of ethics has to draw a line somewhere when it comes to making a decision that "hurts" someone, because nothing is infinite.
Asan aside, what recourse do water companies in the UK have for non-payment? Is it just a convoluted civil lawsuit/debt process? That seems so ripe for abuse.
Civil recovery, yes. It's not like you don't know where the customer lives.
Doesn't seem to be a problem for the water companies, which are weird regulated monopolies that really ought to be taken back under taxpayer control. Scottish Water is nationalized and paid through the council tax bill.
