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Why talk about how nuts the AI rationalist sex cult is, and not just focus on the (very real) risks and harms of AI? Well, when we're discussing "who should get to regulate AI, and how," I think it's VERY relevant to talk about the antisocial, unsettling ways many people running US AI think.

If we want to actually get a chance to regulate AI sensibly, we have to get these crazy millenarian cultist weirdos out of the powerful positions too many currently occupy. To accomplish that, we absolutely need more normal members of the public to realize that they *are* crazy weirdos.

It becomes a LOT easier to argue to the general public that we shouldn't let the AI industry regulate itself when you can ALSO produce clear evidence that much of the AI industry appears to be steered by genuinely crazy weirdos with anti-social and anti-human ideas.

I sincerely hope for regulation...and open source models to drop the floor out from under them.

Of course, we can't exactly expect too much in the way of actually-good AI regulation under the disastrous Trump regime. But I do think we can fight to hold the line and demand sensible regulations that aren't steered by big tech and big money interests until 2028.

The timing is good for this, because the public appears to be a lot angrier about mass surveillance, the unethical and pervasive use of AI, and general Silicon Valley overreach than they've ever been before. People are a lot more interested in hearing critiques of big tech than I can ever remember.

So no, I just don't think that talking about how weird these people are is some sort of galaxy brain propaganda distraction that actually benefits the same set of unethical big AI pushers. I think we do in fact need to talk about the weirdness if we want to get a chance to regulate AI.