Mass_Driver, thank you so much for taking the time to explain your concerns. I've been a lurker on LessWrong for a long time, and while I don't have any credentials in AI, I've spent enough time observing trends in the EA/Rationalist sphere to have some concerns about "intellectual inbreeding" as it were. The vague "holistic" criteria you describe for awarding scarce resources seem like a pretty typical way for a relatively homogeneous elite to gatekeep while providing plausible deniability.
I'm a pretty low-functioning EA (white, male, nerdy, socially awkward with normies, pleased with the idea I can have high impact by just donating without having to do much legwork myself) so I have... (read more)
Mass_Driver, thank you so much for taking the time to explain your concerns. I've been a lurker on LessWrong for a long time, and while I don't have any credentials in AI, I've spent enough time observing trends in the EA/Rationalist sphere to have some concerns about "intellectual inbreeding" as it were. The vague "holistic" criteria you describe for awarding scarce resources seem like a pretty typical way for a relatively homogeneous elite to gatekeep while providing plausible deniability.
I'm a pretty low-functioning EA (white, male, nerdy, socially awkward with normies, pleased with the idea I can have high impact by just donating without having to do much legwork myself) so I have... (read more)