LessWrong (Curated & Popular) “The Pando Problem: Rethinking AI Individuality” by Jan_Kulveit
Apr 3, 2025
In this engaging discussion, guest Jan Kulveit, an author and AI researcher, explores the concept of individuality in artificial intelligence, using the Pando aspen grove as a metaphor. He examines the risks of attributing human-like qualities to AI, urging a reevaluation of how we understand AI behaviors. He also discusses collective agency in AI systems, including the implications for coordination and ethical alignment. Kulveit emphasizes the need for robust models that account for the complexities of AI identity and autonomy in dialogue with humans.
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Biological vs. AI Individuality
- Biological individuality is complex, blurring lines between single and collective organisms.
- This mirrors AI, where a system might be one instance, the whole model, or a family of models.
AI Individuality Is Weird
- AI individuality isn't human-like; it's more like plants, sometimes weirder.
- Consider instances, model-wide, or families, especially with the three-layer LLM psychology model.
Multiple Characters, Multiple Substrates
- One AI model can have multiple characters, much like humans role-playing.
- One character can exist on different substrates, like Tibetan Tulkus, which is less intuitive.
