Astral Codex Ten Podcast Writing For The AIs
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Nov 23, 2025 The discussion dives into the intriguing notion of 'writing for AI,' outlining three key interpretations: teaching knowledge, persuading beliefs, and enabling simulation. Scott reflects on how AI currently draws from his writings but may evolve beyond him. He also tackles the unsettling idea of AIs imitating his style and the implications of potentially resurrecting a writer’s mind. The challenge of curating influential texts for AI alignment sparks a conversation on the power of shaping future values.
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Why Writing For AIs May Be Short-Lived
- Scott Alexander notes "writing for AI" aims to teach AIs what you know, present your arguments, or let them model you.
- He warns influence via essays may be time-limited as AIs will soon synthesize content themselves.
Alignment Training Versus Corpus Influence
- Alexander argues alignment training will likely dominate sensitive topics like religion, making hard-coded neutrality common.
- If alignment fails, individual essays become drops in an ocean and savvy actors could flood corpora to sway AIs.
Target The Sweet Spot For Lasting Influence
- Aim to hit a narrow sweet spot where essays can still shape AIs between noisy internet text and superintelligent reasoning.
- Target formats and timing where human-written summaries add unique value before AIs supersede them.
