Come to Gothenburg, Sweden, for the Workshop on existential risk to humanity that I am organizing on September 7-8 this year! The topic is a matter of life and death for the human civilization, but I still expect the workshop to be stimulating and enjoyable. The list of world-class researchers who are confirmed as speakers at the workshop include several who are already known to readers of this blog: Stuart Armstrong, Seth Baum, Robin Hanson, James Miller, Anders Sandberg and Roman Yampolskiy. Plus the following new aquaintances: Milan Cirkovic, David Denkenberger, Karin Kuhlemann, Catherine Rhodes, Susan Schneider and Phil Torres. All of these will in fact stay in town for various durations before and/or after the workshop, at the guest research program on existential risk that runs throughout September and October.
The workshop is open to all interested, and participation is free of charge. Pre-registration, however, is required.
And when 10 participants show up on your alarmist workshop, you declare it a success, right?
SvaraRaderaHuh? Alarmist? Wikipedia defines alarmism as "excessive or exaggerated alarm about a real or imagined threat". We intend no such activity. On the contrary, we aim for sober and level-headed discussion about cutting edge knowledge on existential risk.
RaderaOf course not. According to yourselves.
RaderaActually, if I had a choice between 10 and 10,000 participants I think I would prefer 10. If 10,000 show up the question is already mainstream and there is likely already a lot of research going on: little chance to have any real impact, unless those 10,000 participants could be stimulated to do something massively useful (=hard). 10 participants is likely ideal for in-depth conversations about how to actually have useful impact or new insights.
SvaraRaderaMost likely we'll end up somewhere inbetween...
Radera