First thought, second thought

Amodei is giving two messages right now.

1. I will destroy the world.

2. Here are the laws that will prevent me from destroying the world.

At first I was focused on the usual coquettish foreplay for venture capitalists. “Hey big boy! If you fund me hard enough, I’ll destroy all the computers ESPECIALLY THE TAX AGENCIES so you can reach the ultimate orgasm.”

Then I saw a simpler answer. It’s the most explicit regulatory capture in history. “Say buddy, nice universe you’ve got there. Be a shame if something awful happened to it. Here’s the exact set of laws you need to pass if you really like your universe. Of course these laws will also coincidentally wipe out Altman, but we don’t need to worry about that now, do we?”