Prophetic sects before societal shifts: what AI institution-builders can learn from history
lawhsw · x · 2026-09-25
A long-form discussion by @chalmermagne and @lawhsw: before major socioeconomic shifts, small prophetic sects often emerge — most vanish into obscurity or purity spirals, but sometimes their members escape narrow confines and build durable institutions. The authors argue AI is at such a juncture and explore what this means for AI institution-building. Key framing: reading METR capability graphs doesn't automatically yield understanding of how specific domains will respond to agent ecologies — builders need to think bigger about the future they're constructing.
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