BLUF:
* To determine whether AI is ‘improving exponentially’, ‘hitting the wall’, or any other claim which involves a quantity or magnitude (e.g. ‘This model was a big leap/small increment’). We need a good y-axis: an interval scale of AI capability which means +1 unit always represents the same degree of ‘how much better’, in the same way +1 degree Celsius is always the same amount of ‘how much hotter’.
* Yet there is no good y-axis for AI capability. All our...
Summary
* The animal welfare movement has already seen an influx in funding and should prepare for the possibility of more.
* The EA Animal Welfare Fund is encouraging those working in animal advocacy to actively set aside time and resources now to concretely plan for scaling sustainably, and we’ll support you in doing that.
* We’re requesting advocates set concrete ambitious goals and submit plans t...
Public service announcement
1. Applications are now open for our first ever round of the Charity Entrepreneurship Incubation Program dedicated exclusively to animal welfare. Learn more about what’s different this round here and apply...
Some questions I believe need more attention/exploration/investment and would like to work with others on:
This question is already pretty heavily researched by economists. There are some known answers (immigration liberalization would be very good) and some unknowns (how much is the right amount of fiscal stimulus in recessions?). For the most part, I don't think there's much low-hanging fruit in terms of questions that matter a lot but haven't been addressed yet. Global Priorities Institute does some economics research, IMO that's the best source of EA-relevant and neglected questions of this type.
Thanks, Michael. Regarding the economists - yes, I think that is true.
I do, however, believe that we have other angles/perspectives/specializations that are less considered but might be valuable to consult. Essentially - subject matter experts are, understandably, highly influential in shaping these conversations, but their voices may be disproportionately valued. My next note asks questions in this vein.
Do you mean Buddhism as a religious practice, or more of a secular buddhism? I see a lot of overlaps between secular Buddhism and stoicism (stoicism as described by Massimo Pigliucci, not stoicism in the sense of feels no emotions).
I'd be happy to bounce ideas around with you about Buddhism and EA.