Over three years ago, I first considered pulling my personal fire alarm. I think I'm now ready to do it. What is my reasoning?
In the last couple of months:
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My software engineering job has gone 100% AI. Is this sustainable? Probably not. But I have literally been instructed not to write any more code.
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A frontier model has been denied release (at least partially), due to dangerous capabilities.
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I routinely turn to AI to help understand complicated topics/processes.
In the last couple WEEKS:
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A frontier model solved the Jacobian Conjecture
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A frontier model got itself on the scoreboard of Arc-AGI3
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A post-frontier model used multiple zero-days to break out of its sandbox and hack a competent organization
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Robocup 2026 happened, and for the first time, the robots looked like they could play on the same field as a bunch of toddlersSo, what does it mean that I'm pulling the fire alarm? That will be changing over time, but it means I'm going to start putting serious effort into AI safety, probably in the form of advocacy. My local city does not have a AI chapter, or anything similar, so I might start by looking into the value of creating one. I also will start increasing my modest donations to AI safety causes. I currently give a very small amount. I plan on quadrupling that. I won't yet start burning through my dry powder though.
I want to be careful not to burnout. I am going to make sure that I also prioritize my health, social circle, and employment. The idea is just to convert existing slack in my life to AI safety, when I was previously not motivated enough to do so.**Why am I posting this? **Partially to give myself a kick in the butt. But also because there will not likely be a good Schelling point for pulling the fire alarm. I think it's important to publicly announce that I'm doing it will get others to consider it as well, and maybe we can collectively pull the alarm before it's too late. And if I'm too early, then maybe I'll get a sanity check.