Everyone including the next generation, and the next.
Getting AGI right is the odds-on way to help everyone, particularly those who are disadvantaged now.
You can disagree with the logic, but only if you understand the logic.
The utilitarian concern for everyone strongly implies that we should worry about the future. If you believe that AGI presents even a 1% x-risk, of humanity’s likely quadrillions of descendants not existing, or being born into an unbreakable dystopia, and that we’re near a tipping point, then the cold hard logic says that’s what we should all focus on. And most of us believe the risk is much higher than 1% - LWers might average around 50% chance we screw up AGI and all die.
Add to that the fact that the vast majority of humanity focuses much more on the problems you mention, and it makes more sense for those that see and believe in AGI as an immense force for good or bad to focus on making sure it’s good.
The possible rewards of empowering every human beyond the privilege of kings, and allowing quadrillions of joyous humans to live far into the future, are as immense as the risk of us being snuffed out in the next few decades.
That’s why we seem callous to the suffering of the underprivileged now. I don’t think we are.
PS - Shame on whoever downvoted this question. Suppressing dissent instead of explaining your logic to newcomers is not a good look for any community, nor good epistemics. This is a reasonable question to ask, and LW is supposed to be about asking and answering reasonable questions.
What I am sensing or seeing right now is in order to promote AGI risks and X risks, I am seeing people downplay/lower ranking the importance of the people who already cannot see this beautiful world. It does not feel logical to me, that because there are always future issues that affect everyone’s lives, the issues that cause some people to be already on the miserable side should not be addressed.
The problem here is that we are not have the same starting line for “everyone” now, and therefore progress towards saving everyone with future focus might not mean the same thing. I maybe should draw a graph to demonstrate my point. As opposed to only consider problems that concerns everyone, I think we should also focus a bit more on an inclusive finish line that is connected to current realities of not the same starting line. If this world continues to be this way, I also worry if the future generations would like it, or would want to be brought into this.
I understand the utilitarian intentions, but I myself also believe we could incorporate equalitarian views. And in fact, a mindset or rules promoting equality or along similar lines actually helps everyone. In many situations a human will be one of those people at some point in their life in some way. Maybe a person’s home suddenly became war zone. Maybe got disabled suddenly. Maybe experienced sexual assault for self or loved one. Establishing a good system to reduce these and prevent these helps human in the future as well. I would like to formalize this a bit more later.
Both views/also current vs future views should really joint forces, as opposed to exclude each other. There are many tasks that I see are shared such as social good mindsets and governance.
Some background about me; myself believe in looking into both, and believe in value in looking into both. It would be dangerous to focus on only one either way by promoting another, and gradually we overlook/go backwards on things that we have started.
I see your concern. I don’t think that people who are currently disadvantaged will remain behind in the expansion toward infinity. If the rich who create AGI control the future and choose to be dicks about it, all of the rest of us are screwed, not just the currently-poor.
If those who create AGI choose to use it for the common good, it will very quickly elevate the poor to equality with the current top .01%, in terms of educational opportunities. And they will be effectively wealthier than the top .01%.
That’s why I see working on AGI alignment (and the societal alignment sub-problem; trying to make sure the people who control aligned AGI/ASI aren’t total dicks or foolish about it so we die anyway) is by far the most likely thing we can do to make the world better for the disadvantaged.
Because we are not remotely on top of this shit, so there’s a very good chance we all get oblivion instead of paradise-on-earth. And all of us have finite time and energy to spend.
This beautiful world should belong to everyone.
Everyone including the next generation, and the next.
Getting AGI right is the odds-on way to help everyone, particularly those who are disadvantaged now.
You can disagree with the logic, but only if you understand the logic.
The utilitarian concern for everyone strongly implies that we should worry about the future. If you believe that AGI presents even a 1% x-risk, of humanity’s likely quadrillions of descendants not existing, or being born into an unbreakable dystopia, and that we’re near a tipping point, then the cold hard logic says that’s what we should all focus on. And most of us believe the risk is much higher than 1% - LWers might average around 50% chance we screw up AGI and all die.
Add to that the fact that the vast majority of humanity focuses much more on the problems you mention, and it makes more sense for those that see and believe in AGI as an immense force for good or bad to focus on making sure it’s good.
The possible rewards of empowering every human beyond the privilege of kings, and allowing quadrillions of joyous humans to live far into the future, are as immense as the risk of us being snuffed out in the next few decades.
That’s why we seem callous to the suffering of the underprivileged now. I don’t think we are.
PS - Shame on whoever downvoted this question. Suppressing dissent instead of explaining your logic to newcomers is not a good look for any community, nor good epistemics. This is a reasonable question to ask, and LW is supposed to be about asking and answering reasonable questions.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments first of all.
What I am sensing or seeing right now is in order to promote AGI risks and X risks, I am seeing people downplay/lower ranking the importance of the people who already cannot see this beautiful world. It does not feel logical to me, that because there are always future issues that affect everyone’s lives, the issues that cause some people to be already on the miserable side should not be addressed.
The problem here is that we are not have the same starting line for “everyone” now, and therefore progress towards saving everyone with future focus might not mean the same thing. I maybe should draw a graph to demonstrate my point. As opposed to only consider problems that concerns everyone, I think we should also focus a bit more on an inclusive finish line that is connected to current realities of not the same starting line. If this world continues to be this way, I also worry if the future generations would like it, or would want to be brought into this.
I understand the utilitarian intentions, but I myself also believe we could incorporate equalitarian views. And in fact, a mindset or rules promoting equality or along similar lines actually helps everyone. In many situations a human will be one of those people at some point in their life in some way. Maybe a person’s home suddenly became war zone. Maybe got disabled suddenly. Maybe experienced sexual assault for self or loved one. Establishing a good system to reduce these and prevent these helps human in the future as well. I would like to formalize this a bit more later.
Both views/also current vs future views should really joint forces, as opposed to exclude each other. There are many tasks that I see are shared such as social good mindsets and governance.
Some background about me; myself believe in looking into both, and believe in value in looking into both. It would be dangerous to focus on only one either way by promoting another, and gradually we overlook/go backwards on things that we have started.
I see your concern. I don’t think that people who are currently disadvantaged will remain behind in the expansion toward infinity. If the rich who create AGI control the future and choose to be dicks about it, all of the rest of us are screwed, not just the currently-poor.
If those who create AGI choose to use it for the common good, it will very quickly elevate the poor to equality with the current top .01%, in terms of educational opportunities. And they will be effectively wealthier than the top .01%.
That’s why I see working on AGI alignment (and the societal alignment sub-problem; trying to make sure the people who control aligned AGI/ASI aren’t total dicks or foolish about it so we die anyway) is by far the most likely thing we can do to make the world better for the disadvantaged.
Because we are not remotely on top of this shit, so there’s a very good chance we all get oblivion instead of paradise-on-earth. And all of us have finite time and energy to spend.