Second, US export controls can buy time by slowing down the whole field.
I think this will have the opposite effect. Restricting supply of hardware will only further incentivize efficiency-focused research, which I think is much more critical on the path to AGI than “stack moar layers”.
Even worse, that kind of move would just convince the competitors that AGI is far more feasible, and incentivize them to speed up their efforts while sacrificing safety.
If blocking Huwaei failed to work a couple of years ago with an unusually pugnacious American presidency, I doubt this kind of move would work in the future where the Chinese technological base would be probably stronger.
I should’ve been more clear…export controls don’t just apply to physical items. Depending on the specific controls, it can be illegal to publicly share technical data, including source code, drawings, and sometimes even technical concepts
This makes it really hard to publish papers, and it stops you from putting source code or instructions online
I think this will have the opposite effect. Restricting supply of hardware will only further incentivize efficiency-focused research, which I think is much more critical on the path to AGI than “stack moar layers”.
Even worse, that kind of move would just convince the competitors that AGI is far more feasible, and incentivize them to speed up their efforts while sacrificing safety.
If blocking Huwaei failed to work a couple of years ago with an unusually pugnacious American presidency, I doubt this kind of move would work in the future where the Chinese technological base would be probably stronger.
I should’ve been more clear…export controls don’t just apply to physical items. Depending on the specific controls, it can be illegal to publicly share technical data, including source code, drawings, and sometimes even technical concepts
This makes it really hard to publish papers, and it stops you from putting source code or instructions online