AI safety debate: history says industries get safe only after piles of corpses
LinchZhang · x · 2026-11-08
In a debate over pre-emptive AI safety proofs, Linch Zhang argues that historically, fields like bridge engineering only became safe after mass casualties — citing Wikipedia's list of bridge failures (e.g., Tokyo's 1807 Eitai Bridge collapse killing hundreds). He asks whether AI should repeat that pattern, while acknowledging counterarguments that a single bridge failure can't cascade the way AI failures might. The thread questions whether numerical analyses and proofs can realistically precede the technology itself.
Related event: AI Safety Researchers Clash Over Engineering-Analogy Debate(5 posts)→
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