(1/2) Absolutely shocking, world changing, cataclysmic event.

Paul Christiano joins the OpenAI board.

Alongside Bostrom, Paul is the second human I most trust in AI safety. And I know him personally, and met with him many times in my Berkeley time.

Hopeful!

2/2 the positives of this are obvious, open AI has enormous territory to gain on safety and Paul is possibly the best person in the world to help them do it.

There’s also a cynical view which is that Sam Altman is successfully becoming the king of cannibal island like Paul Graham predicted.

I hold both views simultaneously.

I think Paul is a stronger force for good than the amount of force for evil that the move of bringing him into the board can be in a 5d chess sense.

I share the reservations about Sam Altman as an individual that many who met him through life share. I trust him very little. I was on the Helen Toner side of that war.

That said I don’t think Sam Altman is evil, I often call him the least good person who is still good, jokingly. He strikes me as net positive person who often dances a little too close to the abyss.

Paul is the opposite.

I cannot shower Paul with enough enthusiastic approval and trust.

If I had to give AI control to a human, Paul would be number 2 on my list, far higher than myself.

If that’s Sam playing 5d chess now that his life is about not looking like the Yolo CEO, so be it…
It’s still a good thing.

This is a good day.

A very, very, good day.

Those who can think with clarity about the world should recognize that.

I am very, very, very happy with this development and look forward to understanding better how Paul will be more powerful than Helen Toner or Ilya Surskever were in the last dangerous situation.

There is much darkness in the world.

But right now, the sun has risen beautifully in our realm.

We should celebrate.