“Concrete Problems in AI Safety” used this distinction to make this point, and I think it was likely a useful simplification in that context. I generally think spelling it out is better, and I think people will pattern match your concerns onto the “the sci-fi scenario where AI spontaneously becomes conscious, goes rogue, and pursues its own goal” or “boring old robustness problems” if you don’t invoke structural risk. I think structural risk plays a crucial role in the arguments, and even if you think things that look more like pure accidents are more likely, I think the structural risk story is more plausible to more people and a sufficient cause for concern.
“Concrete Problems in AI Safety” used this distinction to make this point, and I think it was likely a useful simplification in that context. I generally think spelling it out is better, and I think people will pattern match your concerns onto the “the sci-fi scenario where AI spontaneously becomes conscious, goes rogue, and pursues its own goal” or “boring old robustness problems” if you don’t invoke structural risk. I think structural risk plays a crucial role in the arguments, and even if you think things that look more like pure accidents are more likely, I think the structural risk story is more plausible to more people and a sufficient cause for concern.
RE (A): A known side-effect is not an accident.