Bankless
Revolutionizing AI: Tackling the Alignment Problem | Zuzalu #3
Thu Jul 20 2023Description
This episode covers a wide range of topics related to AI alignment, including discussions on AI crypto overlap, zero knowledge cryptography, lessons from MEV bots, the importance of aligning ourselves as humans before aligning AI, and the potential for positive outcomes and human flourishing with AI tooling. It also explores challenges in AI research, concerns about disruption caused by AI, technical challenges in AI alignment, lack of effort and talent in addressing alignment problems, uncertainty in solving the alignment problem, regulation and education in the field of AI, psychological factors involved in dealing with the AI problem, scalable coordination and collective alignment, designing systems for alignment, and the role of AI as a critical building block for human flourishing. The episode emphasizes the need for coordination, education, and research to address the challenges of AI alignment.
Insights
AI alignment requires coordination and education
The episode highlights the importance of coordination and education in addressing the challenges of AI alignment. It emphasizes the need for collective effort, regulation, and awareness to ensure positive outcomes and human flourishing with AI.
Technical challenges in AI alignment
The episode discusses the technical challenges in AI alignment, including understanding current AI systems, addressing alignment problems, and directing minds effectively. It emphasizes the need for research and talent in these areas.
The potential for positive outcomes with AI tooling
The episode explores the potential for positive outcomes and human flourishing with AI tooling. It highlights the role of AI in discovering ourselves, promoting virtues, and creating a kinder world.
Scalable coordination and collective alignment
The episode emphasizes the importance of scalable coordination and collective alignment in addressing AI problems. It discusses projects like Talk to the City that aim to synthesize different perspectives and aggregate beliefs for better decision-making.
Designing systems for alignment
The episode highlights the need for designing systems that stay aligned with human values. It discusses the challenges of evolving values, accountability, and entity-level systems in ensuring alignment post AGI.
Chapters
- AI at Zuzalu
- MIRI and AI Research
- Disruption and Concerns with AI
- AI Alignment and Coordination Challenges
- Technical Challenges in AI Alignment
- Lack of Effort and Talent in AI Alignment
- Uncertainty and Collective Effort in Solving AI Alignment
- Regulation, Education, and Psychological Factors in AI Alignment
- Potential for Positive Outcomes and Human Flourishing with AI Tooling
- Epistemic Security and Collective Alignment with AI Tooling
- Scalable Coordination and Alignment at the Collective Level
- Designing Systems for Alignment and Future Challenges
- AI as a Critical Building Block and Human Flourishing
- AI Tooling for Discovering Ourselves and Human Flourishing
AI at Zuzalu
00:04 - 06:46
- Discussions on AI crypto overlap and zero knowledge cryptography
- Lessons for managing AI risk from MEV bots in aggregate
- AI agents roaming the Ethereum landscape
- Pessimism and resigned optimism in the AI alignment conversation
- Nate Sorey's perspective on AI risk downstream of Eliezer Yudkoski's dark view
- Aligning ourselves as humans before aligning AI, according to Deger Turan
- Using AI models to become better versions of ourselves
- Reference to Tim Urban's previous conversation on similar topics
MIRI and AI Research
06:28 - 14:02
- MIRI's shift to pure technical research in 2012-2013
- Executive director Eliezer Yudkowsky's change in perspective on AGI
- The importance of AI in solving coordination issues
- The need for caution and awareness in AI development
Disruption and Concerns with AI
13:42 - 21:30
- AI's potential to disrupt market coordination systems
- The optimization processes driven by AI may not prioritize human interests
- Concerns about building a mind lacking concern for life and diversity of experience
- Interviewee's significant donations to support MIRI's work
AI Alignment and Coordination Challenges
21:01 - 27:55
- Increasing attention to AI alignment and scarcity
- The importance of education and acceptance of the problem
- The speaker's pessimistic view on preventing AI destruction
- Maintaining optimism due to the possibility of a white swan event
- Challenges in coordinating effective solutions to complex problems
- The difficulty of overcoming hurdles and unique challenges in AI development
- The need for coordination among key figures and leaders
- Government systems and regulations dependent on public awareness
Technical Challenges in AI Alignment
27:34 - 34:31
- The importance of smart individuals focusing on AI alignment
- Multiple paths leading to doom in AI development
- Underestimation of the seriousness of the problem
- AI-related issues arising before superhuman AGI
- Lack of talent in understanding current AI systems and addressing alignment problems
- The need for research on understanding minds and directing them effectively
Lack of Effort and Talent in AI Alignment
34:08 - 41:43
- Tricky nature of the problem with less room for trial and error
- Lack of focus from the best minds on AI alignment issues
- Concerns about distorting incentives and favoring legible work
- Two types of talent lacking: understanding current AI systems and addressing alignment problems
- Research needed to understand how minds work and how to direct them effectively
Uncertainty and Collective Effort in Solving AI Alignment
41:24 - 48:26
- Uncertainty in the future of solving the alignment problem
- The need for a collective effort with contributions from many people
- Critical insights that may come from geniuses who change the paradigm
- The potential role of lone geniuses in getting out of current problems
- Starting with a creative approach and novel perspectives in solving the AI problem
- Resources for AI alignment available on the Less Wrong Wiki
- Challenges in onboarding into the field and lack of clear guidance
Regulation, Education, and Psychological Factors in AI Alignment
55:02 - 1:03:05
- The need for more regulation focused on liabilities
- Challenges in getting regulations to be narrowly targeted and effective
- Work to be done in the political sphere to address AI-related issues
- The importance of education and communication efforts
- Psychological factors involved in dealing with the AI problem
- Moments of sadness but not dominant psychological factor
Potential for Positive Outcomes and Human Flourishing with AI Tooling
1:10:26 - 1:17:13
- The potential for a 1% chance of solving the AI alignment problem
- Humanity's potential to promote virtues and create a kinder world
- Technological advancements unlocking our species' potential
- AI as a critical building block for positive outcomes and human flourishing
- Building an ecosystem with different approaches to solve coordination problems
- Open agency architecture for transparent and interpretable institutions
Epistemic Security and Collective Alignment with AI Tooling
1:30:01 - 1:36:58
- The importance of epistemic security in AI tooling
- Evaluation of content to guide users away from harmful loops
- Grounding language models to individual affiliations for unbiased suggestions
- Mindful mirror technology for staying grounded in objectives and priorities
- Personal language models for secure self-guidance
Scalable Coordination and Alignment at the Collective Level
1:43:33 - 1:50:34
- The need for scalable coordination and alignment at the collective level
- Talk to the City project for synthesizing different perspectives in a community
- AI tooling for aggregating individual beliefs and finding positive outcomes
- Building datasets for AI alignment research and human alignment improvement
Designing Systems for Alignment and Future Challenges
1:56:50 - 2:04:21
- Building systems resilient towards changing values
- AI systems learning from humans and evolving with human systems
- The importance of accountability and evolving values in AI systems
- The next step after the collective is designing systems at the entity level
- Designing structures and institutions that stay aligned post AGI
AI as a Critical Building Block and Human Flourishing
2:03:57 - 2:07:20
- AI as a critical building block that can cause damage if not done right
- The potential for existential and extinction risks without coordination
- The challenges of different countries and economic systems in coordination
- The importance of AI-driven institutions and their interface with AI
- AI as both the problem and the solution for human alignment
- Fostering an ecosystem with different approaches to solve coordination problems
- Open agency architecture for transparent and interpretable institutions
AI Tooling for Discovering Ourselves and Human Flourishing
2:03:57 - 2:07:20
- AI tooling for better self-discovery and visibility of priorities
- Increasing human connection and reducing barriers with AI tooling
- The potential for significant increase in human flourishing with AI tooling
- Building open agency architecture for grounded decisions based on collective interests
- The potential of AI tooling to take significant steps in human alignment
- Optimism about what can be achieved with coordination