I always assumed that “Why don’t we give Terence Tao a million dollars to work on AGI alignment?” was using Tao to refer to a class of people. Your comment implies that it would be especially valuable for Tao specifically to work on it.
When I’ve talked about this, I’ve always meant both literally hire Tao and try to find young people of the same ability.
When I’ve talked about this, I’ve always meant both literally hire Tao and try to find young people of the same ability.