PauseAI•12mo ago

influencers with over a million subs wants to help us out and make a sketch about existential risk

Hi, I’ve recently been in contact with Crackermilk, a sketch comedy group in Australia with over a million subscribers, and they said they’d be interested in making a video for us.
.their most viewed video got over 20 million views on Tik Tok
(This is the kind of sketches they’ve put out so far if you want an idea of quality)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y0N0PRGJpY&pp=ygUQQ3JhY2tlcm1pbGsgMjAyMg%3D%3D
I figured we could have them film a sketch serving as a PSA for existential risk, followed by an AI expert (maybe Connor Leary or Roman Yampolskiy) confirming existential risk is a real thing. Then share that all over social media. Maybe even run it as an ad on You tube.

The only thing I want to know going forward is if we have any budget to pay for them @Microgrants Team ? They haven’t really brought up money yet, and seem genuinely interested in the project, but I want to know the financial situation because it will determine what I’m going to say in the emails.
I can either A: try and get them to do it for free by saying we’ve got lobbyists advocating for creator’s rights, and the sketch is mutually beneficial because we’re making sure they and others like them don’t need to worry about AI taking their job.
Or B: say we can actually pay them. I’ve googled the price of sponsorship and it’s something like 3,000 dollars for someone with a million subs. I could probably attempt to go lower than that, and say “our financial situation is modest, is [however much the budget allows] a fair price?”

YouTubeCrackerMilk

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Hey all, right now we're all still recovering from the spicy cough which alongside Christmas has meant no time to make more videos. We'll be back to your regular view...

then-purpleOP•1/8/25, 2:26 PM

Here was their reply for context:

Hey Joe,

Thanks for the email, this is actually something the whole team care about very seriously. As artists we of course strongly align with your view and more importantly it's great to see an organisation advocate for the severe dangers of AI.

Sounds like a great opportunity to create something funny and meaningful for you guys. I'm absolutely interested in going forward with this if you want to discuss rates, duration and what you guys are after specifically. There's a lot we can do with AI as a comedy setup, so I'm very eager.

Podcast wise - We're always open for new guests, but let me know workshop a funny enough concept that it'll work to both get our point across while keeping our audiences engaged.

I'm keen to chat more and look forward to hearing from you.

sad-indigo•1/8/25, 4:49 PM

This could be amazing

full-green•1/8/25, 4:49 PM

@Joep Meindertsma This seems like a good opportunity!

sad-indigo•1/8/25, 4:49 PM

We could win a lot of members

Tthen-purple Hi, I’ve recently been in contact with Crackermilk, a sketch comedy group in Aus...

sad-indigo•1/8/25, 5:00 PM

Try A, but if necessary, B
Don’t be too greedy

sad-indigo•1/8/25, 5:00 PM

Please update us on these
This could be a golden opportunity

Ssad-indigo Try A, but if necessary, B Don’t be too greedy

then-purpleOP•1/8/25, 10:23 PM

oh are you part of micro grants team? (Sorry if i'm being stupid)

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 1:41 AM

@Microgrants Team is it okay if I can get confirmation that you want me to ask them to do this for free? Cuz I’m sending the email Thursday evening, if you need some time to think about it I can wait

hurt-tomato•1/9/25, 10:43 AM

A good & aligned sketch could be something I'm open to funding! But before I can say yes to this I'd need to see some more specifics on the script, video, funds etc. Seems very much possible that they want to make a video about AI risk anyways? Maybe we can just help with the creative process instead of funding?

Hhurt-tomato A good & aligned sketch could be something I'm open to funding! But before I can...

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 4:21 PM

this is the email i'm going to send, is it okay Dear Connor.
I’ve just relayed your response to my higher ups, and everybody at Pause AI seems excited at the chance to work with you! It’s also always a pleasure to hear that people appreciate what we do.
What we’re after specifically:
Ideally the sketch would accomplish two things.
1.) Get the audience to understand that existential risk of AI is a real thing. We can send you as much reading materials as you need to become scientifically literate about the matter. It might potentially be better to do the podcast first, that way you’d have an expert with you guiding you through various concepts, but if you have any questions in the meantime you can ask me.
2.) Get the audience to understand that super intelligent AI could be developed soon. There was recently a state funded report that interviewed over 200 employees at the top AI companies, and discovered that a large fraction of them believe AI could outperform humans at all cognitive tasks within 0 to 3 years. This is a topic of massive debate in the scientific community, the godfather of AI, Geoffrey Hinton, believes it could be 10 to 20 years. That said Pause AI takes the possibility of superintelligence being developed between 2025 and 2028 very seriously.
We’d prefer the duration to be short, but this is again negotiable. If you need funding for the video (including a fee for the commissioned content) we’d need a script pitch, just to make sure we’re investing in a quality product that’s funny and impactful.
As for the AI expert on the podcast, you have a choice.
1.) We have Connor Leahy, he’s the C.E.O of conjecture, a company devoted to making AI safe. He educates world leaders at the biannual AI safety summit. He’s also discussed the risks at Cambridge, CNN and the BBC.
2.) Second option is Roman Yampolskiy, he’s a university professor at the university of Louisville and has written multiple books about computer security and AI safety.

Hhurt-tomato A good & aligned sketch could be something I'm open to funding! But before I can...

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 4:23 PM

Do you want me to change anything about the email? (do you want me to redact the statement: "Including a fee for commisioned content")

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 5:07 PM

okay nvm, i was just really struggling with how to say: 'Can you do it for free but we can pay you." Had someone review it, and I'm giving it a second attempt now.

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 5:54 PM

how does this sound: "If you need funding for the video we’d need a script pitch, just to make sure we’re investing in a quality product that’s going to have an impact. However as a non profit, with limited finances, we’d prefer minimal expenses, though we do consider this video to be mutually beneficial, as we have lobbyists advocating to prevent AI companies from training their software on copyrighted data, which directly assists creatives like yourself. And we believe a good sketch could get the general public more politically involved and help us get these policies through government.
Let me know if you'd like to discuss funding options further."

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 6:31 PM

@Nathan Metzger @Styloway does the above paragraph sound okay?

Tthen-purple @Nathan Metzger @Styloway does the above paragraph sound okay?

full-green•1/9/25, 6:37 PM

I think it should be more positive/ enthusiastic. I'm pretty bad at composing such emails, but you can probably find a happy middle if you go back and forth with Claude.

The framing of "were actually doing you a favor" feels icky.

then-purpleOP•1/9/25, 6:43 PM

okay how about: "If you need funding for the video we’d need a script pitch, just to make sure we’re investing in a quality product that’s going to have an impact. We consider the sketch to be mutually beneficial, as our lobbying efforts attempt to help out creators like you from AI companies using copyrighted data without permission. Your sketch could help mobilize public support for these policies. Though our nonprofit budget is limited, we're open to discussing funding that aligns with our mutual goals." @Nathan Metzger

Tthen-purple okay how about: "If you need funding for the video we’d need a script pitch, jus...

full-green•1/9/25, 8:23 PM

The first half still feels curt. The reply should match their tone, which was positive, enthusiastic, and professional.

I can probably tell you when the vibe is off, but I'm bad at writing for tone myself (or editing for tone), since I'm bad at reframing. I have to use AI for reframing, and then I use my own judgement and flavor on top of that.

You might need to get ahold of a teammate or someone else who can give more helpful feedback.

scornful-crimson•1/10/25, 9:12 AM

I'm for paying them, in principle, but if they get millions of views on it, presumably that would come with it's own ad revenue of at least a couple of thousand $, right? Or do they usually rely on commissioned videos to get enough income?

Sscornful-crimson I'm for paying them, in principle, but if they get millions of views on it, pres...

awake-maroon•1/10/25, 9:57 AM

Usually sponsorships are the bigger part of the income by a large margin so there's at least an opportunity cost

Tthen-purple okay how about: "If you need funding for the video we’d need a script pitch, jus...

sad-indigo•1/10/25, 12:19 PM

I agree with Nathan, it should maintain the same tone

Sscornful-crimson I'm for paying them, in principle, but if they get millions of views on it, pres...

sad-indigo•1/10/25, 3:49 PM

We sponsor them and we get money and new members if this goes well

full-green•1/10/25, 4:48 PM

I've been thinking about this off and on. YouTube is my main source of entertainment. I've seen several CrackerMilk videos in the past, and I think they're great. Getting buy-in from a creator like this is rare. So on an emotional level, I really want this to succeed.

My take is that a sketch on its own isn't going to do much. (There have been many such sketches.) But the value of something as overt as including a message from an expert and a call to action directing people to PauseAI is potentially very high. If budget becomes the limiting factor, I'd be willing to match $500 of my own money into this project if it does contain a direct call to action.

primary-violet•1/10/25, 9:26 PM

I have one silly sketch idea, feel free to take it, it involves OIIA cat meme, I think that’s a kernel of good humor in there:

[General music in the background]
1st person:
"Humans are special, AI could never replace us."
They watch as OIIA plays and they get zonked out with crazy hair and a filter (looking like a mad scientist after a lab explosion)

Next person says something like, "The human brain is the most complex structure in the universe"
They watch OIIA play and they get zonked out with same face effects

3rd person comes along and says something like,
“what are you guys doing? I’m stuck on this problem and I need your brilliant minds to help me”

Then OIIA plays and the Internet goon face gets photoshopped in place of each brain rotted person and repeats over the screen till the sketch ends.

Basically gist is use the meme to show that AI brain rot can be more entertaining content than what humans can come up with and it’s not even that hard

colossal-harlequin•1/11/25, 2:58 AM

Another old sketch idea I really like myself is @Dan's https://discord.com/channels/1100491867675709580/1234079801703399465/1234079866194755626

Pprimary-violet I have one silly sketch idea, feel free to take it, it involves OIIA cat meme, I...

sad-indigo•1/11/25, 5:08 PM

That looks like a creepy add
Cool

then-purpleOP•1/12/25, 3:02 PM

okay, i sent off the email, a couple days ago, and no reply, I'm gunna do a follow up tomorrow, in the meantime, I'll post the email I sent for context, and the email I'm going to send if anybody has any criticisms or changes they'd like to make.

then-purpleOP•1/12/25, 3:02 PM

Email I sent

Dear Connor.
I’ve just relayed your response to my higher ups, and everybody at Pause AI seems excited at the chance to work with you! It’s also always a pleasure to hear that people appreciate what we do.
We do consider this video to be mutually beneficial, as we have lobbyists advocating to prevent AI companies from training their software on copyrighted data, which directly assists creators like yourself. And we believe a good sketch could get the general public more politically involved and help us get these policies through government.
Ideally the sketch would accomplish two things.
Get the audience to understand that existential risk of AI is a real thing. We can send you as much reading materials as you need to become scientifically literate about the matter. If you have any questions you can ask me.
Get the audience to understand that super intelligent AI could be developed soon. There was recently a state funded report that interviewed over 200 employees at the top AI companies. It discovered that a large fraction of them believe AI could outperform humans at all cognitive tasks within 0 to 3 years.
We’d prefer the duration to be short, but this is again negotiable.

then-purpleOP•1/12/25, 3:02 PM

As for the AI expert on the podcast, you have a choice.
We have Connor Leahy, he’s the C.E.O of conjecture, a company devoted to making AI safe. He educates world leaders at the biannual AI safety summit. He’s also discussed the risks at Cambridge, CNN and the BBC.
Second option is Roman Yampolskiy, he’s a university professor at the university of Louisville and has written multiple books about computer security and AI safety.
If you need funding for the video we’d need a script pitch, just to make sure we’re investing in a quality product that’s going to have an impact. As a non-profit with limited finances, we’d prefer minimal expenses, but we’re happy to negotiate price.
Let me know if you'd like to discuss funding options further.
I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely Joseph Baker.

email I'm going to send:

then-purpleOP•1/12/25, 3:04 PM

Hello, hope this email finds you well.
I was just wondering if you had any concerns or reservations about the project. I hope to be able to answer them but if I can't, it's totally understandable; although AI is a concern for many people, only 20% believe it could wipe out the human species in the next 20 years, according to this survey by Roy Morgan (an Australian market research company.)
In the meantime, the Pause AI crew wish you all the best.
Sincerely Joseph Baker.

then-purpleOP•1/12/25, 3:05 PM

the word survey is hyperlinked to the survey in question

Tthen-purple Hello, hope this email finds you well. I was just wondering if you had any conc...

sad-indigo•1/13/25, 3:23 PM

sad-indigo•1/17/25, 2:28 PM

How is it?

Ssad-indigo How is it?

then-purpleOP•1/17/25, 2:59 PM

not good, sorry. I don't think they're gunna do it.

Tthen-purple not good, sorry. I don't think they're gunna do it.

sad-indigo•1/17/25, 3:00 PM

What makes you think that?

Ssad-indigo What makes you think that?

then-purpleOP•1/17/25, 3:03 PM

they haven't replied in 8 days. Not sure what went wrong; my guess is either, they think we're crazy, they were put off when they realized we might not be able to pay them much, or idk what, but yeah, I could send them a follow up, this evening though

Tthen-purple they haven't replied in 8 days. Not sure what went wrong; my guess is either, th...

sad-indigo•1/17/25, 7:55 PM

Please do

Tthen-purple they haven't replied in 8 days. Not sure what went wrong; my guess is either, th...

primary-violet•1/18/25, 1:47 AM

Lol the fact that they haven’t replied only means it’s not a priority, a lot of jumping to conclusions beyond that

influencers with over a million subs wants to help us out and make a sketch about existential risk

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