...the signaling of using a ”.com” rather than a ”.org” address makes the website appear to be slightly cranky
Agree, but less of a problem than having the term ‘Singularity’ in the name of your charity.
ETA: Seriously, I feel ashamed every time I link someone to the SIAI website, just because of the impression I expect it to have on the person I want to convince of risks from AI. “Singularity” is such a loaded term if you are not a cosmologist...rapture of the nerds, anyone?
I so dislike that phrase. Unfortunately, you’re probably right about its referent’s signaling implications.
On the other hand, I’ve generally found it more productive to assume that there are coherent reasons behind any particular decision. Perhaps Eliezer et al. thought they could get more mileage out of the word’s positive associations among adherents than they’d lose from its negative associations among skeptics—or perhaps it’s just that it was a less loaded concept back in 2000. Probably both.
Agree, but less of a problem than having the term ‘Singularity’ in the name of your charity.
ETA: Seriously, I feel ashamed every time I link someone to the SIAI website, just because of the impression I expect it to have on the person I want to convince of risks from AI. “Singularity” is such a loaded term if you are not a cosmologist...rapture of the nerds, anyone?
I so dislike that phrase. Unfortunately, you’re probably right about its referent’s signaling implications.
On the other hand, I’ve generally found it more productive to assume that there are coherent reasons behind any particular decision. Perhaps Eliezer et al. thought they could get more mileage out of the word’s positive associations among adherents than they’d lose from its negative associations among skeptics—or perhaps it’s just that it was a less loaded concept back in 2000. Probably both.
Nope, actually Eliezer also feels bad about SIAI name. He jokingly suggested it should have been named the Good Institute, after I. J. Good.
No public comments along those lines though, AFAICS.
Oh, yeah, it wasn’t a public comment. He was just visiting the rationality mini-camp and the topic came up.
If SIAI were being founded today, it would surely be called the Rationality Institute.
yup, I almost always preface discussion of something involving the word ‘singularity’ with “I really hate the word singularity, but...”
That risks activating the heuristic “If someone starts a discussion with “I’m not X but …” , (s)he is probably X ”. Urban dictionary : “I’m not a racist but...”
The “Rapture” and the “Singularity” Have Much in Common.