Executive summary: This post analyzes cause prioritization for downside-focused value systems, arguing that reducing suffering risks, particularly through AI alignment, should be prioritized over utopia creation to mitigate potential long-term disvalue.
Key points:
Distinction between downside-focused and upside-focused value systems, where the former emphasizes reducing disvalue and the latter emphasizes creating significant positive outcomes.
Downside-focused views prioritize the reduction of suffering risks (s-risks) over the creation of utopian futures due to the potential for catastrophic disvalue.
Extinction risk reduction is generally not favorable for downside-focused value systems as it may inadvertently increase s-risks associated with space colonization and technological advancements.
AI alignment is likely beneficial for downside-focused perspectives by preventing the creation of superintelligent AI that could generate vast amounts of suffering, despite high uncertainty in outcomes.
Effective altruism portfolios should incorporate interventions that are valuable from both downside- and upside-focused perspectives, with a strong emphasis on AI safety and strategic cooperation.
Addressing moral uncertainty and fostering cooperation are crucial for maximizing positive outcomes and minimizing harms across diverse value systems, recommending a focus on universally beneficial interventions.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: This post analyzes cause prioritization for downside-focused value systems, arguing that reducing suffering risks, particularly through AI alignment, should be prioritized over utopia creation to mitigate potential long-term disvalue.
Key points:
Distinction between downside-focused and upside-focused value systems, where the former emphasizes reducing disvalue and the latter emphasizes creating significant positive outcomes.
Downside-focused views prioritize the reduction of suffering risks (s-risks) over the creation of utopian futures due to the potential for catastrophic disvalue.
Extinction risk reduction is generally not favorable for downside-focused value systems as it may inadvertently increase s-risks associated with space colonization and technological advancements.
AI alignment is likely beneficial for downside-focused perspectives by preventing the creation of superintelligent AI that could generate vast amounts of suffering, despite high uncertainty in outcomes.
Effective altruism portfolios should incorporate interventions that are valuable from both downside- and upside-focused perspectives, with a strong emphasis on AI safety and strategic cooperation.
Addressing moral uncertainty and fostering cooperation are crucial for maximizing positive outcomes and minimizing harms across diverse value systems, recommending a focus on universally beneficial interventions.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.