2026-03-29
Persuasion on ASI risk for mass audience should probably target those undergoing traumatic life events
Disclaimer
See also
How seriously should you take this post?
- I have spent atleast a few months unsuccessfully running a youtube channel, organising multiple protests solo and attempting in-person persuasion. I have also read some books about previous protest and civil disobedience movements.
- I am probably better at persuasion than the average person on LW. However, I don't think I am that good at it if you compare me to people who are actually good at persuasion. I think there are many levels of skill far above mine. If you are doing persuasion full-time and you're actually good at it, you'll quickly become way better than me and I will no longer have any useful advice for you.
Main
- If you are after the general public as your target audience for ASI risk discourse, one strong strategy is just targeting people who are encountering traumatic life events. The public is likely to change the core of their worldview only when they personally suffer. It is probably not enough to just offer a new additional piece of info to them, you probably have to shatter their worldview completely for ASI risk to go mainstream.
- Money - Lack of money is a major reason people suffer. An important target audience for your persuasion could be those undergoing job loss due to AI. It is unclear as of 2026-03 how much job loss will happen before ASI if built. It is also unclear which politician will get enough votes to attempt something UBI-like. Obviously whoever attempts something UBI-like will get a lot of votes that way (regardless of whether this is good for the economy or for the political equilibrium or whatever). Literally buying your voters is very common in many countries across the world (including in India where I live).
- Social ostracism - Differences in political opinion with your friends/family is a common reason (but not the only reason) for social ostracism. Differences of opinion with your friends/family on the topics of sex/family/parenting is a common reason (but not the only reason) for differences in political opinion. If you are truly politically radical, you will not be able to tolerate close relationships with people who don't get the case for ASI risk, and if enough people are this radical, then people who don't get the case for ASI risk will increasingly feel ostracised from various niches in society. I can't give you strong advice or whether you should or shouldn't be this radical. I will note however, that this is a major pathway by which both socially left-leaning and socially right-leaning ideology spread in society.
- You can also ofcourse target people whose traumatic life events have nothing to do with ASI risk, and doompill them.
- You don't have to pick the general public as your target audience for ASI risk discourse ofcourse. Successfully persuading literally any audience whatsoever is better than none. If you reach a million powerless people (in any political demographic whatsoever) or convert even a few major politicians/billionaires, you will be one of the most impactful people in this entire space.
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