Clippy’s writing style isn’t very similar to Eliezer’s. Note that one thing Eliezer has trouble doing is writing in different voices (one of the more common criticisms of HPMR is that a lot of the characters sound similar). I would assign a very low probability to Clippy being Eliezer.
Hmmm. The set of LW regulars who can show that level of erudition and interest in those subjects is certainly of low cardinality. Eliezer is a member of that small set.
I would assign a rather high probability to Eliezer sometimes being Clippy.
Clippy isn’t a superintelligence though, he’s a not-smarter-than-human AI with a paperclip maximizing utility function. Not a very compelling threat even outside his box.
Eliezer could have decided to be Clippy, but then Clippy would have looked very different.
Clippy isn’t a superintelligence though, he’s a human pretending to be a not-smarter-than-human AI with a paperclip maximizing utility function.
FTFY. ;-)
Actually, if we’re going to be particular about it, the AI that human is pretending to be does not have a paperclip-maximizing utility function. It’s more like a person with a far-brain ideal of having lots of paperclips exist, who somehow never gets around to actually making any because they’re so busy telling everyone how good paperclips are and why they should support the cause of paper-clip making. Ugh.
(I guess I see enough of that sort of akrasia around real people and real problems, that I find it a stale and distasteful joke when presented in imitation paperclip form, especially since ISTM it’s also a piss-poor example of what a paperclip maximizer would actually be like.)
I’m not sure whether to evaluate this as a mean-spirited lack of a sense of humor, or as a profound observation. Upvoted for making me notice that I am confused.
Of note, the first comment by Clippy appears about 1 month after I asked Eliezer if he ever used alternate accounts to try to avoid contaminating new ideas with the assumption that he is always right. He said that he never had till that point, but said he would consider it in future.
In addition to what Blueberry said, I remember a time when Morendil was browsing with the names anonymized, and he mentioned that he thought one of your posts was actually from Clippy. Ah, found it.
Not to mention that even assuming that Eliezer would be able to write in Clippy’s style, the whole thing doesn’t seem very characteristic of his sense of humor.
Clippy’s writing style isn’t very similar to Eliezer’s. Note that one thing Eliezer has trouble doing is writing in different voices (one of the more common criticisms of HPMR is that a lot of the characters sound similar). I would assign a very low probability to Clippy being Eliezer.
I think the key to unmasking Clippy is to look at the Clippy comments that don’t read like typical Clippy comments.
Hmmm. The set of LW regulars who can show that level of erudition and interest in those subjects is certainly of low cardinality. Eliezer is a member of that small set.
I would assign a rather high probability to Eliezer sometimes being Clippy.
Clippy does seem remarkably interested. It has a fair karma. It gives LessWrong as its own web site. The USA timezone is at least consistent. It seems reasonable to hypothesise some kind of inside job. It wouldn’t be the first time Yu’El has pretended to be a superintelligence.
FWIW, Clippy denies being Eliezer here.
I hesitate to mention it, but you can’t use that denial as evidence on this question, undeniably truthful though it was.
However, the form taken by that absence of evidence certainly seems to be evidence of something.
Clippy isn’t a superintelligence though, he’s a not-smarter-than-human AI with a paperclip maximizing utility function. Not a very compelling threat even outside his box.
Eliezer could have decided to be Clippy, but then Clippy would have looked very different.
FTFY. ;-)
Actually, if we’re going to be particular about it, the AI that human is pretending to be does not have a paperclip-maximizing utility function. It’s more like a person with a far-brain ideal of having lots of paperclips exist, who somehow never gets around to actually making any because they’re so busy telling everyone how good paperclips are and why they should support the cause of paper-clip making. Ugh.
(I guess I see enough of that sort of akrasia around real people and real problems, that I find it a stale and distasteful joke when presented in imitation paperclip form, especially since ISTM it’s also a piss-poor example of what a paperclip maximizer would actually be like.)
I’m not sure whether to evaluate this as a mean-spirited lack of a sense of humor, or as a profound observation. Upvoted for making me notice that I am confused.
Of note, the first comment by Clippy appears about 1 month after I asked Eliezer if he ever used alternate accounts to try to avoid contaminating new ideas with the assumption that he is always right. He said that he never had till that point, but said he would consider it in future.
Imitating Clippy posts is not particularly difficult—I don’t post as Clippy, but I could mimic the style pretty easily if I wanted to.
I’m afraid I’d have trouble—I’d be too tempted to post as Clippy better than Clippy does. :D
In addition to what Blueberry said, I remember a time when Morendil was browsing with the names anonymized, and he mentioned that he thought one of your posts was actually from Clippy. Ah, found it.
I know what you mean. If I was not me I would totally think I was Clippy.
That I would love to see. Actually, come to think of it, your sense of humor and posting style matches Clippy’s pretty well...
Not to mention that even assuming that Eliezer would be able to write in Clippy’s style, the whole thing doesn’t seem very characteristic of his sense of humor.