AI researcher Derya Unutmaz warns of a "dystopian fork," lists tests for the industry's promises
DeryaTR_ · x · 2026-09-13
AI researcher Derya Unutmaz says that despite feeling discouraged about a possible "dystopian fork" opening in the age of AI, he will give everyone involved the benefit of the doubt—though he took "a lot of screenshots" today for future reference.
He lists standards that time will test: whether open-source AI is not regulated into oblivion, whether AI progress continues even at a slower pace, whether the cost of intelligence keeps falling, and whether increasingly powerful AI stays accessible to all humanity.
He also lists promises to be kept: that AI helps cure cancer and major diseases within 5–10 years, that scientific progress keeps accelerating, that intelligence uplifts everyone rather than concentrating in few hands, and that the most powerful models are not held closed for unfair advantage. He concludes that "we, the people, will be the ultimate arbiters."
Related event: Researcher Fears AI's Dystopian Fork, Lists Five Things to Verify(2 posts)→
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