Would you like to see this extended globally? Could such a spirit exist multinationally? It’s asking a lot, because you’d be asking for a lot of courage from places like China, India, Russia, Middle East … anywhere that’s not Europe basically.
Well yes, but context matters here and this is the US government's decision to take with a US-based company.
While I understand why it matters for folks affiliated with prominent AI companies in particular to sign this, the more the American people stand together, the more pressure I think that puts on our government to act responsibly.
Idealistic and naive? Probably. But sometimes grassroots efforts do spark change, and it's high time the people of the USA start living up to the first word in our country's name.
Anyways, to answer your question directly: I welcome all the fine people of the world everywhere to join in what this open letter stands for.
Unfortunately, it's abundantly clear to many of us Americans that the current administration doesn't care what we think, never mind what people outside our country do. So I'll just start with the group that this department (in theory) is supposed to represent.
In realizing that a lot of my best work was effectively walled, I've started taking it upon myself to build up a showcase of work that's strictly my own.
I think you should look to have a portfolio online and an active Github account.
I have 3 things on my portfolio (www.bcooke.net):
1) Side projects I never finished or am still working on
2) Freelance sites I built alone (where my good relationship with the client meant I could openly share the work)
3) Brief blurbs about the salaried roles in my career, with a screenshot
I haven't updated it in a while but it's something.
Do you have a portfolio? Is your Github active? StackOverflow? You need things you can show!
It sucks because your best work - the stuff you spent the most time on - isn't always available to share. And even if you could, there'd be questions about which part you did.
Having a site you can point to and say, "I did that" is a good way to showcase your abilities, and if all your work is owned by your employer, you should probably start thinking about ways you can change that.
