In an interview today I said AI execs don't really have the power to stop this suicide race; we need global intervention. The interviewer objected that if one of these companies simply shut down, foregoing billions and tanking lawsuits, the world wouldn't be able to ignore it.

I'm partway through seven Spanish interviews and three Dutch ones, and they're asking great questions. No "please relate this to modern politics for me", just basics like "What do you mean that nobody understands AI?" and "Why would it kill us?" and "holy shit". Warms the heart.

A housecat is just biochemical reactions. A housecat cannot kill you. That doesn't mean that tigers are impossible, nor that they are safe.

A tale of two warning shots, #1: COVID happened. Scientists are divided on whether it was a lab leak. The world did not rally against dangerous viral research in labs. The warning shot was squandered.

"The AI just predicts the next token" is like "the container just lifts up." How does it achieve lift? Both a hot air balloon and a rocket lift up, but one of them violently explodes and kills everyone in range if you design a big one even slightly wrong.

The Munich Security Conference has a little bookstore where they feature about a dozen books, including If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies. Most of the books have multiple stacks left. My book has exactly one copy left.

I'm at the Munich Security Conference. It's interesting. It feels a lot like a normal academic conference, except it's packed with generals and senators and there's armed police pouring out or every orifice. 🧵