I suspect the terminology we use shapes the discussions we have.

We have X-Risk for extinction, and S-risk for Roko's basilisk torturing us all.

What is the common way of referring to the thing we were all terrified of in the late 20th century, namely that corporations and government would finally get together and work out a way to oppress everyone for all of time.

I want a universally comprehensible way of writing sentences like "Stable Diffusion increases X-risk by accelerating AI development, but decreases 1984-Risk by making it less likely that AI will be centrally controlled".

New Answer
New Comment

7 Answers sorted by

Yoav Ravid

206

Totalitarianism seems to work just fine. If you want a shorthand for that, perhaps you can write T-risk.

Chinese Room

15-4

Perhaps U+1984 or ᦄ-Risk

Nate Showell

104

"Risk of stable totalitarianism" is the term I've seen.

interstice

60

Nick Bostrom has a taxonomy of different existential risks which would refer to this class of things as 'shrieks'

It certainly seems like it fits in that category.

Martin Randall

41

1984-Risk is clear and concise, I don't think we'll do better.

Mateusz Bagiński

10

Caplan called it the "totalitarian threat"

Capybasilisk

10

O-risk, in deference to Orwell.

I do believe Huxley's Brave New World is a far more likely future dystopia than Orwell's. 1984 is too tied to its time of writing.