A qualified defense of effective altruism on AI

A user describes growing more favorable toward effective altruism (EA) despite longstanding philosophical disagreements. They say the movement has become more varied and open, argue it has basically been right about AI, and credit it with being broadly more responsive to AI evidence than its critics.

Their reservations remain: they reject longtermism as a moral view and criticize a focus on extinction as unhelpful moral shorthand. They also argue that philanthropy should consider principles beyond doing the most good, including reciprocity and giving back to communities that made donors’ wealth possible.