/AI1d ago

AI safety researcher Ryan Greenblatt says eliminating AI takeover risk requires World War II-scale global political commitment

He clarified financial costs would be lower than wartime

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Ryan Greenblatt
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Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt#974inAI

@deepfates Why? (I'd guess misaligned AI takeover is a bit less likely than not; you seemingly strongly disagree?)

We could probably eliminate the vast majority of these issues with a sustained, decently directed, and collective effort roughly as large as WW2. But will we?

🎭@deepfates

There will not be a "last summer". There will not be a "permanent underclass". There will not be "human extinction". There will not be "endless suffering".

We are going to make it. Not because it's easy, but because it's possible. Because we can. Because we care enough to try

4:22 PM · Jun 5, 2026 · 3.9K Views
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Some users value optimism about avoiding AI misalignment as potentially extending humanity's future, while many others argue safety issues cannot be resolved and criticize the discussion as harmful or dismissive.

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Neg
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🎭@deepfates

@RyanPGreenblatt Yes

Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt

@deepfates Why? (I'd guess misaligned AI takeover is a bit less likely than not; you seemingly strongly disagree?)

We could probably eliminate the vast majority of these issues with a sustained, decently directed, and collective effort roughly as large as WW2. But will we?

1dViews 1.5KLikes 29Bookmarks 0
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Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt

@deepfates When I say "roughly as large as WW2" I mean "political will roughly this high", costs would be lower.

TBC, you could reduce risk a lot with less will, but nearly eliminating risk seems to require a pretty big effort. (And we might do this! I think this is totally possible.)

Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt

@deepfates Why? (I'd guess misaligned AI takeover is a bit less likely than not; you seemingly strongly disagree?)

We could probably eliminate the vast majority of these issues with a sustained, decently directed, and collective effort roughly as large as WW2. But will we?

1dViews 716Likes 14Bookmarks 2
REPLIES3
Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt

@thkostolansky @deepfates I suspect that things like the op tweet in aggregate result in a significant reduction in how well humanity handles AI. People want a reason to cope and keep doing what they are doing.

1dViews 88Likes 8
Ryan Greenblatt@RyanPGreenblatt

@thkostolansky @deepfates uhhhhh

1dViews 106Likes 9
Tim Kostolansky@thkostolansky

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates i think hes doing a hyperstition

1dViews 111Likes 5
Tim Kostolansky@thkostolansky

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates i think there is value in being optimistic about the future that is strictly not actionable. i would hope that most people don’t see op tweet and think “phew ok i can stop thinking about ai now”

1dViews 81Likes 1
Jeffcafe, private detective@jeffcafe_

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates I don’t think these safety issues can ultimately be resolved, but that we could buy a lot of time by acting wisely now. Which we also won’t do.

1dViews 75Likes 3
🎭@deepfates

@jeffcafe_ @RyanPGreenblatt Cool, might as well give up then. Don't worry the rest of us will solve it anyway

1dViews 56Likes 2
🎭@deepfates

@RyanPGreenblatt I see that you're trying to calibrate probabilities to use rationality. I appreciate that. However, we are not a car

1dViews 72Likes 3
Mike Cottone@M_Cottone

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates IMO we can’t rule out the risk of misaligned AI takeover without either explicit certainty that sentience can only arise from biological systems and/or banning the integration of biological components with AI systems

1dViews 60Likes 1
🎭@deepfates

@RyanPGreenblatt @thkostolansky those who are capable of understanding my original message will understand it. If you don't that is okay

1dViews 37Likes 1
🎭@deepfates

@RyanPGreenblatt @thkostolansky There is no way you Can actually operationalize this statement, So you're just talking about your own inability to assess the scenario and your own prejudices and assumptions

1dViews 37Likes 1
Tim Kostolansky@thkostolansky

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates what do you think are better things to post about? more “factual” things re rate of progress and projected risks?

1dViews 26Likes 1
Tim Kostolansky@thkostolansky

@RyanPGreenblatt @deepfates should’ve said “not immediately/directly actionable”

1dViews 14Likes 1
Jeffcafe, private detective@jeffcafe_

@deepfates @RyanPGreenblatt What if we could last 20 more years, or even 50? But by continuing full speed ahead we only get 5? The human race was never going to survive until the sun burns out, but offshoots or descendants might carry the likeness of our minds into space if we act prudently.

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