Tyler—this is an excellent, informative, and timely post.
I hope EAs take it seriously, and understand that, given the legal actions underway, we are living through very Special Circumstances. In these circumstances, our normal, cherished EA norms of open, honest, candid communication and spirited debate would be individually and collectively reckless for many EA leaders to engage in.
It’s worthwhile for everybody to watch this classic YouTube video on why you shouldn’t talk to the police at all, under most circumstances, without your lawyer present—even if you know you’re innocent of any wrongdoing, even if you want to be helpful, even if you want to clear your name.
The epistemic and ethical standards of the law are very, very different from those of academia, cause-prioritization research, AI alignment, and moral activism. Most of us (including me) are largely ignorant about legal standards—and therefore are very vulnerable to making catastrophic errors when large-scale lawsuits and serious criminal charges are flying around.
We expect a lot from our EA leaders. But we should not, IMHO, expect them to open themselves to serious legal vulnerabilities just because we are used to certain communication norms that are no longer prudent given the FTX debacle.
Tyler—this is an excellent, informative, and timely post.
I hope EAs take it seriously, and understand that, given the legal actions underway, we are living through very Special Circumstances. In these circumstances, our normal, cherished EA norms of open, honest, candid communication and spirited debate would be individually and collectively reckless for many EA leaders to engage in.
It’s worthwhile for everybody to watch this classic YouTube video on why you shouldn’t talk to the police at all, under most circumstances, without your lawyer present—even if you know you’re innocent of any wrongdoing, even if you want to be helpful, even if you want to clear your name.
The epistemic and ethical standards of the law are very, very different from those of academia, cause-prioritization research, AI alignment, and moral activism. Most of us (including me) are largely ignorant about legal standards—and therefore are very vulnerable to making catastrophic errors when large-scale lawsuits and serious criminal charges are flying around.
We expect a lot from our EA leaders. But we should not, IMHO, expect them to open themselves to serious legal vulnerabilities just because we are used to certain communication norms that are no longer prudent given the FTX debacle.