In almost every scientific or professional subject, other than AI safety, people seem to have some humility regarding their lack of knowledge in the field, and respect towards experts.
People don't regularly post on X that the solution to nuclear reactor danger is just to "unplug the reactor, like duhhh", or "put the radioactive stuff in a box." And imply Bill Gates is "hyping nuclear danger" for money.
People don't regularly say that since a hydrogen bomb hasn't yet killed anyone then "statistics obviously say it can't and will never kill anyone."
When airline companies go to the government to ask for regulation, cause planes can be dangerous and crash, the president shouldn't respond "No! Plane hoax" and the VP shouldn't say "well, I'm not going to do anything about it, but just don't build planes."
When we introduced computers, people didn't say (or foolishly, they did):
"It's just electricity on metal, it can never do calculations, it will never play chess. That's stupid."
When people say: maybe we should focus on or demand planes and nuclear reactors to be safer, people don't respond:
"10% of dying and 90% of getting to anywhere in the world, which took people years before? Count me in!"
Cause they know 10% could be lower.
Well, maybe it's different. AI is much more extreme. Claiming extinction risk.
When people from the industry warn of extinction risk, AI has not yet killed anyone, and people find it hard to imagine. Things like we describe have never happened before. It's complete sci-fi.
To almost everyone alive, nuclear bombs were complete sci-fi before Hiroshima.
The nuclear reactor, which we built ourselves, had so many safety guardrails that an explosion seemed like an “absurd idea.” People at Chernobyl were overconfident, ignored danger signs and, again and again, didn't believe the radiation readings.
When the explosion happened, citizens stood and watched the "spectacle", instead of fleeing.
It's sci-fi until people die.
This time, when people die, we might not be able to save the rest.
Have some humility this time.
Don't stand and watch the spectacle.
Don't wait for people to die.