One can signal differently to make oneself more palatable to different audiences and, indeed, “machine/emergent intelligence theorist” is less confining, while “machine intelligence researcher” is more suitable for academia or industry; here at LW, however, I needn’t conceal my specific interests, which happen to be in AI safety and friendliness.
“machine intelligence researcher” is also much more employable—which isn’t saying much.
One can signal differently to make oneself more palatable to different audiences and, indeed, “machine/emergent intelligence theorist” is less confining, while “machine intelligence researcher” is more suitable for academia or industry; here at LW, however, I needn’t conceal my specific interests, which happen to be in AI safety and friendliness.