Category: AI Safety

Assume Safe AI

Posted on by Christopher Berry

“In an ideal scenario, we would have full confidence in the controllability of AI systems both now and in the future. Reliable mechanisms would be in place to ensure that AI systems do not act deceptively. There would be a strong understanding of AI system internals, sufficient to have knowledge of a system’s tendencies and goals; these tools would allow us to avoid building systems that are deserving of moral consideration or rights. AI systems would be directed to promote a pluralistic set of diverse values, ensuring the enhancement of certain values doesn’t lead to the total neglect of others. AI assistants could act as advisors, giving us ideal advice and helping us make better decisions according to our own[…]

X-Risk

Posted on by Christopher Berry

How would you assess our track record, as a species, so far? Because your assessment about our performance probably has a lot to do with how you think about the existential risk caused by AI. The Human Track Record We’re doing our best. This planet is pretty messed up. Uncertainty and scarcity combine to create incentives for many things to eat other things. We chain our food into enormous energy and matter flows. If there was no uncertainty, then there would be no scarcity. There’d be no need to differentiate or compete. It was different when we were one, back when we were all united at the very beginning of everything. Most experts agree that the Big Bang was a[…]

Field Building

Posted on by Christopher Berry

Let’s wander through the fields for a bit. I’ll document what field building appears like to the person experiencing the building. I’ll start with basic beliefs about communities, then get specific about the experience, talk problems, and end on solutions. Communities Communities are defined by their knowledge. Knowledge communities, those that create new knowledge are especially sensitive to who decides what is considered knowledge and what is not. New scientific knowledge communities always start off quite rebellious. That’s the spirit of science. It’s about telling truth to power. It’s about contesting authority. Sure, you may believe something, but here are reasons to the contrary. And then infrastructure shows up and frames, shapes, and sometimes, strangles that community. Journal editors and university[…]