This is a linkpost for https://terrytao.wordpress.com/2023/06/02/ai-to-assist-mathematical-reasoning-a-workshop/
I don’t understand the community obsession with Tao and recruiting him to work on alignment. This is a thing I hear about multiple times a year with no explanation of why it would be desirable other than “he’s famous for being very smart.”
I also don’t see why you’d think there’s be an opportunity to do this… it’s an online event, which heavily limits the ability to corner him in the hallway. It’s not even clear to me that you’d have an opportunity to speak with him… he’s moderating several discussions and panels, but any submitted questions to said events would go to the people actually in the discussions not the moderator.
Can you elaborate on what you’re actually thinking this would look like?
The workshop is on 12-14 June, following a previous workshop on "Machine-assisted proofs" held last Feb.
Maybe an opportunity to nerd snipe him and his high-powered colleagues on alignment? This event might mark a turning point in his thinking about it as well since Yann LeCun is part of the organising committee—which also entails much care lest a half-baked attempt inoculates him from the entire field.
Anyone who knows him or is otherwise in UCLA who can weigh in on the feasibility of this?