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.
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.