Do you factor in the opportunity cost of people doing things other than AI safety research? It’s really unclear to me why someone with a decade’s work of feeding the homeless should work on AI safety, nor if they have experience in public health or other worthy causes. It seems strange to ignore experience and say people shouldn’t do what they’re good at and already “optimised” to do that helps society. I’ve met dozens of people who are in this position who seem pressured to work on AI regardless of skillset, experience, background or interest.
Do you factor in the opportunity cost of people doing things other than AI safety research? It’s really unclear to me why someone with a decade’s work of feeding the homeless should work on AI safety, nor if they have experience in public health or other worthy causes. It seems strange to ignore experience and say people shouldn’t do what they’re good at and already “optimised” to do that helps society. I’ve met dozens of people who are in this position who seem pressured to work on AI regardless of skillset, experience, background or interest.