I’ve heard from friends outside the EA scene that they think most AI-risk workers have severe mental issues like depression and burnout.
I don’t mean to downplay this issue, but I think a lot of people get the wrong idea.
My hunch is that many of the people actively employed and working on AI safety are fairly healthy and stable. Many are very well paid and have surprisingly nice jobs/offices.
I think there is this surrounding ring of people who try to enter this field, who have a lot of problems. It can be very difficult to get the better positions, and if you’re stubborn enough, this could lead to long periods of mediocre management and poor earnings.
I think most of the fully employed people typically are either very busy, or keep to a limited social circle, so few outsiders will meet them. Instead, outsiders will meet people who are AI safety adjacent or trying to enter the field, and those people can have a much tougher time.
So to me, most people who are succeeding in the field come across a lot like typical high-achievers, with the profiles of typical high-achievers. And people not succeeding in the field come across as people trying and not succeeding in other competitive fields. I’d expect that statistics / polls would broadly reflect this.
All that to say, if you think that people shouldn’t care about AI safety / x-risks because then they’ll go through intense depression and anxiety, I think you might be missing some of the important demographic details.
I’ve heard from friends outside the EA scene that they think most AI-risk workers have severe mental issues like depression and burnout.
I don’t mean to downplay this issue, but I think a lot of people get the wrong idea.
My hunch is that many of the people actively employed and working on AI safety are fairly healthy and stable. Many are very well paid and have surprisingly nice jobs/offices.
I think there is this surrounding ring of people who try to enter this field, who have a lot of problems. It can be very difficult to get the better positions, and if you’re stubborn enough, this could lead to long periods of mediocre management and poor earnings.
I think most of the fully employed people typically are either very busy, or keep to a limited social circle, so few outsiders will meet them. Instead, outsiders will meet people who are AI safety adjacent or trying to enter the field, and those people can have a much tougher time.
So to me, most people who are succeeding in the field come across a lot like typical high-achievers, with the profiles of typical high-achievers. And people not succeeding in the field come across as people trying and not succeeding in other competitive fields. I’d expect that statistics / polls would broadly reflect this.
All that to say, if you think that people shouldn’t care about AI safety / x-risks because then they’ll go through intense depression and anxiety, I think you might be missing some of the important demographic details.