Comment by lettergram
2 years ago
> The point of regulation is to mitigate damage that comes from unfettered access, no regulation can ever prevent it completely.
Except it is unfettered access -- anyone can access it for <$500. If someone wants a gun they need only log online & order a kit or order a 3d printer for $500 plus a pipe. What you're really doing is increasing the cost-of-acquisition in terms of time, but not reducing access. Aka gang member has the same level of access as before.
Take current AI software applications, everyone can access some really powerful AI systems. The cost-of-acquisition is dropping dramatically, so it is becoming more prevalent (i.e. LLMs that are pre-trained can be downloaded). That's not going to change, even with max regulation, I can still download the latest model or build it myself. It's not removing access to people, only possibly increasing cost-of-acquisition.
If we're worried about ACCESS you have to remove peoples ability to share information. Which requires massive surveillance, etc.
There's more to access than carrying out the literal steps to access something. Potentially, this is one of the fundamental reasons partial access control is effective.