Thank you for voicing your concerns and frustrations. I think many in the EA Community need to hear this sort of thing, even if they don’t like it. To give an idea of why I think EAs have responded this way, I think it’s because many are stuck in certain defense mechanisms that make them think they need a certain PR face at all times. We’re used to being criticized, slammed by the media, and have our views either not taken seriously, or have them depicted as dangerous or cultish. In a sense, I think the branding of ‘EA’ inhibits many from being willing to act quickly. They like the longterm strategy. The calculated, carefully built strategies, where every piece is carefully added on top of the other. But I agree with you that the situation has changed. We may not have much time to act, and most of the progress made toward getting the public’s attention on taking AI Risk seriously has happened outside of EA. I think EA has an ivory tower problem, and needs to provide channels for people outside it to take action.
I’m a fan of EA in general, though, as is implied in my post, I don’t feel I have a role here. And you can’t do everything here. This kind of campaign belongs somewhere else. But the funding? This seems like the best place to try, in order to quickly build out the infrastructure needed. And a lot of the talent needed to get that done is also widely present here.
A lot of what I say is directed at the AI community, because this is the only place where there is some chance of reaching a decent number of them with a post like this—here, or Less Wrong, where it fits even less.
Thanks for voicing support. I started off wanting to post about something else, but the frustration just flowed out. It scares me how little has been done on this.
Thank you for voicing your concerns and frustrations. I think many in the EA Community need to hear this sort of thing, even if they don’t like it. To give an idea of why I think EAs have responded this way, I think it’s because many are stuck in certain defense mechanisms that make them think they need a certain PR face at all times. We’re used to being criticized, slammed by the media, and have our views either not taken seriously, or have them depicted as dangerous or cultish. In a sense, I think the branding of ‘EA’ inhibits many from being willing to act quickly. They like the longterm strategy. The calculated, carefully built strategies, where every piece is carefully added on top of the other. But I agree with you that the situation has changed. We may not have much time to act, and most of the progress made toward getting the public’s attention on taking AI Risk seriously has happened outside of EA. I think EA has an ivory tower problem, and needs to provide channels for people outside it to take action.
I’m a fan of EA in general, though, as is implied in my post, I don’t feel I have a role here. And you can’t do everything here. This kind of campaign belongs somewhere else. But the funding? This seems like the best place to try, in order to quickly build out the infrastructure needed. And a lot of the talent needed to get that done is also widely present here.
A lot of what I say is directed at the AI community, because this is the only place where there is some chance of reaching a decent number of them with a post like this—here, or Less Wrong, where it fits even less.
Thanks for voicing support. I started off wanting to post about something else, but the frustration just flowed out. It scares me how little has been done on this.