but like many movements, the passionate, smart people are attracted into unproductive directions because they stick to what’s memetic, avoid conflicting with allies...
I was genuinely confused for a moment while reading this, because this is a perfect description of the pro-industry, anti-pause arm of rationalism and EA. Everyone working for an AI company (or their proxies like Coefficient Giving), or trying to “align” LLMs, or eschewing protests, or refusing to speak to politicians about shutting down the unconscionable suicide race… they are getting attracted into unproductive directions, sticking to what is often memetic in this community, and avoiding conflicting with their allies (often the people who are actively causing the AI crisis). In many cases, this is due not to bad epistemics, but to bad character. A disturbing number of EAs and Rats as here described are not pro-human by humanity’s standards or my own.
I agree with your conclusion that it was good to try to bring attention to the issue, and that enabled a lot of the good that is being done today. But the baton has rightfully been passed. With due thanks to early movers, the future of AI safety now belongs first and foremost to humanity.
I was genuinely confused for a moment while reading this, because this is a perfect description of the pro-industry, anti-pause arm of rationalism and EA. Everyone working for an AI company (or their proxies like Coefficient Giving), or trying to “align” LLMs, or eschewing protests, or refusing to speak to politicians about shutting down the unconscionable suicide race… they are getting attracted into unproductive directions, sticking to what is often memetic in this community, and avoiding conflicting with their allies (often the people who are actively causing the AI crisis). In many cases, this is due not to bad epistemics, but to bad character. A disturbing number of EAs and Rats as here described are not pro-human by humanity’s standards or my own.
I agree with your conclusion that it was good to try to bring attention to the issue, and that enabled a lot of the good that is being done today. But the baton has rightfully been passed. With due thanks to early movers, the future of AI safety now belongs first and foremost to humanity.