titotal

Karma: 7,947

I’m a computational physicist, I generally donate to global health. I am skeptical of AI x-risk and of big R Rationalism, and I intend explaining why in great detail.

Debate: should EA avoid using AI art outside of research?

titotalApr 30, 2025, 11:10 AM

32 points

29 comments3 min readEA link

Slopworld 2035: The dangers of mediocre AI

titotalApr 14, 2025, 1:14 PM

84 points

1 comment29 min readEA link

(titotal.substack.com)

AI is not taking over material science (for now): an analysis and conference report

titotalMar 11, 2025, 12:01 PM

59 points

16 comments25 min readEA link

(open.substack.com)

Explaining the discrepancies in cost effectiveness ratings: A replication and breakdown of RP’s animal welfare cost effectiveness calculations

titotalOct 14, 2024, 11:34 AM

158 points

28 comments12 min readEA link

Is “superhuman” AI forecasting BS? Some experiments on the “539″ bot from the Centre for AI Safety

titotalSep 18, 2024, 1:07 PM

68 points

4 comments14 min readEA link

(open.substack.com)

Most smart and skilled people are outside of the EA/rationalist community: an analysis

titotalJul 12, 2024, 12:13 PM

214 points

26 comments14 min readEA link

(open.substack.com)

In defense of standards: A fecal thought experiment

titotalJun 24, 2024, 12:18 PM

6 points

10 comments8 min readEA link

Motivation gaps: Why so much EA criticism is hostile and lazy

titotalApr 22, 2024, 11:49 AM

213 points

44 comments19 min readEA link

(titotal.substack.com)

[Draft] The humble cosmologist’s P(doom) paradox

titotalMar 16, 2024, 11:13 AM

39 points

6 comments10 min readEA link

The Leeroy Jenkins principle: How faulty AI could guarantee “warning shots”

titotalJan 14, 2024, 3:03 PM

56 points

2 comments21 min readEA link

(titotal.substack.com)

titotal’s Quick takes

titotalDec 9, 2023, 12:25 AM

8 points

53 comments EA link

Why Yudkowsky is wrong about “covalently bonded equivalents of biology”

titotalDec 6, 2023, 2:09 PM

29 points

20 comments16 min readEA link

(open.substack.com)

“Diamondoid bacteria” nanobots: deadly threat or dead-end? A nanotech investigation

titotalSep 29, 2023, 2:01 PM

102 points

33 comments20 min readEA link

(titotal.substack.com)

The bullseye framework: My case against AI doom

titotalMay 30, 2023, 11:52 AM

71 points

15 comments17 min readEA link

Bandgaps, Brains, and Bioweapons: The limitations of computational science and what it means for AGI

titotalMay 26, 2023, 3:57 PM

59 points

0 comments18 min readEA link

Why AGI systems will not be fanatical maximisers (unless trained by fanatical humans)

titotalMay 17, 2023, 11:58 AM

43 points

3 comments15 min readEA link

How “AGI” could end up being many different specialized AI’s stitched together

titotalMay 8, 2023, 12:32 PM

31 points

2 comments9 min readEA link

Nuclear brinksmanship is not a good AI x-risk strategy

titotalMar 30, 2023, 10:07 PM

19 points

8 comments5 min readEA link

How my community successfully reduced sexual misconduct

titotalMar 11, 2023, 1:50 PM

209 points

32 comments5 min readEA link

Does EA understand how to apologize for things?

titotalJan 15, 2023, 7:14 PM

159 points

48 comments3 min readEA link