Imo sacrificing a bunch of OpenPhil AI safety funding in exchange for improving OpenPhil’s ability to influence politics seems like a pretty reasonable trade to me, at least depending on the actual numbers. As an extreme case, I would sacrifice all current OpenPhil AI safety funding in exchange for OpenPhil getting to pick which major party wins every US presidential election until the singularity.
Yeah, I currently think Open Phil’s policy activism has been harmful for the world, and will probably continue to be, so by my lights this is causing harm with the justification of causing even more harm. I agree they will probably get the bit right about what major political party would be better, but sadly the effects of policy work are much more nuanced and detailed than that, and also they will have extremely little influence on who wins the general elections.
We could talk more about this sometime. I also have some docs with more of my thoughts here (which I maybe already shared with you, but would be happy to do so if not).
Separately, this is just obviously false. A lot of the old AI safety people just don’t need OpenPhil funding anymore because they’re working at labs or governments, e.g. me, Rohin Shah, Geoffrey Irving, Paul (as you mention), etc.
I genuinely don’t know whether Rohin would get funding to pursue what he thinks is most important, if he wanted it. I agree that some others don’t “need” funding anymore, though as I said, lab incentives are even worse on these dimensions and is of very little solace to me. I agree you might be able to get funding, though also see my other discussion with Eli on the boundaries I was trying to draw (which I agree are fuzzy and up-to-debate).
Yeah, I currently think Open Phil’s policy activism has been harmful for the world, and will probably continue to be, so by my lights this is causing harm with the justification of causing even more harm. I agree they will probably get the bit right about what major political party would be better, but sadly the effects of policy work are much more nuanced and detailed than that, and also they will have extremely little influence on who wins the general elections.
We could talk more about this sometime. I also have some docs with more of my thoughts here (which I maybe already shared with you, but would be happy to do so if not).
I genuinely don’t know whether Rohin would get funding to pursue what he thinks is most important, if he wanted it. I agree that some others don’t “need” funding anymore, though as I said, lab incentives are even worse on these dimensions and is of very little solace to me. I agree you might be able to get funding, though also see my other discussion with Eli on the boundaries I was trying to draw (which I agree are fuzzy and up-to-debate).