It is a little bit strange that organizers could not donate at least some money to the project or invest their time in it as volonteers. In result we see more fighting for funds than actual x-risks resistance. The same problem plagues other x-risk organizations, most of all Lifeboat foundation. By the way most notable work on x-risks was done without any visable funding, I mean articles of Bostrom and Yudkowsky.
The organisers certainly are doing so. However, it’s easy to underestimate the sheer amount of work involved in setting up a centre. Huw and Martin have been putting a lot of time into contacting academic advisors, making policy connections, liaising with Cambridge University and the relevant centres within Cambridge, meeting with representatives from various funding bodies, writing funding applications, and doing media and public outreach. Jaan has provided seed funding, is also making relevant connections and doing media outreach, and has been helping with website design.
Regarding money: Martin and Huw don’t possess the kind of wealth to fund a whole research centre, and Jaan in addition to his CSER funding is funding MIRI, FHI and other organisations. Furthermore, an organisation getting its funds from outside sources, particularly respected academic funding bodies, probably looks more reputable than one that is mainly funded by its own organisers. Raising funds is a big part of setting up any new research centre, Xrisk or otherwise.
Regarding time: Jaan helping with the website is generous, but is not the best use of his time, given his earning and influence power—so I’m going to be minimising how much he’s doing that. Martin and Huw manning the general email account and doing the time-consuming legwork involved in writing grant applications and dealing with bureaucracy is not the best use of their time, given their positions of influence. Better to have someone like me (and others like me) doing that, and for them to be making the connections that I can’t.
There’s just a lot of legwork to be done. The founders aren’t in a position to quit their other positions and responsibilities to devote themselves to that legwork, and even if they were it wouldn’t represent the best use of their time—they would lose valuable influence and earning potential.
“By the way most notable work on x-risks was done without any visable funding, I mean articles of Bostrom and Yudkowsky.” I can’t speak for Yudkowsky, but there certainly was visible (if flexible) funding from the Oxford Martin School for Bostrom’s work on existential risk.
It is a little bit strange that organizers could not donate at least some money to the project or invest their time in it as volonteers. In result we see more fighting for funds than actual x-risks resistance. The same problem plagues other x-risk organizations, most of all Lifeboat foundation. By the way most notable work on x-risks was done without any visable funding, I mean articles of Bostrom and Yudkowsky.
The organisers certainly are doing so. However, it’s easy to underestimate the sheer amount of work involved in setting up a centre. Huw and Martin have been putting a lot of time into contacting academic advisors, making policy connections, liaising with Cambridge University and the relevant centres within Cambridge, meeting with representatives from various funding bodies, writing funding applications, and doing media and public outreach. Jaan has provided seed funding, is also making relevant connections and doing media outreach, and has been helping with website design.
Regarding money: Martin and Huw don’t possess the kind of wealth to fund a whole research centre, and Jaan in addition to his CSER funding is funding MIRI, FHI and other organisations. Furthermore, an organisation getting its funds from outside sources, particularly respected academic funding bodies, probably looks more reputable than one that is mainly funded by its own organisers. Raising funds is a big part of setting up any new research centre, Xrisk or otherwise.
Regarding time: Jaan helping with the website is generous, but is not the best use of his time, given his earning and influence power—so I’m going to be minimising how much he’s doing that. Martin and Huw manning the general email account and doing the time-consuming legwork involved in writing grant applications and dealing with bureaucracy is not the best use of their time, given their positions of influence. Better to have someone like me (and others like me) doing that, and for them to be making the connections that I can’t.
There’s just a lot of legwork to be done. The founders aren’t in a position to quit their other positions and responsibilities to devote themselves to that legwork, and even if they were it wouldn’t represent the best use of their time—they would lose valuable influence and earning potential.
“By the way most notable work on x-risks was done without any visable funding, I mean articles of Bostrom and Yudkowsky.” I can’t speak for Yudkowsky, but there certainly was visible (if flexible) funding from the Oxford Martin School for Bostrom’s work on existential risk.