Scott Alexander argues that intelligence is a useful, non-Platonic concept, and that this understanding supports the coherence of AI risk concerns. Longer summary

Scott Alexander argues against the claim that AI doomers are 'Platonists' who believe in an objective concept of intelligence. He explains that intelligence, like other concepts, is a bundle of useful correlations that exist in a normal, fuzzy way. Scott demonstrates how intelligence is a useful concept by showing correlations between different cognitive abilities in humans and animals. He then argues that thinking about AI in terms of intelligence has been fruitful, citing the success of approaches that focus on increasing compute and training data. Finally, he explains how this understanding of intelligence is sufficient for the concept of an 'intelligence explosion' to be coherent. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that OpenAI's open-source strategy for AI development could be dangerous, potentially risking human extinction if AI progresses rapidly. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques OpenAI's strategy of making AI research open-source, arguing it could be dangerous if AI develops rapidly. He compares it to giving nuclear weapon plans to everyone, potentially leading to catastrophe. The post analyzes the risks and benefits of open AI, discusses the potential for a hard takeoff in AI development, and examines the AI control problem. Scott expresses concern that competition in AI development may be forcing desperate strategies, potentially risking human extinction. Shorter summary