What Émile P. Torres thinks about AI alignment
Philosopher and historian of human extinction. Published a book defending existential-risk reduction in 2017, then became the most-cited critic of longtermism, the view that the overriding moral priority is fulfilling humanity's long-term potential.
Émile P. Torres did not write this page.
We collected these quotes from things they published elsewhere, and every quote links to where it was said. They have no account here and have not endorsed this site. Quotes are word for word; the short line under each one is our own restatement, not their wording. Their own site. Is this you? Claim it or ask us to remove it. Or tell us what is wrong here.
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3 dated positions, 2017 to 2021, in their own words. Our reading of what Émile P. Torres has said — not written or endorsed by them.
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Their wordsThe short answer is that elevating the fulfilment of humanity’s supposed potential above all else could nontrivially increase the probability that actual people – those alive today and in the near future – suffer extreme harms, even death.
- 4 years earlier
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Their wordsOne of the most commonly emphasized points in the AI safety literature is that one must never anthropomorphize AI—that is, don’t project human mental properties onto artificially intelligent systems.
↗Why superintelligence is a threat that should be taken seriouslythebulletin.org 1st of 2 in this piece
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Their wordsA superintelligence whose goal system is even slightly misaligned with ours could, being far more powerful than any human or human institution, bring about human extinction for the very same reason that construction workers routinely slaughter large populations of ants.
↗Why superintelligence is a threat that should be taken seriouslythebulletin.org 2nd of 2 in this piece