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Vitalik Butarin, the founder of Ethereum, anticipated the convergence of AI doomerism and blockchain stuff back in 2016 (https://medium.com/@VitalikButerin/why-cryptoeconomics-and-x-risk-researchers-should-listen-to-each-other-more-a2db72b3e86b)
posted on May 10, 2023 06:30 PM by u/grotundeek_apocolyps
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u/scruiser 33 points at 1683743830.000000

Here’s a quote with concentrated stupid: > AI safety is about agents with IQ 150 trying to control agents with IQ 6000, whereas cryptoeconomics is about agents with IQ 5 trying to control agents with IQ 150

  • misuses IQ as some linear scale that you can do straightforward extrapolations with

  • treats crypto-economics as a valid idea

Ironically, I actually agree with him, cryptocurrency mechanics and AI alignment have a lot in common… but what they have in common is grifts trying to apply pure math in a way that doesn’t actually map to reality. Actually, cryptocurrency is the more rigorous field for once (I say this as an insult to AI not a compliment to cryptocurrency): it uses real math to try to do real world things (that it can’t actually do), whereas alignment is wild philosophical speculation with occasional rhetorical gestures at mathematics.

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u/grotundeek_apocolyps 8 points at 1683749284.000000
I had a similar reaction - he makes a pretty compelling case, which (in my mind) serves mostly just to undermine the motivations behind blockchain stuff.
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u/dmklinger 13 points at 1683745515.000000

Vitalik mentioned

I have nothing substantial to add this video is just so funny. See how long you can make it

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u/pseudonym-6 4 points at 1683753415.000000
That was most excellent. Nothing to improve, really.
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u/aponty 3 points at 1683759338.000000

anticipated something that had already happened?

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u/dgerard 3 points at 1683761570.000000

he got into LW very early

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u/Studstill 1 points at 1683919951.000000

Ah, ye old Mr. “child pornography is actually fine yada yada yada” Buterin.

Is he involved with the Rationalists, because well, that’s some rationalizing for sure.

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