And I might add – not just a deep understanding of how the world is, but of how the world could be:
Large knowledge models for grounded, efficient information retrieval
Decomposable tasks for superintelligent systems without superintelligent agents
The potential for coordinated small models to outcompete large models on narrow tasks, making superintelligence potentially nearer but also safer
Structured transparency enabling verifiable commitments and de-escalation of races
Massively positive sum possibilities making coordination much more desirable
That is to say, I think Eric is a futurist in the best sense; he is someone who sees how the future could be and strives to paint a highly legible and compelling vision of this that at times can make it feel like it might just be inevitable, but at the very least, and perhaps more importantly, shows that it’s both possible and desirable.
And I might add – not just a deep understanding of how the world is, but of how the world could be:
Large knowledge models for grounded, efficient information retrieval
Decomposable tasks for superintelligent systems without superintelligent agents
The potential for coordinated small models to outcompete large models on narrow tasks, making superintelligence potentially nearer but also safer
Structured transparency enabling verifiable commitments and de-escalation of races
Massively positive sum possibilities making coordination much more desirable
That is to say, I think Eric is a futurist in the best sense; he is someone who sees how the future could be and strives to paint a highly legible and compelling vision of this that at times can make it feel like it might just be inevitable, but at the very least, and perhaps more importantly, shows that it’s both possible and desirable.