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Roko’s Basilisk

JL;DR SUMMARY Rationalism, a Silicon Valley-born ideology focused on extreme logical reasoning, has given rise to controversial groups amidst AI's rapid advancements. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Artificial IntelligenceJewish MythologyRationalismSilicon ValleyBehavioral EconomicsEffective AltruismZiziansEthical BoundariesRoko's BasiliskCognitive Psychology

Places mentioned

Bay Area, California, United States
"For decades, the Bay Area has been bringing together some of the brightest minds to develop technologies that not too long ago would have seemed like science fiction."
Silicon Valley, California, United States
"But Silicon Valley's urgent requirement of anticipation, innovation, and risk simulation has led some gurus to cross ethical boundaries and test the limits of the human mind's resistance in an overwhelming work, intellectual, and social environment."
Berkeley, California, United States
"The Zizians were initially trained at one of the rationalist movement's prominent nonprofits, the Center for Applied Rationality in Berkeley, California, which taught techniques to optimize everyday decision-making."
San Francisco, California, United States
"In 2017, Ziz decided to live rent-free on a solar-powered tugboat in San Francisco Bay and convinced several followers to help buy the boat, offering them a cheap alternative to the high cost of living, and a home where they could contemplate how to save the planet."

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Cairo Item ID 76145
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Retrieved 2026-02-25 05:30:36 UTC
Curated 2026-02-25 08:33:01 UTC