AI Safety on TikTok with Max Winga

Redirecting a previous thread Unknown to this project page, I'll be making informational AI safety TikToks to try to boost our presence on short-form media platforms. My channel is here: https://www.tiktok.com/@maxwinga?lang=en

TikTok

Max Winga on TikTok

@maxwinga 7 Followers, 5 Following, 13 Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Max Winga

hurt-tomato•6/12/24, 10:17 PM

Great job! This has potential to grow a lot imo

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:19 PM

Current topics I'm working on:

Basic alignment problem explainer
Rebuttals to common phrases such as "AI is not here to replace you, just augment you"
Coverage of major news in AI from a safety perspective such as the drama at OpenAI
Directly critiquing the messaging from people like Yann LeCun

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:20 PM

I'll also make some videos discussing different major problems that are going to result from AI such as mass job loss, military use, surveillance, and disinformation

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:21 PM

^ also I want to work on actually putting together some realistic sounding AI takeover/extinction scenarios

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:22 PM

I know that the common refrain is that we can't say how it will happen, but regular people don't get that, they need to hear something concrete to be properly afraid, I've heard a few good examples of these stories and I feel like we need to be more willing to discuss scenarios

hurt-tomato•6/12/24, 10:23 PM

Damn dude, all of these ideas rock!

hurt-tomato•6/12/24, 10:23 PM

Let me know if you need help with anything

Hhurt-tomato Let me know if you need help with anything

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:24 PM

I think I'll largely be fine to work through these on my own, but I could use some help with figuring out which are the best statements from Yann that show how wrong he is etc.

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 10:25 PM

I think I've heard a few people mentioning close to it, but it might be a good idea if we put together a database of news articles and statements from public figures categorized for easy access when we're putting together media

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 11:11 PM

Alright! Just finished my latest script, thoughts @Joep Meindertsma @Michelle @Ori Nagel @Goat?

AI researchers have been increasingly warning that unchecked AI development could have disastrous consequences for humanity.

In May 2023, thousands of top AI scientists and CEOs signed an open letter stating:
Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.

I'm a physicist and AI safety researcher, here to explain why.

AI is trained, not designed, and we train models by giving them goals to maximize.

We hope they'll generalize to new scenarios, but there are always differences between training and the real world.

Since we can't look inside the models, we don't know how they might fail.

This is the same problem as the genie in the lamp - how do you ask for what you want while considering every possible way it could go wrong?

AI failing to generalize is annoying when working with image classifiers, but can be deadly when controlling autonomous cars, military drones, or humanoid robots.

It's incredibly dangerous if we create superintelligent AI (which companies like OpenAI are explicitly trying to do) without first ensuring they won't do harmful things.

Researchers haven't found a solution to this problem, and it might not even be solvable!

That's why groups like PauseAI are calling for regulations to prevent corporations from recklessly pursuing uncontrollable superintelligent AI.

spotty-amberOP•6/12/24, 11:15 PM

^also have test-read and I can get through it in just under 60s so it'll work for shorts as well

Sspotty-amber Alright! Just finished my latest script, thoughts @Joep Meindertsma @Michelle @O...

broad-emerald•6/13/24, 12:31 AM

that looks really good.

I like how you say "physicist and AI safety researcher, here to explain why." a lot of popular TikTokers do that -- explain their credentials early in the video.

the only part I would change is: "AI failing to generalize is annoying when working with image classifiers, but can be deadly when controlling autonomous cars, military drones, or humanoid robots."

failing to generalize and image classifiers aren't things average people know much about.

Bbroad-emerald that looks really good. I like how you say "physicist and AI safety researcher,...

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 12:36 AM

How about "AI doing unexpected things can be funny when it's just a confused chatbot, but can be deadly when controlling autonomous cars, military drones, or humanoid robots."

Sspotty-amber How about "AI doing unexpected things can be funny when it's just a confused cha...

broad-emerald•6/13/24, 12:37 AM

that sounds perfect

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 12:37 AM

Great, I'm midway through filming, should have it done in a few hours

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 12:38 AM

Biggest delay is that I'm waiting for my lava lamp to warm up for a visual bit when mentioning the genie

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 2:27 AM

Filming is done! Just editing up the video

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 2:32 AM

Audio is fixed this time around too

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 2:57 AM

New video is live!

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 2:58 AM

https://www.tiktok.com/@maxwinga/video/7379816499369839914?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7360805397895775790

TikTok

TikTok · Max Winga

Check out Max Winga’s video.

Sspotty-amber https://www.tiktok.com/@maxwinga/video/7379816499369839914?is_from_webapp=1&send...

broad-emerald•6/13/24, 3:05 AM

wow this is fantastic!

-great job switching up the location and using interesting filming locations, and I like the overlay over the Vox article, that worked well
-good shirt and octopus necklace, it adds to the scientist vibe
-I think you conveyed the danger of making AI smarter than us really well, that part was scary!
-nice how you feature PauseAI at the end

I think these videos are definitely at the level of quality where they could become really popular! Please keep making them and don't worry if the engagement is low to start; it can take time for the TikTok AI to learn that your stuff is high-quality, but you should get there!

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 3:07 AM

Thanks again! It's pretty fun and now I'm playing around with adding more images and news articles to add on to the script. I'm going to spend some time putting together some more scripts tonight and then try to film one or two more tomorrow

Sspotty-amber Thanks again! It's pretty fun and now I'm playing around with adding more images...

broad-emerald•6/13/24, 3:08 AM

you are doing great!

full-green•6/13/24, 4:30 AM

I don't have a TikTok, but if you cross-post to YouTube, I'll subscribe there!

full-green•6/13/24, 4:38 AM

For x-risk stories, see this thread:
https://discord.com/channels/1100491867675709580/1245016172991352852
And (as mentioned in that thread), I started a project to collect plausible scenarios, but I haven't done much to fill it out:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SPbTeDNtVUnWIykVYrwwojOAFz0FgNayhCsyfVWUSWg/edit?usp=drive_link

Google Docs

Concrete X-Risk Scenarios

DISCLAIMER

The traditional answer to the question, "How does an AI that is much smarter than humans defeat humanity?" is "By being much smarter than humans."

The more intelligent your opponent is compared to you, the more certain you can be of the end result (they win), and the less certain you...

broad-emerald•6/13/24, 6:15 AM

Some STEM or social/political commentary Tiktok accounts that have done really well for inspiration. a lot of them are actually using the overlay method where they film in front of an article or picture of what they are talking about (but they mix it up with other videos as well).

I also know from following some of them that their growth was not linear. a lot of them started out slow, without many followers, but they had good conent, and then one day they had a really viral video or stitch or trend, or people suddenly started searching for something they were talking about, and their follower count shot way up. So just lay the groundwork of good content and be ready to ride any big waves that come later on (and jump on any trending topics or trends that fit your brand).

Under the Desk news: https://www.tiktok.com/@underthedesknews
beautymrked commentary on some investor shenanigans (might work for AI news): https://www.tiktok.com/@beautymrked/video/7378152505202576682
annelisethearchaeolosit: https://www.tiktok.com/@annelisethearchaeologist
geodesaurus: https://www.tiktok.com/@geodesaurus
future_explored: https://www.tiktok.com/@future_explored
pearlmania500: https://www.tiktok.com/@pearlmania500
lizthedeveloper: https://www.tiktok.com/@lizthedeveloper/video/7377588924924955947?q=future%20infinitive%20ai%20safety&t=1718258548282
species.101: https://www.tiktok.com/@species.101

TikTok

UnderTheDeskNews on TikTok

@underthedesknews 3.1m Followers, 2829 Following, 188.6m Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by UnderTheDeskNews

TikTok

TikTok · BeautyMrk

6333 likes, 271 comments. “We’re in for a ride of our lifetime here folks.”

TikTok

Annelise the Archaeologist on TikTok

@annelisethearchaeologist 157.8k Followers, 148 Following, 4.3m Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Annelise the Archaeologist

TikTok

Geo on TikTok

@geodesaurus 1.7m Followers, 578 Following, 66.7m Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Geo

TikTok

Future Explored on TikTok

@future_explored 932.6k Followers, 445 Following, 12.9m Likes - Watch awesome short videos created by Future Explored

Ffull-green I don't have a TikTok, but if you cross-post to YouTube, I'll subscribe there!

spotty-amberOP•6/13/24, 9:46 PM

Finally got a youtube version up for the second video (came in at 59.9s lol just in bounds for the 60s limit)
https://youtube.com/shorts/3GvkSKAX3Tg?si=EjSNQpUrAj1KkuQm

YouTubeMax Winga

Are you worried about the future of AI?

spotty-amberOP•6/14/24, 11:04 PM

I've decided to change gears a bit for today and go for a video where I cut from me playing piano to the AI taking over combined with a voiceover. In the process of working with Udio right now

Sspotty-amber Finally got a youtube version up for the second video (came in at 59.9s lol just...

spotty-amberOP•6/14/24, 11:27 PM

Damn it seems like youtube is boosting my videos more than tiktok! This one is at nearly 500 views already

Sspotty-amber Damn it seems like youtube is boosting my videos more than tiktok! This one is a...

broad-emerald•6/15/24, 1:17 AM

that's awesome! that's a ton of views! i wonder if it's because there's far more AI risk content on youtube already, so they have more people whom they can recommend it to (who have already watched AI risk stuff there), whereas tiktok has very little.

If you're able to keep posting on both platforms, you might get more views on tiktok over time. I've seen it happen with people I follow, where they were making good content but not getting many views, until they caught some tiktok wave and their follower count and engagement skyrocketed.

spotty-amberOP•6/17/24, 11:15 PM

@Joep Meindertsma The tripod and lapel mics came in and everything is working great, I'm going to consolidate a framework for interviews and go out tomorrow to try to get some footage of people reacting to AI. I'm also going to do some semi-formal surveying of their beliefs before and after I show them different tech so we can get some vibe of which types of AI are most impactful to people

Sspotty-amber @Joep Meindertsma The tripod and lapel mics came in and everything is working gr...

broad-emerald•6/17/24, 11:21 PM

wow, exciting! can't wait to see it!

hurt-tomato•6/18/24, 12:13 PM

@Aryan Suri check out max

(Aryan helps edit the PauseAI tiktok videos!)

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 6:30 PM

Awesome, I might need some help with getting through the footage I'm gathering today and probably tomorrow as well. I'm currently sitting down and finalizing the short questionnaire before I start doing interviews.

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 6:31 PM

The one downside is that we're in the middle of a heatwave right now and its 90 degrees and muggy outside some I'm trying to find some decent indoors locations

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 7:23 PM

The wind is being problematic with the mics unfortunately, is this why nice mics usually have the lil fuzzy thing on them?

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 7:31 PM

Rip ok I might have to get covers for these mics because at least right now filming outside is impossible thanks to the wind

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 7:34 PM

Tomorrow and Thursday the wind looks like it'll be much lighter so I'll probably be better off then, I'm debating just doing practice interviews with people off camera still going through the list of things I have to show them

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 8:45 PM

I've got a setup in the engineering library now, I'm going to go start asking people if they'd be interested in interviewing. I somewhat underestimated my anxiety at cold approaches lol

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 9:32 PM

Well I got through one interview but the audio didn't work so unfortunately I'll have to scrap it

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 9:32 PM

good practice though

Sspotty-amber good practice though

broad-emerald•6/18/24, 10:08 PM

great job! in-person interviews are tough! will get easier the more you do it, though!

spotty-amberOP•6/18/24, 10:21 PM

Thanks, I learned a lot about what I need to change for future interviews so I definitely don't feel like I wasted the day

spotty-amberOP•6/19/24, 10:05 PM

I posted in https://discord.com/channels/1100491867675709580/1233038219650535484/1253107390094639104 as well but wanted to mention I just got a great interview in today. I talked to a guy named John about AI risk where I took him from basically no basis for what AI or AI safety is to understanding the existential risks and the need for a pause. I ran out of phone storage at the 1hr mark but still got the meat of the conversation in and also got ourselves a new supporter. I kinda stumbled into this topic from planning the demo-reactions interviews and I think it might actually be a lot better to record these zero basis conversations for getting out to the public. I think I want to try to do more like this going forwards and maybe even doing a series for youtube out of them

spotty-amberOP•6/19/24, 10:06 PM

Also thanks once again @Joep Meindertsma, the tripod and lapel mics made this all possible!

spotty-amberOP•6/19/24, 10:07 PM

I'm going to work on transferring the video to my computer to edit and clean up the conversation as well as add an intro and outro, but should be able to uplaod soon

Sspotty-amber I posted in https://discord.com/channels/1100491867675709580/1233038219650535484...

broad-emerald•6/20/24, 12:37 AM

that's awesome! he is controversial, but Steven Crowder made a YouTube empire about doing conversations like that -- long-form talking with people who don't agree with him at first: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtftZPL-k7Y

YouTubeStevenCrowder

There Are Only 2 Genders | Change My Mind

Steven Crowder takes the streets once again to have real conversations with real people on hot button issues. In this edition, we talk abortion with the simple challenge: There Are Only 2 Genders. Change My Mind.

Want to watch the full show every day? Join #MugClub! http://louderwithcrowder.com/mugclub

Use promo codes "student" "veteran" "mili...

AI Safety on TikTok with Max Winga

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