On Brains, Minds, And Their Possible Uses

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December 2022
TSPSIs and How I Write
TL;DR: Writing about writing and having written, and self-referentiality. Complementary musings on AI.
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
9
November 2022
Introduction to Hebbian Natural Abstractions
A neuroscientific-perspective on translating concepts between world-models as a way of solving value-learning.
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
 and 
Samuel Nellessen
September 2022
The Inter-Agent Facet of AI Alignment
TL;DR: Guest post by Michael Oesterle on coordination problems (and more) between advanced artificial agents.
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
 and 
Michael Oesterle
July 2022
Via productiva. Audio version.
Listen now (16 mins) | TL;DR: Introspection on how I do things and which rules and heuristics help me to be productive. Framed as Taleb's via negativa…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
Hello DALL-E!
TL;DR: I let my friend Ava (who actually knows a thing or two about art!) experiment with DALL-E 2 for a bit. She allowed me to share her reflections…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
 and 
Ava Kiai
A quick one while he's away
TL;DR: deep reflections on names and identity, life-changing decisions, and mental renovations. And all of that in ~500 words!
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
2
Inferring utility functions from locally non-transitive preferences. Audio version.
Listen now (14 mins) | TL;DR: Fanboying JvN, then a nuts-and-bolts description of the von-Neumann-Morgenstern theorem. A connection to reward modeling…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
June 2022
Task Decomposition And Scientific Inquiry. Audio version.
Listen now (11 mins) | TL;DR: A curious asymmetry between making and criticizing, the scientific method as an approach to task decomposition, and a…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
"Brain enthusiasts" in AI Safety
TL;DR: If you're a student of cognitive science or neuroscience and are wondering whether it can make sense to work in AI Safety, this guide is for you…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
 and 
Samuel Nellessen
6
Puberty as Cause X? Audio version.
Listen now | TL;DR: GiveWell-esque analysis of adolescents' suffering. Life satisfaction during puberty, ITN model, developmental neuroscience of the…
 • 
Jan Hendrik Kirchner
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