ChrisHallquist comments on Help us name a short primer on AI risk! - Less Wrong

7 Post author: lukeprog 17 September 2013 08:35PM

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Comment author: gjm 18 September 2013 08:13:24AM 11 points [-]

I don't like all the clever-clever titles being proposed because (1) they probably restrict the audience and (2) one of the difficulties MIRI faces is persuading people to take the risk seriously in the first place -- which will not be helped by a title that's flippant, or science-fiction-y, or overblown, or just plain confusing.

You don't need "primer" or anything like it in the title; if the book has a fairly general title, and is short, and has a preface that begins "This book is an introduction to the risks posed by artificial intelligence" or something, you're done. (No harm in having something like "primer" or "introduction" in the title, if that turns out to make a good title.)

Spell out "artificial intelligence". (Or use some other broadly equivalent term.)

I would suggest simply "Risks of artificial intelligence" or maybe "Risks of machine intelligence" (matching MIRI's name).

Comment author: ChrisHallquist 21 September 2013 09:29:16PM *  0 points [-]

These are reasonable concerns, but a boring title will restrict the audience in its own way. Michael's "Smarter than Us" suggestion avoids both risks, though, I think.

Edit: Wait, that wasn't Michael's idea originally, he was just endorsing it, but I agree with his endorsement and reasoning why. Definitely sends shivers down my spine.