“The Animal Welfare Case for Open Access: Breaking Barriers to Scientific Knowledge and Enhancing LLM Training” by Wladimir J. Alonso, cynthiaschuck

Why would we, immersed in the quantification of animal welfare, engage in a discussion that seems more ivory-towered academic than practical for improving the lives of billions of animals? As it turns out, access to information plays a pivotal role in our ability to gather data and metrics that directly impact animal welfare. We are now witnessing a third revolution in information access—the first being the advent of scientific publishing, and the second, the rise of the internet. This current revolution is driven by astonishing advances in Large Language Models (LLMs), a branch of AI that can process vast amounts of information in seconds—tasks that previously required weeks of painstaking effort, even with internet assistance. However, for LLMs to perform effectively, they need direct access to scientific studies. Here is where the legacy system of paywalled publishing becomes a serious barrier, requiring a revisit of its shortcomings. The Case [...] ---Outline:(01:07) The Case Against Paywalls(02:12) A Barrier to Training LLMs(03:37) The Need for Action(05:18) The Broader Implications--- First published: November 23rd, 2024 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/o9axYLyZERvdvrzbb/the-animal-welfare-case-for-open-access-breaking-barriers-to --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.