Scott Alexander's experiment tested how different essays affect people's concerns about AI risk, finding a modest but persistent increase in concern after reading. Longer summary

Scott Alexander conducted an experiment to test the effectiveness of different essays in persuading people about AI risk. Participants were assigned one of five essays to read, including a control essay unrelated to AI. The main outcome was participants' level of concern about AI risk on a 1-10 scale. Results showed that reading the AI-related essays increased concern by an average of 0.5 points, with no significant differences between the four AI essays. The effect persisted at about two-thirds strength after one month. The experiment also looked at secondary outcomes related to specific AI risk questions and analyzed differences based on prior familiarity with the topic. Overall, the study suggests a modest but useful effect from trying to persuade people through essays on this topic. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander requests participants of last month's AI persuasion experiment survey to complete a brief followup survey, providing a link. Longer summary

Scott Alexander is requesting participants who took part in the AI persuasion experiment survey last month to complete a brief followup survey. He provides a link to the survey and assures participants that they don't need to read anything this time. He specifically asks those who didn't participate in the original survey not to take this followup. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander is running an experiment to test the effectiveness of persuasive essays about AI risk, asking readers to participate by reading an essay and answering questions. Longer summary

Scott Alexander is conducting an experiment to measure the effectiveness of persuasive essays about AI risk. He's asking readers to participate by reading an essay on AI risk and answering questions about it. The experiment is split into two versions based on the reader's surname. Scott emphasizes that everyone is welcome to participate, especially those unfamiliar with or skeptical about AI risk. He notes that readers don't have to finish long essays if they lose interest, as this is part of what makes an essay persuasive. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander offers ten tips for effective nonfiction writing, emphasizing structure, variety, flow, and persuasion techniques. Longer summary

Scott Alexander provides advice on nonfiction writing, covering topics such as text structure, variety in writing, maintaining flow of ideas, repetition, humor, concrete examples, persuasion techniques, anticipating counterarguments, and using concept handles. He emphasizes the importance of developing instincts and not forcing the application of these rules. Shorter summary