AI Safety Researchers Debate Gun Joke Tweet
Debate erupts after tweet shows shotgun image targeting advocates of pausing AI development.
A discussion in AI safety circles centers on a meme posted by sebkrier showing a gun-toting figure with the caption mfw, interpreted as a threat to shoot advocates of pausing AI development. David Krueger, an AI professor at Mila, called the post closer to a call to violence than anything he recalls from the field. Daniel Francis and Jeffrey Ladish replied that the image is a familiar meme format in poor taste but not an actual threat. Krueger later clarified he meant non-state-sanctioned violence and was highlighting uneven treatment of safety advocates. The exchange underscores ongoing tensions over rhetoric in debates about AI pauses.
This is closer to a call to violence than anything I recall seeing from anyone in AI safety ever. "mfw" means "my face when", and the background of the guy with the gun is the same as his profile picture. The "joke" is that he's going to shoot people if they try and pause AI.