Feedback from someone who really enjoyed your May workshop (and I gave this same feedback then, too): Part of the reason I was willing to go to CFAR was that it is separate (or at least pretends to be separate, even though they share personnel and office space) from MIRI. I am 100% behind rationality as a project but super skeptical of a lot of the AI stuff that MIRI does (although I still follow it because I do find it interesting, and a lot of smart people clearly believe strongly in it so I’m prepared to be convinced.) I doubt I’m the only one in this boat.
Also, I’m super uncomfortable being associated with AI safety stuff on a social level because it has a huge image problem. I’m barely comfortable being associated with “rationality” at all because of how closely associated it is (in my social group, at least) with AI safety’s image problem. (I don’t exaggerate when I say that my most-feared reaction to telling people I’m associated with “rationalists” is “oh, the basilisk people?”)
Feedback from someone who really enjoyed your May workshop (and I gave this same feedback then, too): Part of the reason I was willing to go to CFAR was that it is separate (or at least pretends to be separate, even though they share personnel and office space) from MIRI. I am 100% behind rationality as a project but super skeptical of a lot of the AI stuff that MIRI does (although I still follow it because I do find it interesting, and a lot of smart people clearly believe strongly in it so I’m prepared to be convinced.) I doubt I’m the only one in this boat.
Also, I’m super uncomfortable being associated with AI safety stuff on a social level because it has a huge image problem. I’m barely comfortable being associated with “rationality” at all because of how closely associated it is (in my social group, at least) with AI safety’s image problem. (I don’t exaggerate when I say that my most-feared reaction to telling people I’m associated with “rationalists” is “oh, the basilisk people?”)