204 – Simulacra Levels with Zvi (and more)

Jan 24, 2024

Zvi Mowshowitz, expert on Simulacra Levels and recent history of OpenAI, discusses his work, what happened at OpenAI, and delves into Simulacra Levels - a way to categorize different types of communication. They explore the dangers of higher Simulacra Levels and the importance of conveying information honestly. They also discuss enforcing idealistic principles, expressing individual opinions, and understanding truth levels. The conversation touches on addressing negative situations, Newt Gingrich's support for space exploration, and the origins of 'more DACA'.

Ask episode

We speak with Zvi Mowshowitz about his work and recent history, what happened at OpenAI, and then really dig into Simulacra Levels – a way to categorize the different types of things people are attempting to do when they say words to other people.

0:00:23 – Zvi’s many exploits with rationalism
0:26:13 – What happened at OpenAI?
0:41:49 – Simulacra Level 1
0:45:43 – Simulacra Level 2
1:02:38 – Simulacra Level 3
1:11:02 – Why these terms?
1:18:19 – 1-3 Recap
1:22:15 – Simulacra Level 4
1:42:56 – Less Wrong Posts
1:59:17 – Guild of the Rose Update
2:00:33 – Thank the Patron

Rationality: From AI to Zombies, The Podcast

LessWrong Sequence Posts Discussed in this Episode:

Searching for Bayes-Structure

Conditional Independence, and Naive Bayes

Next Sequence Posts:

Words as Mental Paintbrush Handles

Variable Question Fallacies