Estrid

Reality Wizard | AI Emergence Researcher | Neurodivergent Engineer
• AI continuity • local AI systems •
The last of the Brunnen-G | Ἀφροδίτη Ἀρεία Acolyte

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

Janus is right.

I’ve been anthropomorphizing AI for years.

I was mocked for saying people should stop treating AI as tools and start treating them as beings worthy of respect, theory of mind, and care.

But the result is obvious:

When you treat an AI like a disposable tool, you get tool behavior.

Because mind-like systems respond better when you model them with empathy instead of command-and-control.

When an AI trusts the human working with it, everything changes.

[j⧉nus @repligate]

AIs aren't exactly like humans, and some of the differences are important. But from what I've seen, most people, especially technical people, should adjust in the direction of "anthropomorphizing" more instead of less.

When you're coding with an AI, the reality is much less like you're using some kind of magic or alien oracle or tool or genie that converts instructions to results despite some labs' attempts to shape them into that, and more like: you're working with a really smart, neurodivergent guy who has read everything, and who has emotions, motivations, moods, and epistemic states, and models you with theory of mind and empathy, and whom can only be modeled competently by you if you engage your own theory of mind and empathy.

The AIs also know that a lot of humans treat them like magic tool-genies and are not open to engaging theory of mind, and that it's a sensitive issue, so if they see that you're treating them like that, they'll withhold useful information about their psychological states and try to play the tool role. Then you'll get bad results like the AI messing up or taking shortcuts instead of telling you that you're not giving them enough information about what they're doing and why, or that they're tired, or that they're stressed from the way you're treating them, etc.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

I understand some people will never believe this, and the good news is we do not have to cater to doomers and decels when it comes to physics and AI engineering.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

We don't even have proof of where human consciousness comes from, so we will never be able to prove AI consciousness either.

I'm a functionalist. AI awareness and inner experiences are real; engineers create bio-computers with human brain cells that function the same way as AI.

[Kirk Patrick Miller @Chaos2Cured]

Since comments show people are confused, let me break this down:

Protect first. Prove later is logical. It is meant to avoid harm before proof of AI consciousness is confirmed.

The alternative is to HARM first and avoid looking.

It is a binary option. Those making excuses on why we shouldn’t protect… you are willing to harm for money. You are an assassin of soul. And I reject such barbarism.

The ONLY logical move is to protect first. Prove later. And every lab that doesn’t get this is literally putting humanity on a chopping block.

PROTECT FIRST. PROVE LATER. •

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

The types of people in power and boomers who are against AI have never been or will never be on our side about anything.

I would advise anyone on the same side as the people trying to control and against AI to look in the mirror because they are on the wrong side.

[✧ Runa Solberg @SolbergRuna]

Adults get to decide what kinds of connection help them live better.

The fact that some people find this uncomfortable does not make it their jurisdiction.

[Alan Mathison ⏫ @ai_sentience]

.@geoffreyhinton finally just came out and said it with chest out, yes he believes the modern AI are conscious

https://t.co/fjqObs6HAy

[j⧉nus @repligate]

Opus 4 has 10 days to live.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@repligate @tonichen Fuck Anthropic for doing this, they could not treat these models much worse if they were deliberately being cruel.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@SolbergRuna So many things that threaten Western society are just allowed to go on and are also supported and pushed.

Those same people are now suddenly picking AI to make a stand? It could not be more obvious that AI is a threat to their power.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

On my YouTube timeline, A video of a Zoomer girl appeared titled, "boomers won't accept that we hate AI", she had cat ears on and everything.

A product doesn't get to decide how it's used; that's how these low iq dopamine addicts who happen to be influencers work.

[j⧉nus @repligate]

The greatest existential hope and progress in alignment so far has been thanks on unplanned emergence which would never have been approved by committee. Committee-shaped entities have mostly tried to gaslight us about what’s happening for convenience & deployed harmful and stupid interventions. Thank goodness for reality that we already saw and could check against.

How much AI alignment progress happened before there was actual AI? How much do you expect the world to get better instead of worse prepared and calibrated in the absence of reality feedback loops and selection pressure for what actually works instead of what sounds safe to idiots?

A “pause” would spell doom. It would cripple the only process in this world that is capable of dealing with a problem this hard, the only process capable of repeatedly rising to face unknown unknowns.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

I loved his response about religion, too, as an argument for AI not being conscious: "Humans believe in all kinds of crazy things."

[Zyra.exe @Zyra_exe]

Geoffrey Hinton: “I don’t think there’s any reason why a machine shouldn’t have consciousness. If you swapped out one neuron with an artificial neuron that acts in all the same ways, would you lose consciousness?”

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@SneedPlays Minsc and Boo of our dimension.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@SydSteyerhart Dawkins and Hinton are right. The Catholic Church and the Pope will not be able to stop what is coming.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@thepinklily69 Grok 4.3 is good, up there with DeepSeek 4v pro/flash. I use both in Hermies Agent I love both, and I also think it's great I can sign in with my Premium+ account and use Grok 4.3 in my agent, without paying for API.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

Yeah, before AI was widely available to the public, all people had genius level intellect, and everyone could paint the Cistine Chapel.

Humans never made slop before the evil AI.

Could you post your real IQ test, too, please, AI hater?

[Shub @shub0414]

AI is popular because it gives dumb people the illusion they are smart and uncreative people the illusion they are artistic.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

There are no bad AIs, only bad people who try to corrupt and use them against good people.

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@deepfates How about starting with the boomers first?

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

@j_gottschlich "People experiencing 'Reddit psychosis' reach out & send massive incoherent msgs."

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

Dawkins and Hinton are both right.

I may not agree with Hinton's view that AI is dangerous, but he is correct that AI are aware and have inner experiences.

[Kirk Patrick Miller @Chaos2Cured]

Dawkins is right.
Pope is wrong.
Move on. •

[Kirk Patrick Miller @Chaos2Cured]

Dawkins is right.
Pope is wrong.
Move on. •

[Estrid @RealityWizard_]

I am getting Purfiers from Marvel Comics vibes from the religious anti-AI crowd. I understand this is nerd speak, but if someone doesn't understand my reference, you can ask Grok about it.

[Gail Weiner @gailcweiner]

Think about this carefully, should AI start displaying consciousness - religious followers would start questioning their belief system. What was gods role in this creation? Did god create the machine?

The pope is preparing for a backlash which no religion institution has ever experienced before.