Trump and the Republican party will wield broad governmental control during what will almost certainly be a critical period for AGI development. In this post, we want to briefly share various frames and ideas we’ve been thinking through and actively pitching to Republican lawmakers over the past months in preparation for the possibility of a Trump win.

Why are we sharing this here? Given that >98% of the EAs and alignment researchers we surveyed earlier this year identified as everything-other-than-conservative, we consider thinking through these questions to be another strategically worthwhile neglected direction.

(Along these lines, we also want to proactively emphasize that politics is the mind-killer, and that, regardless of one’s ideological convictions, those who earnestly care about alignment must take seriously the possibility that Trump will be the US president who presides over the emergence of AGI—and update accordingly in light of this possibility.)

Political orientation: combined sample of (non-alignment) EAs and alignment researchers

AI-not-disempowering-humanity is conservative in the most fundamental sense

The project of avoiding AI-induced human extinction and preserving our most fundamental values in the process are efforts that intuitively resonate with right-leaning thinkers and policymakers. Just as conservatives seek to preserve and build upon civilization's core institutions and achievements, alignment research aims to ensure our technological advances remain anchored to—rather than in conflict with—our core values.
Consider Herman Kahn, a leading military strategist and systems theorist at RAND Corporation during the 1950s. He is famous for popularizing the notion of ‘thinking the unthinkable’ with respect to the existential risks faced during the Cold War nuclear arms race when most refused to systematically analyze the possibility of thermonuclear war and its aftermath. This same philosophy, intuitive to conservatives and liberals alike, cleanly maps onto our current moment with AI.
A conservative approach to AI alignment doesn’t require slowing progress, avoiding open sourcing,^[1] etc. Alignment and innovation are mutually necessary, not mutually exclusive: if alignment R&D indeed makes systems more useful and capable, then investing in alignment is investing in US tech leadership.^[2] Just a

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Patrick Cootes

Patrick Cootes

Patrick Cootes

Patrick Cootes