Top performers in fields like chess, music and athletics almost universally receive coaching.
I wonder how much of that is actually based on science, and how much is just superstition / scams.
Do you know whether these coaches are somehow trained / certified themselves? Like, are there some scientific studies that a wannabe coach needs to learn and take an exam? Or is it more like some random person decides “I feel smart, I am going to be a coach”, and the rest depends only on their charisma and marketing?
If I somehow happen to be a top athlete, is there some organization where I can go and tell them “give me a list of coaches you recommend”, or do I have to search online and make a guess about what is a scam and what is not?
One reason I am asking is that if there is a coach certifying body and a list of scientific literature, it might be interesting for someone to look at the literature and maybe write some summary on LW.
I would expand your suggestion; I think it would be interesting to have something like “coaching for intellectuals” in general, not just for AI alignment researchers. Sleep, sport, nutrition, meditation, writing, that applies to many professions. Well, the way I said it, I guess it applies to all humans, but let’s say that the coaching for intellectuals would also specifically address things like written communication or risks of sedentary lifestyle, and it could give you articles to read.
The cheapest version could consist of a website with articles on different topics; a coach that would meet you once in a few months to talk to, who would give you a high-level summary and links to more details; and maybe some hand-holding such as “you recommended me to get a blood test, so… what specifically should I tell the doctor I want… ok, now I got this result, how do I interpret it?”. And the more expensive versions would include more time spent with the coach, any maybe some other services, like buying the healthy food / supplements / home gym equipment / sleeping masks / whatever. Maybe with some group discounts, if people at the same place subscribe, so the couch can meet them as a group.
What is specific, from this perspective, for AI alignment researchers? Maybe the feeling of great responsibility, higher chance of burnout and nightmares?
I wonder how much of that is actually based on science, and how much is just superstition / scams.
In basketball there isn’t any certification. Coaches/trainers usually are former players themselves who have had some amount of success, so that points towards them being competent to some extent. There’s also the fact that if you don’t feel like you’re making progress with a coach you can fire them and hire a new one. But I think there is also a reasonably sized risk of the coach lacking competence and certain players sticking with them anyway, for a variety of reasons.
I’m sure that similar things are true in other fields, including athletics but also in fields like chess where there isn’t a degree you could get. In fields with certifications and degrees it probably happens less often, but I know I’ve dealt with my fair share of incompetent MDs and PhDs.
So ultimately, I agree with the sentiment that finding competent coaches might involve some friction, but despite that, it still feels to me like a very tractable problem. Relatedly, I’m seeing now that there has been some activity on the topic of coaching in the EA community.
What is specific, from this perspective, for AI alignment researchers? Maybe the feeling of great responsibility, higher chance of burnout and nightmares?
I don’t expect that the needs of alignment researchers are too unique when compared to the needs of other intellectuals. I mention alignment researchers because I think they’re a prototypical example of people having large, positive impacts on the world, as opposed to intellectuals who study string theory or something.
I wonder how much of that is actually based on science, and how much is just superstition / scams.
Do you know whether these coaches are somehow trained / certified themselves? Like, are there some scientific studies that a wannabe coach needs to learn and take an exam? Or is it more like some random person decides “I feel smart, I am going to be a coach”, and the rest depends only on their charisma and marketing?
If I somehow happen to be a top athlete, is there some organization where I can go and tell them “give me a list of coaches you recommend”, or do I have to search online and make a guess about what is a scam and what is not?
One reason I am asking is that if there is a coach certifying body and a list of scientific literature, it might be interesting for someone to look at the literature and maybe write some summary on LW.
I would expand your suggestion; I think it would be interesting to have something like “coaching for intellectuals” in general, not just for AI alignment researchers. Sleep, sport, nutrition, meditation, writing, that applies to many professions. Well, the way I said it, I guess it applies to all humans, but let’s say that the coaching for intellectuals would also specifically address things like written communication or risks of sedentary lifestyle, and it could give you articles to read.
The cheapest version could consist of a website with articles on different topics; a coach that would meet you once in a few months to talk to, who would give you a high-level summary and links to more details; and maybe some hand-holding such as “you recommended me to get a blood test, so… what specifically should I tell the doctor I want… ok, now I got this result, how do I interpret it?”. And the more expensive versions would include more time spent with the coach, any maybe some other services, like buying the healthy food / supplements / home gym equipment / sleeping masks / whatever. Maybe with some group discounts, if people at the same place subscribe, so the couch can meet them as a group.
What is specific, from this perspective, for AI alignment researchers? Maybe the feeling of great responsibility, higher chance of burnout and nightmares?
In basketball there isn’t any certification. Coaches/trainers usually are former players themselves who have had some amount of success, so that points towards them being competent to some extent. There’s also the fact that if you don’t feel like you’re making progress with a coach you can fire them and hire a new one. But I think there is also a reasonably sized risk of the coach lacking competence and certain players sticking with them anyway, for a variety of reasons.
I’m sure that similar things are true in other fields, including athletics but also in fields like chess where there isn’t a degree you could get. In fields with certifications and degrees it probably happens less often, but I know I’ve dealt with my fair share of incompetent MDs and PhDs.
So ultimately, I agree with the sentiment that finding competent coaches might involve some friction, but despite that, it still feels to me like a very tractable problem. Relatedly, I’m seeing now that there has been some activity on the topic of coaching in the EA community.
I don’t expect that the needs of alignment researchers are too unique when compared to the needs of other intellectuals. I mention alignment researchers because I think they’re a prototypical example of people having large, positive impacts on the world, as opposed to intellectuals who study string theory or something.