Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust • Hacker News Board

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#21

Post by SOLAR_FIELDS » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:31 AM UTC

siren2026 wrote: post #14

eknkc wrote: post #7

Someone here recently said, “Dishonesty is a core value of Anthropic,” and that aligns with my experience of the company as a user. All their talk about AI safety since the company’s inception now feels like pure theater, given their conduct in everyday operations. It’s a shame how quickly their image has deteriorated.

That's actually exactly how I feel about Anthropic. They play such a PR game, trying really really hard to be seen as the good guys. It feels as another satirical episode of Silicon Valley. It's very clear they are all money and power motivated while also pretending to do all of this for the good of humanity. I have rarely seen that level of hypocrisy and cultish behavior from leadership and employees there. I would…

At least Sam Altman appeared to drop all pretenses of his pure sociopathy some time ago

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#22

Post by ETH_start » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:34 AM UTC

ponco wrote: post #19

msikora wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, absolutely in a good way

The benefits of modernity (electricity, cars, iPhone, Claude) are good, but they come bundled with potentially terminal ecological costs which is bad.

There are certainly ecological costs, but in the long run, Earth's life will only survive if an advanced species like ours is able to transport it off the planet before the sun expands and boils away the ocean and atmosphere, in approximately 800 million years.

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#23

Post by davkan » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:36 AM UTC

msikora wrote: post #16

lostaccount wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

World changing in a good way?

Yes, absolutely in a good way

That remains to be seen.

I for one am doubtful that AI as a whole has meaningfully improved the lives of just about anyone besides the few who have gotten rich. Meanwhile many have already lost their jobs as a result, even if AI is just a convenient scapegoat.

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#24

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:38 AM UTC

ETH_start wrote: post #22

ponco wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The benefits of modernity (electricity, cars, iPhone, Claude) are good, but they come bundled with potentially terminal ecological costs which is bad.

There are certainly ecological costs, but in the long run, Earth's life will only survive if an advanced species like ours is able to transport it off the planet before the sun expands and boils away the ocean and atmosphere, in approximately 800 million years.

[deleted]

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#25

Post by fragmede » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:38 AM UTC

rekwah wrote: post #4

This feels like Theranos loading up their board with big names.

You can complain that the economics don't work out for you, but Theranos was a fraud, meaning they didn't have a product. Fable is very much a real thing that I can interact with over the Internet.

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#26

Post by tayo42 » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:39 AM UTC

msikora wrote: post #16

lostaccount wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

World changing in a good way?

Yes, absolutely in a good way

You really think your life is better than 2 years ago because of AI chat bots?

If AI went away tomorrow idk if my life would meaningfully change

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#27

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:39 AM UTC

eknkc wrote: post #7

Someone here recently said, “Dishonesty is a core value of Anthropic,” and that aligns with my experience of the company as a user. All their talk about AI safety since the company’s inception now feels like pure theater, given their conduct in everyday operations. It’s a shame how quickly their image has deteriorated.

[deleted]

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#28

Post by doublepg23 » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:40 AM UTC

ponco wrote: post #19

msikora wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, absolutely in a good way

The benefits of modernity (electricity, cars, iPhone, Claude) are good, but they come bundled with potentially terminal ecological costs which is bad.

Have people (smarter than me) come up with a good equation - or at least heuristic - to determine what inventions are morally good?

I suppose it'd be from a utilitarian perspective?

Ex: My gut feeling is nitrogen fixing would rank "low" on "terminal ecological impact" against "positive benefits to humanity"; the Vinyl resurgence would be around the middle; private jets for the Epstein class would the highest etc.

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#29

Post by CamperBob2 » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:40 AM UTC

ponco wrote: post #19

msikora wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, absolutely in a good way

The benefits of modernity (electricity, cars, iPhone, Claude) are good, but they come bundled with potentially terminal ecological costs which is bad.

Yup. Best unplug your computer.

Re: Ben Bernanke Joins Anthropic Oversight Trust

#30

Post by brikym » Fri, Jul 10, 2026, 4:41 AM UTC

Just in case Anthropic are looking for some more members that are a good cultural fit I found this list:

> Genie Energy's Strategic advisory board is composed of: Dick Cheney since 2009 (former vice president of the United States),[3] Rupert Murdoch (media mogul and chairman of News Corp), James Woolsey (former CIA director), Larry Summers (former head of the US Treasury), Michael Steinhardt, Jacob Rothschild,[4][5] and Mary Landrieu, former United States Senator from Louisiana.