In the past, people like Eliezer Yudkowsky (see 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) have argued that MIRI has a medium probability of success. What is this probability estimate based on and how is success defined?
I've read standard MIRI literature (like "Evidence and Import" and "Five Theses"), but I may have missed something.
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(Meta: I don't think this deserves a discussion thread, but I posted this on the open thread and no-one responded, and I think it's important enough to merit a response.)
Hasn't Eliezer said, on every occasion since the beginning of LW when the opportunity has arisen, that Eliezer-in-1999 was disastrously wrong and confused about lots of important things?
(I don't know whether present-day-Eliezer thinks 18-years-ago-Eliezer was wrong about this particular thing, but I would be cautious about taking things he said that long ago as strongly indicative of his present opinions.)
Yes, I am aware that this is what Eliezer has said, and I wasn't implying that those early statements reflect Eliezer's current thinking. There is a clear difference between "Eliezer believed this in the past, so he must believe it at present" and "Eliezer made some wrong predictions in the past, so we must treat his current predictions with caution". Eliezer is entitled to ask his readers not to assume that his past beliefs reflect those of his present self, but he is not entitled to ask them not to hold him responsible for having once said stuff that some may think was ill-judged.