LessWrong (Curated & Popular) “Publishing academic papers on transformative AI is a nightmare” by Jakub Growiec
Nov 6, 2025
Jakub Growiec, a Professor of Economics known for exploring the risks and rewards of transformative AI, shares his journey from economic growth theory to tackling existential risks. He discusses the surprising contrast between the enthusiasm his paper received at conferences and the seven desk rejections it faced from various journals. Growiec emphasizes the importance of considering subjective probabilities in shaping policies on AI risks, advocating for a broader, more inclusive discourse to ensure critical topics aren't silenced by publication biases.
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Conference Praise, Journal Rejection
- Jakub Growiec and Klaus Prettner wrote a paper on AI-driven existential risk that was well received at conferences.
- The same paper was desk-rejected seven times by journals despite interest from audiences.
Subjective Probabilities Still Useful
- Reviewers criticized assigning probabilities to existential risk as subjective and unsupported.
- Growiec notes the probabilities are intentionally subjective and the core results don't depend on exact values.
Abstraction Reflects Unsolved Alignment
- Reviewers faulted abstract definitions like corrigibility for lacking implementation details.
- Growiec responds that alignment lacks solved technical or institutional pathways, so abstraction is inevitable.