Iām not endorsing OP (I think democracy is a good cause, but not enough), but:
Would you classify X-Risks like AI and pandemics as major problems? Do you think having more countries be democratic would reduce these risksāgiven that the existing democracies donāt do enough on either?
Iām pretty sure it will. Democracies donāt do enough about these at all, but the question is what this stands as an alternative for.
Autocracies have two important characteristics which make them very dangerous in terms of human-created X-risks and AI in particular:
Leaders are much less accountable, and more prone to act violently or irresponsibly. Thus, they can drive existential risks higher using state-level resources.
Leaders have an incentive to consolidate their power and take away citizensā autonomyāand AI gives excellent tools to do that. If a non-democratic government somehow manages to use its control to build an aligned, superintelligent AGIāit will be used to dominate the rest of the world and create an eternal totalitarian regime. This is as bad as extinction, or worse.
Iām not endorsing OP (I think democracy is a good cause, but not enough), but:
Iām pretty sure it will. Democracies donāt do enough about these at all, but the question is what this stands as an alternative for.
Autocracies have two important characteristics which make them very dangerous in terms of human-created X-risks and AI in particular:
Leaders are much less accountable, and more prone to act violently or irresponsibly. Thus, they can drive existential risks higher using state-level resources.
Leaders have an incentive to consolidate their power and take away citizensā autonomyāand AI gives excellent tools to do that. If a non-democratic government somehow manages to use its control to build an aligned, superintelligent AGIāit will be used to dominate the rest of the world and create an eternal totalitarian regime. This is as bad as extinction, or worse.