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Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

futureofhumanityinstitute.org

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Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#3

Post by JohnKemeny »

mikece wrote: post #2

Possibly because the future of humanity itself is in question? "We're not going to make it, are we? Humans, I mean." --John Connor

Or because Nick Bostrom is a hack. Together with Max Tegmark. Not to mention Ray Kurzweil.

Initially wrote wrong surname.

Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#5

Post by patrulo »

JohnKemeny wrote: post #3
mikece wrote: post #2

Possibly because the future of humanity itself is in question? "We're not going to make it, are we? Humans, I mean." --John Connor

Or because Nick Bostrom is a hack. Together with Max Tegmark . Not to mention Ray Kurzweil. Initially wrote wrong surname.

elaborate?

Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#6

Post by rdl »

patrulo wrote: post #4

Curious as to why they didn't explore independence, moving from Oxford to a separate non-profit org. Getting funded doesn't seem impossible given the amount of high-profile e/acc advocates.

I think they're the enemies of e/acc, and their EA background (due to FTX, SBF, etc.) taints them a bit when it comes to fundraising.

Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#7

Post by FabHK »

JohnKemeny wrote: post #3
mikece wrote: post #2

Possibly because the future of humanity itself is in question? "We're not going to make it, are we? Humans, I mean." --John Connor

Or because Nick Bostrom is a hack. Together with Max Tegmark . Not to mention Ray Kurzweil. Initially wrote wrong surname.

You mean Max Tegmark?

I mean, some of their ideas are way out there, and obviously if not tempered can lead to bad consequences (e.g. SBF/FTX). But a hack?

Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#8

Post by sinuhe69 »

What an irony! The Bostrom Institute has to close in the midst of the spectacular rise of AI, and the all-important questions of AI risks and human value alignment are more hotly debated than ever.

I hope that Bostrom and his colleagues will continue and deepen their research, because humanity needs such insights now more than ever.

Re: Future of Humanity Institute shuts down

#10

Post by CorruptedArc »

rdl wrote: post #6
patrulo wrote: post #4

Curious as to why they didn't explore independence, moving from Oxford to a separate non-profit org. Getting funded doesn't seem impossible given the amount of high-profile e/acc advocates.

I think they're the enemies of e/acc, and their EA background (due to FTX, SBF, etc.) taints them a bit when it comes to fundraising.

Not to mention the "big picture" EAs did damage when put in charge of the money FTX was doling out. They had people who'd been funding organizations that would feed, cloth, and medicate people move their funding to "existential problems" like AI and climate science. While I won't argue the value of those, vague theoreticals are arguably more commonly tacticaled than those on the ground trying to help with active issues.
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