> Over time, it has allowed a fierce competitiveness and mounting pressure for ever more funding to erode its founding ideals of transparency, openness, and collaboration
Team Helen acted in panic, but they believed they would win since they were upholding the principles the org was founded on. But they never had a chance. I think only a minority of the general public truly cares about AI Safety, the rest are happy seeing ChatGPT helping with their homework. I know it's easy to ridicule the sheer stupidity the board acted with (and justifiably so), but take a moment to think of the other side. If you truly believed that Superhuman AI was near, and it could act with malice, won't you try to slow things down a bit?
Honestly, I myself can't take the threat seriously. But, I do want to understand it more deeply than before. Maybe, it isn't without substance as I thought it to be. Hopefully, there won't be a day when Team Helen gets to say, "This is exactly what we wanted to prevent."
[1]: https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/02/17/844721/ai-openai...
Pretty soon AI will be an expert at subtly steering you toward thinking/voting for whatever the "safety" experts want.
It's probably convenient for them to have everyone focused on the fear of evil Skynet wiping out humanity, while everyone is distracted from the more likely scenario of people with an agenda controlling the advice given to you by your super intelligent assistant.
Because of X, we need to invade this country. Because of Y, we need to pass all these terrible laws limiting freedom. Because of Z, we need to make sure AI is "safe".
For this reason, I view "safe" AIs as more dangerous than "unsafe" ones.
And there is also a class of people that resist all moderation on principle even when it's ultimately for their benefit. See, Americans whenever the FDA brings up any questions of health:
* "Gas Stoves may increase Asthma." -> "Don't you tread on me, you can take my gas stove from my cold dead hands!"
Of course it's ridiculous - we've been through this before with Asbestos, Lead Paint, Seatbelts, even the very idea of the EPA cleaning up the environment. It's not a uniquely American problem, but America tends to attract and offer success to the folks that want to ignore these on principles.
For every Asbestos there is a Plastic Straw Ban which is essentially virtue signalling by the types of folks you mention - meaningless in the grand scheme of things for the stated goal, massive in terms of inconvenience.
But the existence of Plastic Straw Ban does not make Asbestos, CFCs, or Lead Paint any safer.
Likewise, the existence of people that gravitate to positions of power and middle management does not negate the need for actual moderation in dozens of societal scenarios. Online forums, Social Networks, and...well I'm not sure about AI. Because I'm not sure what AI is, it's changing daily. The point is that I don't think it's fair to assume that anyone that is interested in safety and moderation is doing it out of a misguided attempt to pursue power, and instead is actively trying to protect and improve humanity.
Lastly, your portrayal of journalists as power figures is actively dangerous to the free press. This was never stated this directly until the Trump years - even when FOX News was berating Obama daily for meaningless subjects. When the TRUTH becomes a partisan subject, then reporting on that truth becomes a dangerous activity. Journalists are MOSTLY in the pursuit of truth.