5 Comments
User's avatar
Lavander's avatar

>the AGI design should be widely separated in the design space from any design that would constitute a hyperexistential risk

https://www.lesswrong.com/w/separation-from-hyperexistential-risk

Expand full comment
Joe Edelman's avatar

I've thought about this too. But you left out some of the most important drivers:

- Having any goal makes you want to grab power, which makes you more vulnerable to existing incentives (often the incentives you you didn't like!)

- Having any goal makes you want to grab power, then your movement is full of sociopaths who just want power.

- Having any goal makes you want to grab power and it's hard to know when to stop— when to switch from grabbing power to spending it.

-> The more scared you are, the more likely you continue to grab power rather than stop at the relevant time.

- Fear-based motivations lower your bit-rate & make you see the world in black and white terms related to your fear.

-> This means they reduce the range of policies you'll consider or invent (Pause AI, Defund the police, etc)

-> This creates a bitter policy environment where either nothing can get done, or your opponents look more reasonable.

Expand full comment
Anthony Bailey's avatar

The first three might be considered interesting convergent *downsides* of instrumental goals. Ironic in our authors context, maybe! And I find I can use them to support generalising my intuitions that horrible but recoverable warning shots are likely.

> Fear-based motivations [induce single bit weights that]

reduce the range of policies you'll consider or invent (Pause AI)

Don't mistake the simple brand for the wider range of thinking within though. All solutions are up for discussion in said movement.

Expand full comment
Joe Edelman's avatar

Oh, that’s one more I left out!

Ironically, unless a movement is a tightly controlled conspiracy, the loudest, most influential voices are likely to be the less discerning / most simple-minded / most extreme.

In part because that’s what carries well, but also because people tend to specialize in either nuance or messaging, not both.

Expand full comment
picnotrelated's avatar

Posiwid, constructive malice, and systemic pessimizationism. The algorithm blessed me today. Thank you.

Expand full comment