Provocative essay claims Berkeley AI Safety scene centers on a 'sex cult' around Yudkowsky
mimi10v3 · x · 2026-10-24
The Very Sane AI Newsletter publishes a long, inflammatory piece arguing that AI Safety's intellectual core is a 'sex cult' in Berkeley started by fan-fiction author Eliezer Yudkowsky, with everyone else serving as a smokescreen. Claims include:
- Yudkowsky advocated risking nuclear war to halt AI research (Time, 2023) and now advises Bernie Sanders on AI policy
- OpenAI's Roon has said Yudkowsky runs or belongs to a sex cult, yet takes his AI views seriously — a contradictory stance the essay says is common
- Layers of EA/rationalist affiliation denial, from SBF on down
Unverified and highly contentious, but a sign the AI Safety community is being publicly re-examined.
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