I think a non-trivial fraction of Aschenbrenner’s influence as well as intellectual growth is due to us and the core EA/AI-Safety ideas, yeah. I doubt he would have written it if the extended community didn’t exist, and if he wasn’t mentored by Holden, etc.
I don’t disagree with this at all. But does this mean that blame can be attributed to the entire EA community? I think not.
Re mentorship/funding: I doubt that his mentors were hoping that he would accelerate the chances of an arms race conflict. As a corollary, I am sure nukes wouldn’t have been developed if the physics community in the 1930s didn’t exist or mentored different people or adopted better ethical norms. Even if they did the latter, it is unclear if that would have prevented the creation of the bomb.
(I found your comments under Ben West’s posts insightful; if true, it highlights a divergence between the beliefs of the broader EA community and certain influential EAs in DC and AI policy circles.)
Currently, it is just a report, and I hope it stays that way.
I think a non-trivial fraction of Aschenbrenner’s influence as well as intellectual growth is due to us and the core EA/AI-Safety ideas, yeah. I doubt he would have written it if the extended community didn’t exist, and if he wasn’t mentored by Holden, etc.
I don’t disagree with this at all. But does this mean that blame can be attributed to the entire EA community? I think not.
Re mentorship/funding: I doubt that his mentors were hoping that he would accelerate the chances of an arms race conflict. As a corollary, I am sure nukes wouldn’t have been developed if the physics community in the 1930s didn’t exist or mentored different people or adopted better ethical norms. Even if they did the latter, it is unclear if that would have prevented the creation of the bomb.
(I found your comments under Ben West’s posts insightful; if true, it highlights a divergence between the beliefs of the broader EA community and certain influential EAs in DC and AI policy circles.)
Currently, it is just a report, and I hope it stays that way.