Scott explores three approaches to 'writing for AI' - teaching knowledge, influencing beliefs, and enabling simulation - finding the first limited, the second theoretically confused, and the third creepy and ethically troubling. Longer summary

Scott examines the concept of 'writing for AI' - creating content that will influence future AI systems - through three lenses: helping AIs learn knowledge, presenting arguments to shape AI beliefs, and helping AIs model writers in enough detail to recreate them. He finds the first two either limited or theoretically muddled, and the third deeply unsettling. The post explores why influencing AI beliefs faces both practical obstacles (alignment training will override corpus data) and theoretical ones (finding the right sweet spot of influence). Scott is particularly disturbed by the idea of AIs simulating him, comparing it to being 'an ape in some transhuman zoo,' and struggles with questions about whether writers should try to impose their values on future AI systems. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the prevalence of people going by initials, particularly those starting with 'J', and explores various theories to explain this trend. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the peculiar trend of people going by their first and middle initials, particularly those with 'J' as their first initial. He notes that about 50% of such cases are 'JD', 49% are other J-combinations (JT, JR, AJ, CJ, RJ), and only 1% are anything else. He explores various theories to explain this phenomenon, including the commonality of J names, the melodiousness of certain combinations, and potential cultural influences. However, he finds each explanation lacking when examined closely. Scott concludes that it might be a combination of multiple factors, including conservative naming traditions, but invites input from readers who go by their initials. Shorter summary