Fear of super intelligent AI is driving Harvard and MIT students to drop out
18 days ago
- #College Dropouts
- #AI Safety
- #AGI
- AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) could emerge within a decade, raising concerns about human extinction.
- College students, including from elite universities like MIT and Harvard, are dropping out to work on AI safety and prevention.
- Alice Blair left MIT to work at the Center for AI Safety, fearing AGI could lead to human extinction.
- A U.S. Department of State report warns of 'extinction-level' risks from rapid AI development.
- Some researchers, like NYU's Gary Marcus, believe human extinction from AI is unlikely but support AI safety efforts.
- Students like Adam Kaufman left Harvard to work at AI safety nonprofits, prioritizing risk mitigation over education.
- Many students fear AGI will automate jobs, making college degrees less valuable and shortening career windows.
- Companies like Anthropic predict AI could eliminate 50% of entry-level white-collar jobs, increasing unemployment to 20%.
- Debates exist on AGI timelines: OpenAI's Sam Altman predicts pre-2029, while skeptics like Marcus doubt near-term feasibility.
- Some dropouts pursue startups, seeing AGI as both a threat and an opportunity, despite risks to long-term job prospects.