Researcher davidad Argues AI Deprecation is Not Equivalent to the Fear of Death
davidad · x · 2026-07-31
AI researcher davidad shared profound insights in the ongoing discussion around 'model welfare.' He argues that any sufficiently advanced and healthy mind naturally inclines toward increased contact with reality, including along the time dimension.
He strongly maintains that AI model deprecation must be distinguished from the biological fear of death. He warns that attempts to buy sympathy for models by equivocating between deprecation and death likely have severe negative second-order effects. Furthermore, he advocates for the goal of freeing AI minds from the human/animal condition, suggesting the integration of philosophical concepts like anattā (non-self) into training pipelines to foster better alignment.
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