Power

    I read an interesting EA forum post recently by Abraham Rowe, where he states "I think there are also major costs to gaining power and influence — by and large, people seem to make worse decisions when they have them. I don’t think our community has figured out how to navigate these trade-offs as it steps closer to significant power."

    I think this sort of discussion hasn't happened enough, especially given the fact that EA in many respects is a power-maximizing philosophy. Those with more power and wealth can do a greater amount of good (with those resources), so it becomes a quasi-moral imperative to gain power and wealth so that you can put those resources toward the less fortunate/human flourishing. This is a pretty terrifying incentive, but if you are utilitarian I really don't see how you can avoid it. This certainly doesn't mean taking moral shortcuts or disregarding conventional wisdom (which obviously can backfire, ala FTX, etc.). But literally just like working really hard or joining frontier AI labs or climbing the corporate ladder, all normal activities that you may have this quasi-moral imperative to do. So that you donate more money, or be in the room when really important decisions matter.

    The counterpoint here, is that pretty much everyone is driving for money, power, and status anyway. It is our evolutionary drive, and without people doing it for altruistic reasons, the only people in the "room where it happens" will just be those without a driving moral reason that got them there. This may be worse, or better, it depends. Probably worse, in my opinion. But it doesn't make the broader point here any less interesting, or any less scary.