Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11) AI alignment, with Emmett Shear
107 snips
Sep 11, 2025 
Emmett Shear, co-founder of Twitch and former interim CEO of OpenAI, now leads Softmax AI alignment. He critiques traditional AI safety methods that rely on control, advocating for an 'organic alignment' approach where AI systems learn to care for their communities. The discussion dives into AI's rapid advancements, the contrast between convergence and discernment learning, and the challenges of aligning AI with human values. Shear emphasizes the need for flexibility in AI goals and the importance of context in developing responsible technologies.
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Geolocating Travel Photos With LLMs
- Patrick recounts testing geolocation on travel photos and LLMs identifying exact places like Barcelona Zoo.
- This surprised him and illustrated how quickly vision+LLM capabilities improved beyond specialized computer-vision research.
Design Alignment Locally, Not Universally
- Don't seek a single globally aligned AI because alignment is context-specific and conflicting among humans.
- Design AIs to be aligned to particular stakeholders or communities, acknowledging inherent value pluralism.
Attractor Basins Explain Being 'Part Of' A Whole
- Causal emergence identifies attractor basins where parts become mutually entangled and model the whole.
- When parts model and prefer staying in that attractor, you get sustained alignment and resilience to defections.
