Eliezer Yudkowsky

{{bronze}}
[[File:Eliezer Yudkowsky, Stanford 2006 (square crop).jpg|thumb|right|165px|Yudkowsky's meat suit, 2006 (prior to uploading his [[consciousness]] into a quantum computer).]]
{{LessWrong}}
{{cquote|Before {{wpl|Bruce Schneier}} goes to sleep, he scans his computer for uploaded copies of Eliezer Yudkowsky.|||Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts, ''LessWrong''<ref name=facts/>}}
'''Eliezer S. Yudkowsky''' {{lived|1979|}} is an [[United States|American]] [[autodidact]], shitty fanfiction writer, cult leader, and blogger interested in [[artificial intelligence]] (AI), decision theory, and [[Bayesian|Bayes]]-based [[human]] [[rationality]]. Yudkowsky cofounded and works at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (formerly the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence or SIAI), a nonprofit organization that concerns itself with the concept known as the [[singularity]].<ref>[https://intelligence.org/team/ Our Team], ''Machine Intelligence Research Institute''</ref><ref>[https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/582565917 Machine Intelligence Research Institute Inc], ''ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer''</ref> Yudkowsky began his blogging career with [[George Mason University]] [[economist]] [[Robin Hanson]]. He founded the blog [[LessWrong]] as a sister site and offshoot of Hanson's blog ''Overcoming Bias''.

Being idealistic enough to want everyone (above a certain income bracket) to live forever, he also has an overweening interest in [[cryonics]] and is (probably) vulnerable to hemlock.

==AI "research"==
{{cquote|Find whatever you're best at; if that thing that you're best at is inventing new math[s] of artificial intelligence, then come work for the Singularity Institute. If the thing that you're best at is investment banking, then work for Wall Street and transfer as much money as your mind and will permit to the Singularity Institute where [it] will be used by other people.|||Eliezer Yudkowsky on how to save the human race.<ref>[https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YduZEfz8usGbJXN4x/transcription-of-eliezer-s-january-2010-video-q-and-a Transcription of Eliezer's January 2010 video Q&A] (Nov 14, 2011) ''LessWrong''</ref>}}

Yudkowsky believes he has identified a "big problem in AI research" in that we can't assume an AI would care about humans or [[ethics]] without our evolutionary history. Believing that [[artificial general intelligence]] (AGI) is imminent, Yudkowsky has taken it upon himself to figure out how to make sure that an AI is a Friendly AI (FAI). Such an AI won't kill us, [[Cybernetic revolt|inadvertently or otherwise]].<ref name="cfai"/>

"AI foom," short for "recursively self-improving Artificial Intelligence engendered singularity," comes from these ideas:
*An AI-based singularity will occur soon. 
*AIs and humans would want them to improve themselves.
*Human-level or better AIs could not be imprisoned or threatened with having their plugs pulled because they would talk their way out of the situation. Interestingly, Yudkowsky claims to have tested this idea by role-playing the part of supersmart AI, with a lesser mortal playing the jailer. However&nbsp;— the reader may note the beginning of a pattern here&nbsp;— the transcripts are unpublished.
*AIs will, at some point, gain virtually unlimited control over the physical world through [[nanotechnology]].

His [[transhumanist]] philosopher and [[existential risk]] theorist friend Nick Bostrom, director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford until it was dissolved in 2024,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/apr/19/oxford-future-of-humanity-institute-closes Oxford shuts down institute run by Elon Musk-backed philosopher] by Nick Robins-Early (19 Apr 2024 18.46 EDT) ''The Guardian''.</ref> wrote ''Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies'' on the above ideas in 2014.<ref>''Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies' 'by Nick Bostrom (2014). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198739834.</ref> Bostrom's central thesis appears to be "you can't prove this won't happen, therefore you should worry about it." Bostrom credits Yudkowsky in the acknowledgments section and quotes from him throughout the book.{{efn|From this one may deduce that there are countless things that one you can't prove won't happen, therefore you should worry about all of them.}}

As is evident from the dialogue between [[Luke Muehlhauser]] and Pei Wang,<ref name=muelhauslerwang>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/bxr/muehlhauserwang_dialogue/ Muehlhauser-Wang Dialogue] by lukeprog (April 22, 2012) ''LessWrong''</ref> Yudkowsky's (and thus LessWrong's) conception of AGI differs starkly from the mainstream [[scientific]] and practical research understanding of it.<ref name=muelhauslerwang/>

Yudkowsky believes an AGI will come from decision theory despite his examples being computationally intractable, or Bayesian [[logic]] that does not scale in real AI.<ref name=muelhauslerwang/> {{wpl|Decision theory}} is the study of how to make optimal [[utilitarian]] decisions under uncertainty.

Since these are both totally abstract [[mathematical]] functions, there is no reason an AGI based on them would share human values (not that one can base an AGI on them). By this reasoning, Yudkowsky sees the need to bolt on some sort of [[morality]] module which will somehow be immune from alteration, even though the "foom" scenario he fears so much is based on AGIs which can ''rewrite their own code''. (Bostrom points out in his book that there are several situations in which an AI might have an incentive to alter its own final goals.) Thus Yudkowsky sees the need to "solve" ethics in some form that can be [[computer]]ized&nbsp;— although ethics remains an open problem in [[philosophy]] after thousands of years. However, [[Plato]], [[Aristotle]] and [[Kant]] just [[Dunning-Kruger effect|weren't as smart]] as Yudkowsky [[Delusions of grandeur|believes himself to be]].

In addition, some of Yudkowsky's critics identify more urgent threats from AI than unfriendliness: deliberate weaponization of AIs, coding errors, humans themselves, cyborg ethics, etc.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/9a1/qa_with_experts_on_risks_from_ai_2/ Q&A with experts on risks from AI #2] by XiXiDu (January 9, 2012) ''LessWrong''</ref>

===Yudkowsky/Hanson debates===
Economist Robin Hanson, Yudkowsky's then co-blogger, has debated Yudkowsky on "AI foom" on several occasions. Hanson, who had previously been an AI researcher for several years,<ref name='yudkowsky-hanson-2016'/> wrote a series of blog posts with Yudkowsky in 2008 and debated him in person in 2011. These debates were later collected and published as an ebook.<ref>[https://www.overcomingbias.com/2013/09/debate-is-now-book.html Debate Is Now Book] by Robin Hanson (September 4, 2013) ''Overcoming Bias''</ref> In 2014, after having read Bostrom's book ''Superintelligence'', Hanson was sticking to his guns: he wrote another blog post entitled "I Still Don't Get Foom". He argued:

{{quotebox|"Intelligence" just means an ability to do mental/calculation tasks, averaged over many tasks. I've always found it plausible that machines will continue to do more kinds of mental tasks better, and eventually be better at pretty much all of them. But what I've found it hard to accept is a "local explosion". This is where a single machine, built by a single project using only a tiny fraction of world resources, goes in a short time (e.g. weeks) from being so weak that it is usually beat by a single human with the usual tools, to so powerful that it easily takes over the entire world. Yes, smarter machines may greatly increase overall economic growth rates, and yes such growth may be uneven. But this degree of unevenness seems implausibly extreme.<ref>[https://www.overcomingbias.com/2014/07/30855.html I Still Don't Get Foom] by Robin Hanson (July 24, 2014) ''Overcoming Bias''</ref>}}

Immediately after this debate, Yudkowsky left Overcoming Bias (now Hanson's blog) and moved the Sequences to LessWrong. They still weren't seeing eye to eye in 2016 after the famous {{wpl|Go (game)|Go}} match between [[Google]]'s Alpha Go software and Lee Sedol.<ref name='yudkowsky-hanson-2016'>[https://www.facebook.com/yudkowsky/posts/10154018209759228?pnref=story Facebook post by Eliezer Yudkowsky] (March 11, 2016) ''Facebook''</ref> Hanson said he thought general-purpose AI was like [[nation-state]]s, requiring a lot of workers and idea-sharing. Limited special-purpose AI would be like product teams in businesses. While he gave a criterion to test his theory, Yudkowsky said he thought the world would already have "ended" before there was a chance to verify it. He claimed different AI labs were doing AI training, and there was almost no exchange of ''pre-trained'' modules or ''specialist'' components. (However, ''general'' AI components get widely reused between companies.)<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170913173849/https://somatic.io/blog/why-tensorflow-will-change-the-game-for-ai Why TensorFlow will change the game for AI] ''somatic blog''</ref>

Yudkowsky had previously announced his belief that if, as we now know, Alpha Go beat the Go grandmaster, that would mean the singularity was getting closer. However, the previous occasions when computers beat top-ranked humans at a board game (checkers and chess) still left computers well below the intelligence of a human infant.

===Singularity Institute / MIRI===
In 1998, Eliezer Yudkowsky finished the first version of 'Coding a Transhuman AI', alternatively known as 'Notes on the Design of Self-Enhancing Intelligence'.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010202165700/https://sysopmind.com/AI_design.temp.html Coding a Transhuman AI] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (Published 1998; Archived February 1, 2001) ''sysopmind.com''</ref> After that, he spent a few months writing design notes for a new programming language named Flare. Thereafter, he wrote 'Plan to Singularity',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010209014150/https://sysopmind.com/sing/PtS/plan.html The Plan to Singularity] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (1999; Archived February 9, 2001) ''sysopmind.com''</ref> presenting the idea of a Singularity Institute. In May 2000, at the meeting of Foresight Institute <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010428233716/https://foresight.org/SrAssoc/spring2000/ "Engines of Creation 2000 Confronting Singularity": Spring 2000 Senior Associate Gathering] (Published 2000; Archived April 28, 2001) ''Foresight Institute''</ref> the idea of establishing the institute got support from two others. Now, the Singularity Institute had a website.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20000914073559/https://singinst.org/ singinst.org] (Archived September 14, 2000) ''Singularity Institute'', now ''Machine Intelligence Research Institute''</ref> Then he wrote a revised version of 'Coding a Transhuman AI'.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010202042100/https://singinst.org/CaTAI.html Coding a Transhuman AI 2.2.0] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (Published 2000; Archived February 2, 2001) </ref>

On July 23, 2001, SI started the Flare project under the leadership of one Dimitry Myshkin but canceled the project in 2003.<ref>[https://timelines.issarice.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Machine_Intelligence_Research_Institute Timeline of Machine Intelligence Research Institute], ''Timelines Wiki''</ref> Since the very start, Yudkowsky has made creating 'Friendly AI' crucial to himself. In 2001, he wrote a book-length work 'Creating a Friendly AI'.<ref name="cfai">[https://intelligence.org/files/CFAI.pdf Creating Friendly AI 1.0: The Analysis and Design of Benevolent Goal Architectures] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (2001) ''Machine Intelligence Research Institute'', formerly ''Singularity Institute''</ref><ref group=note>[https://images.lesswrong.com/t3_5il_3.png This table] shows the quantity of donation received in the years 2000-2009.</ref>

In 2004, Eliezer Yudkowsky got a "major insight" about Coherent Extrapolated Volition (CEV). A person might not always want what is best for themself, but Yudkowsky wants his AI to do good for people. He believes that to find what is best for a person, AI would scan the person's [[brain]] and do "something complicated". To ensure the AI is friendly to all humans, it would do it to everyone. The sheer computing power needed is incomprehensibly large, and we have no idea what this would look like if implemented.<ref>[https://intelligence.org/files/CEV.pdf Coherent Extrapolated Volition] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (2004) ''Machine Intelligence Research Institute'', formerly ''Singularity Institute'' </ref>

In 2005, Yudkowsky met [[Peter Thiel]] at a dinner party in [[San Francisco]].<ref>George Packer, No Death, No Taxes: The libertarian futurism of a Silicon Valley billionaire, ''New Yorker'', November 28, 2011 https://archive.ph/1XDZx</ref><ref>Tessa Stuart, [https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ziz-lasota-zizians-ai-cult-1235468289/ The Radicalization of Ziz Lasota: How an AI Doomer Became an Accused Cult Leader], ''Rolling Stone'', December 2, 2025</ref> For the next several years Thiel helped to fund the Singularity Institute.

Until 2008 or 2009, the Singularity Institute was practically a one-man show. All its publications bore the Yudkowksy's name, and there was no other full-time employee of SI. However, change came in 2008 with the emergence of [[LessWrong]]. Soon, new publications by new authors like Carl Shulman, N Tarleton, and after some time, [[Luke Muehlhauser]] began to arrive. And this became the norm, with newly inducted researchers writing most papers.

The new focus of research at SI became decision theory. In 2010, Eliezer Yudkowsky published Timeless Decision Theory.<ref>[https://intelligence.org/files/TDT.pdf Timeless Decision Theory] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (2010) ''Machine Intelligence Research Institute'', formerly ''Singularity Institute''</ref> While TDT is less sensational than his ideas about immanent robot doom, he sees it as his most important intellectual achievement, and it is occasionally cited by philosophers and computer scientists.<ref>https://x.com/ESYudkowsky/status/847505125698543619#m [https://archive.is/Xd7Yt archived] </ref><ref>Caspar Oesterheld and Vincent Conitzer, "Extracting Money from Causal Decision Theorists," ''The Philosophical Quarterly'', Vol. 71, No. 4 doi: 10.1093/pq/pqaa086</ref><ref>Roman V. Yampolskiy, ''Artificial Superintelligence: A Futuristic Approach'' (CRC Press, 2015) page 104</ref>

Yudkowsky's collaboration with Bostrom's Future of Humanity Institute became visible by this time. Multiple joint articles by SI researchers and FHI researchers such as A. Sandberg,<ref>[https://intelligence.org/files/SoftwareLimited.pdf Implications of a Software-Limited Singularity] by Carl Shulman and Anders Sandberg, edited by Klaus Mainzer (2010) In ''ECAP10: VIII European Conference on Computing and Philosophy''</ref> Stuart Armstrong, and the like appeared. A joint article by Yudkowsky and Bostrom appeared in 2011.<ref>[https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/artificial-intelligence.pdf The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence] by Nick Bostrom and Eliezer Yudkowsky (2011)</ref> Bostrom's 2014 book Superintelligence refers to Yudkowsky 15 times. There were also nearly five pages on Coherent Extrapolated Volition.<ref>[https://korin-consulting.com/pdf/NickBostrom_Superintelligence.pdf Superintelligence] by Nick Bostrum (2014) ''Oxford University Press'', 1st ed. ISBN 978-0-19-967811-2</ref> In 2009, [[Jeffrey Epstein]] donated $50,000 to SIAI.<ref>[https://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article233028682.html Here's exactly how Jeffrey Epstein spent $30 million] by Aaron Brezel (July 24, 2019) ''Miami Herald''</ref> Yudkowsky and Epstein traded emails about a MIRI fundraising drive<ref>https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00814052.pdf</ref> and had a conversation on Skype in October 2016, eight years after Epstein was first convicted of sex crimes.<ref>https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01742226.pdf</ref> When Epstein hinted that some people might want to avoid him, Yudkowsky assured him that MIRI staff were aware of his reputation and willing to talk anyways:

{{quotebox|Epstein: "Were you clearing my name with him"

Yudkowsky: "Not sure what you mean. Nate (Soares) knows you're Jeffrey E. I check not-yet-published info/speculation past him before saying it."<ref>https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00814059.pdf This email thread has bee reformatted for readability.</ref>}}

Epstein does not appear to have donated at this time. Yudkowsky and another MIRI staffer claim that Epstein initiated contact, and that after further investigation MIRI decided to turn down his money.<ref>https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3JjKWWrKWJ8nysD9r/question-about-a-past-donor-to-miri</ref><ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/HPMOR/comments/1qsmtq2/eliezer_yudkowsky_the_author_of_hpmor_is_in_the/ [https://archive.ph/ktQDF archived]</ref> At the time of the phone call, Epstein's Wikipedia bio clearly mentioned that he had been convicted of soliciting an underage girl and had been accused by other women.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20160812015413/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffrey_Epstein</ref> As noted below, in 2025 Yudkowsky expressed distaste for age-of-consent laws and strict rules about who sleeps with whom. Learning about Epstein in 2016 did not help him understand what happens if you stop enforcing those rules.

==Other projects==
===Fan fiction===
{{cquote|Oh god. The future of the human species is in the hands of a guy who writes crossover fan-fiction.|||[[Scott Alexander]]<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/18g/the_finale_of_the_ultimate_meta_mega_crossover/14gn Yvain comments on The Finale of the Ultimate Meta Mega Crossover.] Scott Alexander, ''LessWrong'', 23 September 2009 10:08:17PM</ref>}}

For a slightly more humorous but insightful look into his mind, Yudkowsky has written ''[[Harry Potter]]'' fanfiction as a bizarre medium to teach rationality to a larger audience. In the story, a rationalist Harry (which, keep in mind, is set in a ''FANTASY'' universe) tries to get his head around [[magic]]<ref>[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (Published February 28, 2010; Last updated March 14, 2015) ''FanFiction.net''</ref> while lecturing science to his elders and audience like the annoying "know-it-all" kid from ''Polar Express''.

''Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality'' (HPMoR) is widely acclaimed by the standards of fanfiction (such as they are), with many readers hailing it as one of the best of its kind.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220216080717/https://www.who.com.au/top-10-harry-potter-fanfics-dramione-drarry-more Here's 10 Harry Potter Fanfics That You Should Read Right Now] by Rhys McKay</ref> Yudkowsky and his fans tried to [[spam]] it for the 2016 Hugo Awards for [[science fiction]] and fantasy,<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/3wg/hugo_awards_hpmor/3dnb Hugo Awards - HP:MoR] by Eneasz (January 21, 2011) ''LessWrong''</ref><ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/9on/hugo_awards_hpmor_part_2/ Hugo Awards - HP:MoR (part 2)] by Eneasz (January 31, 2012) ''LessWrong''</ref><ref name=hpmornotes119>[https://hpmor.com/notes/119/ Author's Note 119: Shameless Blegging] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (March 10, 2015) ''hpmor.com''</ref><ref>[https://archive.fo/Iduxh Tumblr post] by asocratesgonemad (Published Jan 29, 2016 8:14 pm ; Archived January, 30 2016 16:04:19 UTC) ''Tumblr''</ref> though it didn't make the shortlist. The podcast version was a Parsec Awards finalist in 2012<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210207232604/https://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2012-parsec-awards-winners-finalists/ 2012 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists]</ref> and 2015.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210208154850/https://www.parsecawards.com/past-awards/2015-parsec-awards-finalists/ 2015 Parsec Awards Winners & Finalists]</ref>

Some readers felt disillusioned by the sermonising.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/kox/why_are_people_put_off_by_rationality/ Why are people "put off by rationality"?] by adamzerner (August 5, 2014) ''LessWrong''</ref> As Yudkowsky himself notes in a Facebook posting:<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/yudkowsky/posts/10152305725324228 Post by Eliezer Yudkowsky] (March 18, 2014) ''Facebook''</ref>

{{quotebox|People who have this [status regulating] emotion leave angry reviews on Chapter 6 of HPMOR where they complain about how much Harry is disrespecting Professor McGonagall and they can't read this story.}}

Some non-fans stuck around to write detailed critiques of the didactic content.<ref>[https://danluu.com/su3su2u1/hpmor/ Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality review] written by su3su2u1, archived by Dan Luu, ''danluu.com''</ref><ref>[https://archive.is/P8QU7 HPMOR Full Review (draft)] by su3su2u1 (March 14th, 2015) ''Tumblr''</ref> Someone posted to LessWrong a fairly normal literary analysis of the main character as a narcissist, causing [[Hypocrite|hypocritical]] [[special pleading]] from fans.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/k9r/cognitive_biases_due_to_a_narcissistic_parent/ Cognitive Biases due to a Narcissistic Parent, Illustrated by HPMOR Quotations] by Algernoq (May 24, 2014) ''LessWrong'' &mdash</ref>

LessWrong may have developed a [[personality cult]] around Yudkowsky, with a list of Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts,<ref name=facts>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/4g/eliezer_yudkowsky_facts/ Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts] by steven0461 (March 22, 2009) ''LessWrong''</ref> but the fan fiction ''of'' him was ''apparently'' a play, produced without his knowledge.<ref>[https://sl4.org/archive/0707/16399.html Message by Eliezer Yudkowsky] (Published July 4, 2007 ; Archived July 17, 2013) ''SL4''</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090211145423/https://nytheatre.com/nytheatre/P07rev_02.htm#400 Yudkowski Returns!] reviewed by Robert Weinstein in: Pretentious Festival Reviews - Page 2 (Archived February 11, 2009) ''nytheatre.com'' </ref> The author, Bobby Silverman, says the play was not about Yudkowsky, he just liked the name, which he altered to "Yudkowski."<ref>https://bsky.app/profile/robertsilverman.bsky.social/post/3lz7j5ccrfs2m - thread</ref>

===Arbital===
After tiring of LessWrong and finishing his Harry Potter fanfic, Yudkowsky's next project was Arbital, an exciting new competitor in the educational market with a different approach to learning than that of [[Wikipedia]].<ref>[https://arbital.com/p/arbital_ambitions/ Arbital: Solving online explanations] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (Mar 3, 2016) </ref> He first proposed it in March 2015:<ref name=hpmornotes119/>

{{quotebox|First, I've designed an attempted successor to Wikipedia and/or [[Tumblr]] and/or [[peer review]], and a friend of mine is working full-time on implementing it. If this project works at the upper percentiles of possible success (HPMOR-level 'gosh that sure worked', which happens to me no more often than a third of the time I try something), then it might help to directly address the core societal problems (he said vaguely with deliberate [[vagueness]]).}}

With $300k in funding, developers were hired, with Yudkowsky as an overseer. There were several changes in direction. It went live in early 2016 as the LessWrong Sequences in a different bottle. By late 2016, they identified as "the place for crowdsourced, intuitive math explanations." It had a chance of beating the notoriously opaque math articles on Wikipedia, except they couldn't find enough knowledgeable people to write them. As of early 2017, the front page was a Slashdot-style aggregator for people in the MIRI subculture. By the end of March, they admitted defeat<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/otq/whats_up_with_arbital/ What's up with Arbital?] by Alexei (29<sup>th</sup> Mar 2017) ''LessWrong''.</ref> and turned the front page into a coming-soon for a blogging platform. A project developer lamented Yudkowsky's leadership style.

{{quotebox|Also around that time, it became clear to us that things just weren't going well. The primary issue was that we completely relied on Eliezer to provide guidance to which features to implement and how to implement them. Frequently when we tried to do things our way, we were overruled. (Never without a decent reason, but I think in many of those cases either side had merit. Going with Eliezer's point of view meant we frequently ended up blocked on him, because we couldn't predict the next steps.) Also, since Eliezer was the only person seriously using the product, there wasn't enough rapid feedback for many of the features. And since we{{sic}} wasn't in the office with us every day, we were often blocked.

So, we decided to take the matter into our own hands. The three of us would decide what to do, and we would occasionally talk to Eliezer to get his input on specific things.<ref>[https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kAgJJa3HLSZxsuSrf/arbital-postmortem Arbital postmortem] by alexei (30<sup>th</sup> Jan 2018) ''LessWrong''.</ref>}}

Thomas Kwa, who worked with MIRI from 2022 to 2023, described similar difficulties working with Yudkowsky's henchman Nate Soares.<ref>Thomas Kwa et al., [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/qbcuk8WwFnTZcXTd6/thomas-kwa-s-miri-research-experience Thomas Kwa's MIRI Research Experience], ''LessWrong'', October 2, 2023</ref>

==Achievements (or lack thereof)==
{{cquote|Why should I follow your Founder when he isn't an Eighth Level anything outside his own cult?|||Eliezer Yudkowsky accidently describing himself.<ref>[https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3diLhMELXxM8rFHJj/to-spread-science-keep-it-secret To Spread Science, Keep It Secret] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (27<sup>th</sup> Mar 2008) ''LessWrong''.</ref>}}
[[File:Theend.jpg|thumb|Yudkowsky: Christ is Risen<ref>name=christrisen1</ref><ref>name=christrisen2</ref>]]
Despite portraying himself as the second coming of [[Einstein]], Yudkowsky has no training in his field of interest nor does he have any real accomplishments to his credit beyond getting [[Peter Thiel]] to give him a shit ton of money. (And moving on to [[Ethereum]] [[cryptocurrency]] programmers.) He sometimes complains when journalists call him an "AI expert" or "AI researcher" because of his lack of success.<ref>https://xcancel.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1642908341327499264#m April 3, 2023 [https://archive.is/vJfKE archive post 1] and [https://archive.is/oTA0S archive post 2] {{quotebox|For the record, I never describe myself to the media as an expert / researcher / scientist in Artificial Intelligence; if they give me the option, I say I'm a "decision theorist" / Partially, this is because I think that's what I most feel like I actually am; notions like the reflective consistency of an agent are arguably decision-theory ones, though it's forging new ground either way.  But also, I feel like it's a place where it would be easiest to defend, to my own satisfaction, and without a sense that I was even slightly misleading anyone, that I made a big damn contribution on at least the PhD level. / (Of course, sometimes the media doesn't give me that option, which is very understandable of them; and in that case, I say that I was one of the earliest and founding researchers in the field of AGI alignment. Again, seems perverse to deny that.)}}</ref>

Even his fans admit, "A recurring theme here seems to be 'grandiose plans, left unfinished'."<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/6dr/discussion_yudkowskys_actual_accomplishments/ Discussion: Yudkowsky's actual accomplishments besides divulgation] (Raw Power, LessWrong, 25 June 2011)</ref> He claims to be a skilled computer programmer, but has no code available other than Flare, an unfinished computer language for AI programming with XML-based syntax.<ref>[https://flarelang.sourceforge.net/ Flare Programming Language], sourceforge.net.</ref> It was supposed to be the programming language in which SIAI would code Seed AI but got canceled in 2003. He hired professional programmers to implement his Arbital project (see above), which eventually failed. In 2025, Yudlowsky mentioned that he did not know Javascript and "I am a bit out of date on programming, these days."<ref>https://xcancel.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1903918775742972020#m archived https://archive.is/qvC8p</ref> Someone who does not know Javascript is unlikely to be able to code an interactive website which does anything more than "send an email to our secret address" or "switch between light mode and dark mode."

Yudkowsky is almost entirely unpublished outside his foundation and blogs<ref>There is a conference proceeding: Eliezer Yudkowsky (2011). Complex Value Systems are Required to Realize Valuable Futures. In Proceedings of AGI 2011.</ref> and has never even attended high school or college,<ref>[https://www.cnbc.com/id/48538963 5 Minutes With a Visionary: Eliezer Yudkowsky] by Gregory Saperstein (3:38 PM ET Thu, 9 Aug 2012) ''CNBC''.</ref> much less did any AI research. No samples of his AI coding are public.  In 2017 and 2018 he self-published some pop science books  with titles like ''Inadequate Equilibria'' and endorsements from fellow travelers {{wpl|Bryan Caplan}} and {{wpl|Scott Aaronson||.}}<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, [https://equilibriabook.com/ ''Inadequate Equilibria: Where and How Civilizations Get Stuck''].</ref>

Yudkowsky's papers are generally self-published and had a total of two cites on JSTOR-archived journals (neither to do with AI) as of 2015. One of these came from his friend Nick Bostrom at the closely-associated Future of Humanity Institute.<ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/25621992?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents How Law Changes the Environmental Mind: An Experimental Study of the Effect of Legal Norms on Moral Perceptions and Civic Enforcement] by Yuval Feldman & Oren Perez (2009) ''Journal of Law and Society'' 36(4):501-535.</ref><ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/40607655?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Pascal's mugging] by Nick Bostrom (2009) ''Analysis'' 69(3):443-445.</ref>

When he turned 45 in 2024, Yudkowsky's visible lifetime achievements were self-published writing, including two very long fanfictions (''HPMOR'' and ''Project Lawful''<ref>https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Roleplay/ProjectLawful</ref>), three horny novels or novellas (''Three Words Collide'', ''Dark Lord's Answer'', and ''A Girl Corrupted by the Internet is the Summoned Hero?!''), some short stories, and megabytes of blog posts and self-published nonfiction. He was a parent in a stable polyamorous relationship.<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, [https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/ Pausing AI Developments Isn’t Enough. We Need to Shut it All Down], Time, March 28, 2023 
{{quotebox|On March 16, my partner sent me this email. (She later gave me permission to excerpt it here.)

“Nina lost a tooth! In the usual way that children do, not out of carelessness! Seeing GPT4 blow away those standardized tests on the same day that Nina hit a childhood milestone brought an emotional surge that swept me off my feet for a minute. It’s all going too fast."}}</ref> He had also founded a well-funded research organization which produced fewer papers in a decade and a half than a single graduate student in the course of a physics Ph.D. The latter would be [[peer review]]ed.

==Genius or crank?==
Yudkowsky refers to himself as a genius six times in his "autobiography" that he wrote in 2000 when he was 20.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010205221413/http://sysopmind.com/eliezer.html#timeline_birth Eliezer] by Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (2000) ''Sysop Mind'' (archived from February 5, 2001).</ref> To his credit, he has since disavowed it, considering his younger self an idiot. He also claims to have "randomly won the writing talent lottery".<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/badphilosophy/comments/6ddayv/checking_in_with_badphils_old_friend_eliezer/ Checking in with r/badphil's old friend Eliezer Yudkowsky] by barkevious2 (c. 2017) ''Reddit''.</ref> He thinks most Ph.D.s are pretty ordinary compared to the people he hobnobs with.

{{quotebox|The really striking fact about the researchers who show up at AGI conferences, is that they're so… I don't know how else to put it…

…ordinary.

Not at the intellectual level of the big mainstream names in Artificial Intelligence. Not at the level of {{wpl|John McCarthy (computer scientist)|John McCarthy}} or {{wpl|Peter Norvig}} (whom I've both met).

I am tempted to say that a doctorate in AI would be negatively useful, but I am not one to hold someone's reckless youth against them&nbsp;— just because you acquired a doctorate in AI doesn't mean you should be permanently disqualified.}}

However, he admits to possibly being less smart than {{wpl|John Horton Conway|John Conway.}}<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/ua/the_level_above_mine/nhy The Level above Mine] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (26<sup>th</sup> Sep 2008) ''LessWrong''.</ref> As a [[Homeschooling|homeschooled]] individual with no college degree, Yudkowsky may [[Dunning-Kruger effect|not be in an ideal position to estimate his own intelligence]]. For obvious reasons, many of his followers think he is a genius.<ref name=christrisen1>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/4g/eliezer_yudkowsky_facts/1qhd?c=1 Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts: (Photoshopped version of this photo.)] comment by ata (2009) ''Lesswrong''.</ref><ref name=christrisen2>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikek/146209889/ Slide from Yudkowsky speech] by Mike Kuniavsky (May 14, 2006) ''Flickr''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20111228114811/http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/9605/theend.jpg Yudkowsky as Christ Risen] ''ImageShack'' (archived from December 28, 2011).</ref><ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/d6/the_end_of_sequences/aad?c=1 The End (of Sequences)] Anonymous 2009 comment with link to Photoshopped image of Yudkowsky as Christ Risen.</ref> Similarly, some of his followers are derisive of renowned scientists. Just look for comments about "[[Ivory tower|not smart outside the lab]]" and "for a [[popular science|celebrity scientist]]."<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/8f4/neil_degrasse_tyson_on_cryonics/ Neil deGrasse Tyson on Cryonics] by bekkerd (9<sup>th</sup> May 2012) ''LessWrong''.</ref> Yudkowsky believes a doctorate in AI is a net negative when it comes to Seed AI.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100116163855/https://acceleratingfuture.com/wiki/So_You_Want_To_Be_A_Seed_AI_Programmer So You Want To Be A Seed AI Programmer] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (c. 2009) ''Accelerating Future'' (archived from January 16, 2010). "I am tempted to say that a doctorate in AI would be negatively useful, but I am not one to hold someone's reckless youth against them - just because you acquired a doctorate in AI doesn't mean you should be permanently disqualified."</ref> While Yudkowsky doesn't attack [[Einstein]], he does indeed think the [[scientific method]] cannot handle things like the [[Many worlds|Many Worlds Interpretation]] or his view on Bayes' theorem.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/qa/the_dilemma_science_or_bayes/ The Dilemma: Science or Bayes?] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (13<sup>th</sup> May 2008) ''LessWrong''.</ref> LessWrong does indeed have its own unique jargon.<ref>[https://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Jargon LessWrong Jargon] ''LessWrong''.</ref>

Just so that the reader doesn't get the mistaken impression that Yudkowsky boasts about his intellect incessantly, here he is, boasting about how nice and good he is:<ref>[https://archive.is/gHHWb Re: Ethical basics] email from Eliezer S. Yudkowsky (Jan 23 2002 - 21:29:18 MST) ''Accelerating Future'' (archived from 21 Aug 2013 07:23:00 UTC).</ref>
{{quotebox|I took a couple of years of effort to clean up the major emotions (ego gratification and so on), after which I was pretty much entirely altruistic in terms of raw motivations, although if you'd asked me I would have said something along the lines of: "Well, of course I'm still learning… there's still probably all this undiscovered stuff to clean up…" 
}}

Disagreement with Yudkowsky's ideas is often attributed to [[pseudoskepticism|"undiscriminating skepticism"]]. If you don't believe cryonics works, it's because you have watched ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]''.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/1ww/undiscriminating_skepticism/ Undiscriminating Skepticism] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (14<sup>th</sup> Mar 2010) ''LessWrong''.</ref> It's just not a possibility that you don't believe it works because it has failed tests and is made improbable by the [[fact]]s.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170617164229/https://www.quackwatch.com/04ConsumerEducation/QA/cryonics.html Is Cryonics Feasible?] by Stephen Barrett (September 2, 2005) ''Quackwatch'' (archived from June 17, 2017).</ref>

==Other controversial positions==	
===Politics===
In 2011, Yudkowsky identified as  “a very small-‘l’ [[Libertarian|libertarian]]… just another pot-decriminalizing, [[prostitution]]-supporting, computer-programming, science-fiction-reading, [[Bayesian|Bayesian-statistics]]-promoting, mainstream-economics-respecting, [[sex-positive]], [[money]]-positive, [[Polyamory|polyamorous]] [[atheistic]] [[transhumanist]] government-distrusting [[minarchist]]” in an essay for ''[[Cato Institute|Cato Unbound]]'' that responded to [[Michael Shermer]]. The essay showed interest in the [[genetics]] of [[IQ]] and the potential and limits of [[eugenics]].<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, [https://www.cato-unbound.org/2011/09/07/eliezer-yudkowsky/true-rejection/ "Is That Your True Rejection?"] ''Cato Unbound: A Journal of Debate'', September 7, 2011</ref> By 2023 he was tweeting positions like:
{{quotebox|Abolish the [[FDA]]; repeal all occupational licensing including in [[healthcare]]; decriminalize [[sex work]]; decriminalize housing; delegalize [[marriage]] and college; allow free banking. Regulate nuclear materials. Ban >[[ChatGPT|GPT4]] model training runs and gain-of-function research on [[Biological weapon|pathogens]].<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky @ESYudkowsky, twitter, May 29, 2023 https://x.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1662980570182467590#m archived https://archive.ph/0QeK0</ref>}}
Meditate on those and update your priors on what "small-‘l’ libertarian" means to him! [[Crank]] or [[troll]]? You decide.

===Irrationality===
Despite being viewed by his stans as the smartest two-legged being to ever walk this planet, Yudkowsky and much of the LessWrong community endorse several ideas that are, at best, subject to bitter debate and controversy in their respective fields, and at worst, poorly thought out philosophy and long-debunked pseudoscience. For example, he idealistically believes in transhumanism and cryonics with hope and without willpower and preaches the "Many Worlds Interpretation" (MWI) of [[quantum physics]] as a "slam dunk" despite the lack of [[scientific consensus]] among quantum physicists and the belief by some that it is [[unfalsifiable]].<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/1kh/the_correct_contrarian_cluster/ The Correct Contrarian Cluster] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (21<sup>st</sup> Dec 2009) ''LessWrong''. "I can think of only three slam-dunks off the top of my head: Atheism: Yes. Many-worlds: Yes. P-zombies: No."</ref><ref>[https://www.nature.com/articles/516321a Scientific method: Defend the integrity of physics] by George Ellis & Joe Silk (2014) ''Nature'' 516:321–323. doi:10.1038/516321a.</ref> Yudkowsky says a majority of theoretical physicists might not share his view, adding that attempted opinion polls conflict on this point.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/r8/and_the_winner_is_manyworlds/ And the Winner is… Many-Worlds!] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (11<sup>th</sup> Jun 2008) ''LessWrong''.</ref>

Concerning Bayes' theorem, Yudkowsky believes it can contradict and ''supersede'' the scientific method<ref>[https://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.com/2010/09/eliezer-yudkowsky-on-bayes-and-science.html Eliezer Yudkowsky on Bayes and Science] by Massimo Pigliucci (September 24, 2010) ''Rationally Speaking''.</ref> and wants to apply Bayesian probability indiscriminately.{{efn|While it is a powerful tool, Bayesian probability has its limitations like any other.<ref>[https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology-bayesian/#PotPro Bayesian Epistemology] by Hanti Lin (Jun 13, 2022) ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy''.</ref>}}
 
As a partial list, Yudkowsky also claims non-computable results like Kolmogorov complexity are a reasonable basis for an entire epistemology, [[evolutionary psychology]] is well-established science, and [[philosophy]] is a subject so easy he can "re-invent it on the fly".<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky: [https://www.greaterwrong.com/posts/oTX2LXHqXqYg2u4g6/less-wrong-rationality-and-mainstream-philosophy/comment/YPPYBReJ8JknqpPqi Lesswrong Rationality and Mainstream Philosophy]</ref>

Yudkowsky is a staunch total [[utilitarian]],<ref>{{wpa|{wpl|Average and total utilitarianism|}}</ref> leading him to questionable conclusions through questionable [[thought experiment]]s. To him, 3^^^3<ref group=note>The three arrows represent {{wpl|Pentation}} using {{wpl|Knuth's up-arrow notation}}</ref>people experiencing a speck of dust in their eyes for a moment could be worse than torturing a man for 50 years.<ref>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/kn/torture_vs_dust_specks/ Less Wrong: Torture vs Dust Specks]</ref> More specifically, Yudkowsky defends total utilitarian in this thought experiment.

=== Power without responsibility: Drugs ===

Yudkowsky encourages his followers to keep disagreements within the movement and not get the police or the courts involved. Bay Area rationalism attracts people who use drugs, psychological manipulation, and status within the community to control younger rationalists (especially cute ones).<ref>See [[Aella#The_dark_side|Aella § The dark side]]</ref> Yudkowsky acknowledges this problem but is very reluctant to tell his followers not to give their followers drugs or screw them, and says that neither is a matter for the police. He tentatively suggested some group norms in 2021:

{{quotebox|I'm about ready to propose a group norm against having any subgroups or leaders who tell other people they should take psychedelics.  Maybe they have individually motivated uses - though I get the impression that this is, at best, a high-variance bet with significantly negative expectation.  But the track record of [[Cult|"rationalist-adjacent" subgroups]] that push the practice internally and would-be leaders who suggest to other people that they do them seems just way too bad. ... I'm also about ready to propose a similar no-such-group policy on '[[woo]]', tarot-reading, supernaturalism only oh no it's not really supernaturalism I'm just doing tarot readings as a way to help myself think, etc. ... I should be explicit that concern about outcomes of psychedelic advocacy includes [[Michael Vassar]], and concern on woo includes the alleged/reported events at Leverage.<ref>https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/MnFqyPLqbiKL8nSR7/my-experience-at-and-around-miri-and-cfar-inspired-by-zoe?commentId=brycrrbzpzr9G7Puw Leverage is probably Geoff Anders' Leverage Research</ref>}}

However, he seems more comfortable framing substance use as an individual choice.<ref>https://x.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1857118345352618449 archived https://archive.ph/MqeGZ (November 14, 2024)</ref><ref>https://x.com/allTheYud/status/1989825897483194583 archive https://archive.is/kI1Yc (November 15, 2025)</ref> Without clear community guidelines, this can lead to substance-fueled social events where junior members feel they will lose opportunities if they do not consume or limit their consumption (just like a lack of clear rules around sexual relationships within the organization can leave junior members worried that they will be punished if they turn down a senior member of the community).

=== Power without responsibility: Sex ===

Yudkowsky uses his fame and immense self-confidence to find and impress women.<ref>https://xcancel.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1157069280837435395#m {{quotebox|I think I reacted the way many normal people would to finding out there'd been an off-Broadway play written about them: namely, by putting that fact in my OKCupid profile.}} Something which claims to be his OkCupid profile from 2012 is available on Reddit and mentions the play</ref> A woman who once dated several people in LessWrong and related movements claims that "Yud used MIRI as a dating pool to find women who would do unpaid labor for him" although this has not been independently confirmed.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/SneerClub/comments/awvems/in_which_ozy_is_confused_by_rsneerclub_and_math/</ref> While a ''lot'' of people try to become famous to get laid, its generally agreed to be problematic when the leader of a movement repeatedly looks for dates in that movement, because the leader can offer rewards and punishments depending on whether the person he is hitting on says yes.<ref>[[Julian Assange]]. [[Michael Shermer]]. Enough said. For these specific dynamics within Effective Altruism and Lesswrong see Ellen Huet, [https://archive.vn/ykOD1 The Real-Life Consequences of Silicon Valley’s AI Obsession], ''Bloomberg'', March 7, 2023 </ref> By 2022 LessWrong had access to substantial funds via its connections to [[Effective Altruism]] and [[cryptocurrency]], so being accepted by the community can lead to jobs as well as housing and companionship. While Yudkowsky seems sincere, he arranged his life such that he gets paid a comfortable income for vague duties and has access to young women who want to please him.

In 2014 and 2015, a former MIRI staffer accused Yudkowsky and two other MIRI staffers of having sex with minors.<ref>Tessa Stuart, [https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ziz-lasota-zizians-ai-cult-1235468289/ The Radicalization of Ziz Lasota: How an AI Doomer Became an Accused Cult Leader], Rolling Stone, December 2, 2025</ref> Police briefly investigated the accusations and found nothing to substantiate them, and the alleged victim denies being mistreated by Yudkowsky. When they learned that MIRI had reached a settlement with the accuser, the [[Zizians|Zizian]] murder cult decided that this was giving in to blackmail and a violation of Yudkowsky's principles. In the fall of 2025, ''Rolling Stone'' asked Yudkowsky about these claims. Afterwards Yudkowsky tweeted a rambling essay which seemed inspired by their questions.<ref>https://x.com/allTheYud/status/1989825897483194583 archive https://archive.is/kI1Yc</ref> The essay ended well:

{{quotebox|To the best of my knowledge, I have never in my life had sex with anyone under the age of 18.

I have not had sex, at all, with the particular person the Ziz cult thinks I had sex with, whom I am not naming here for reasons of their own privacy.}}

However, on his way to that denial, Yud considered what he would do if he knew of a 30-year-old man having sex with a 16-year-old:

{{quotebox|if hypothetically you ask me whether I know about any couples currently doing this ill-advised thing, where it has *not yet* blown up, then I do not confirm or deny; it would not be my job to run their lives.}}

and mused about whether it was OK to give narcotics to an underage person and play [[BDSM]] games without a safeword without coming to a clear conclusion. He did not muse about what kind of people will be attracted to a community which frequently discusses sexual matters, holds events where adults mingle with precocious teens, and has a leader who says that who sleeps with whom is none of his business.

In February 2026 he elaborated this view: it was the responsibility of the police not nonprofits to investigate people like [[Jeffrey Epstein]], but if he learned that someone was grooming minors for sex, he would handle it in private and not talk to the police:

{{quotebox|Q: let's say Bob is aware that Jiff Steepen was recruiting minors (say, 14 and older), and grooming them to provide sexual favors to himself and other adults. To Bob's knowledge, none of the women have complained about their arrangement. Should Bob report Mr. Steepen for his criminal conduct? If someone comes and asks Bob whether he Mr. Steepen is engaging in illicit relations, how should Bob answer?<ref>https://old.reddit.com/user/Dembara (the original posts in r/HPMOR were deleted by moderators)</ref>

A: Multiple cases and/or active recruiting would probably have me convene a star chamber to expel Jiff from community events, based on my expectation that at least one of those cases was statistically liable to end in victimful harm. I would not go to the police because of my expectation that law enforcement would be painful, tedious, and ineffective. <ref>https://old.reddit.com/user/EliezerYudkowsky archived https://archive.is/blham  (the original posts in r/HPMOR were deleted by moderators)</ref>}}

He also dropped in details about the age of consent in different US states, which are not facts that everyone has at their fingertips. Perpetrators love [[Child_sexual_abuse_in_the_Roman_Catholic_Church|organizations with this policy]] because they can move on and start fresh if they are caught, and because they have leverage over anyone who helped cover up their crimes. The original {{wpl|Star Chamber}} in Tudor and Stuart England had a "reputation for harsh and arbitrary proceedings" and did not limit its punishments to mild social exclusion.

=== Power without responsibility: Money ===

The LessWrong and Effective Altruism movements had been doing well financially when the FTX cryptocurrency scheme collapsed, because several patrons sympathized with EA or bought and sold crypto. Yudkowsky initially advised that "In my possibly contrarian opinion ... you are not obligated to return funding that got to you ultimately by way of FTX; '''especially''' if it's been given for a service you already rendered, any more than the electrical utility ought to return FTX's money that's already been spent on electricity; especially if that would put you to hardship."<ref>https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/FKJ8yiF3KjFhAuivt/impco-don-t-injure-yourself-by-returning-ftxff-money-for</ref> Actual US law has a whole field of clawback after bankruptcy or fraud, and judges enforce that law, so it would have been wise to shut up and consult an accountant and a lawyer.<ref>eg. https://investorclaims.com/blog/ponzi-scheme-clawback-actions-forcing-victims-to-right-other-peoples-wrongs/</ref>

When it came out that Yudkowsky had tried to raise money from Jeffrey Epstein in 2016, he said that MIRI had finally decided that Epstein was "probably a sufficiently bad person that we didn't want his money," but complained that he was a very busy man and investigating donors was not his job.<ref>https://old.reddit.com/user/EliezerYudkowsky archived https://archive.is/qAgUF (some original posts in https://www.reddit.com/r/HPMOR/comments/1qsmtq2/eliezer_yudkowsky_the_author_of_hpmor_is_in_the/ were deleted by moderators)</ref> 

===Creepy attitudes towards sex===
{{cquote|I've recently acquired a sex slave / [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6556187/1/In-Flight IF!Sekirei] who will earn her orgasms by completing math assignments.|||Eliezer Yudkowsky, reddit, 2013<ref>https://old.reddit.com/r/HPMOR/comments/1jel94/hate_for_yudkowsky/cbemgta/?context=100WS archived https://archive.ph/GsduG</ref>}}

{{cquote|(The orgasms-for-math-assignments game) didn't work out at all when we tried it, I married her anyways|||Eliezer Yudkowsky, twitter, 2019<ref>https://xcancel.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1172200652149121024 archived https://archive.is/cWJpG</ref>}}

{{cquote|As always, pedophilia is not the same as ephebophilia.|||Eliezer Yudkowsky, ''LessWrong'', 2013<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, comment on PhilGoetz, [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/a8dCAtNKM8eK3WHAE/thought-experiment-the-transhuman-pedophile?commentId=YAwrAtPhEMqmmFGzz Thought experiment: The transhuman pedophile], ''LessWrong'', September 18, 2013</ref>}}

While his precise stance on the matter is vague, Yudkowsky's comments on fiction and hypothetical scenarios have at least hinted that he holds disturbing and abnormal beliefs towards sexual assault and rape. 

In 2009, Yudkowsky wrote and published an [[L.Ron Hubbard]]-like space opera novella called ''Three Worlds Collide'', which Yudkowsky had helpfully advertised on the LessWrong forum as being "PG-13".<ref name=interlude>[https://lesswrong.com/lw/y8/interlude_with_the_confessor_48/ Interlude with the Confessor (4/8)] by Eliezer Yudkowsky (2<sup>nd</sup> Feb 2009) ''LessWrong''.</ref> This [[sarcasm|literary masterpiece]] follows the exploits of the crew of a spaceship called (yes, these are the actual names) the "Impossible Possible World" who encountered two alien races the crew refers to as the "Babyeaters" and the "Super Happy People". In this supposedly "PG-13" story, the "Super Happy People" are also depicted as horny hedonists who communicate through sex and at one point send gross pornography into the "Impossible Possible World"'s internal [[4chan]] systems, which somehow still exists in what is presumably centuries into the future. During a conversation with the ship's captain Akon in one scene, rape is briefly described as being legal in the future. How the character remarking on it didn't seem to be referring to consensual sex like we do today didn't prevent a massive reaction in the comments section. He responded, "The fact that it's taken over the comments is not as good as I hoped, but neither was the reaction as bad as I feared." Of course, speculative fiction writers have written about all sorts of awful beliefs and behaviors in their stories while not actually promoting them. However, Yudkowsky explicitly described the science fiction world he had in mind as a "Weirdtopia" rather than a [[dystopia]], suggesting that he views this fictional far-off future as just being "strange" to our present reality and therefore doesn't believe there is anything morally reprehensible to a world where rape is literally legal.<ref name=interlude/>

Yudkowsky has posted about the difference between [[pedophilia]] (desire for prepubescent children) and ephebophilia (desire for people between puberty and the age of consent).<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, comment on PhilGoetz, [https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/a8dCAtNKM8eK3WHAE/thought-experiment-the-transhuman-pedophile?commentId=YAwrAtPhEMqmmFGzz Thought experiment: The transhuman pedophile], ''LessWrong'', September 18, 2013</ref> Bringing this up is often a stalking horse for an argument that sexual contact between teenagers and much older adults is acceptable, and in a 2025 twitter posts Yudkowsky seems to say that such contact is not always wrong and should ideally be judged on a case-by-case basis.<ref>https://x.com/allTheYud/status/1989825897483194583 archive https://archive.is/kI1Yc</ref> The problem with this is that horny people are very good at rationalizing their desires, and small groups of mature adults often talk themselves into allowing one of them to do terrible things to people who are not in the room.

In a February 2017 post for the Rationality subreddit, Yudkowsky had recommended E. William Brown's ''Perilous Waif''; a self-proclaimed "transhumanist hard-sf fairy tale" about a cybernetically enhanced orphan with superpowers living in the 25th century. In the book, the cyberpunk elements and tropes in the narrative (the protagonist Alice Long's growth rate accelerates so quickly that she has the body of a 13-year-old girl by the age of 6) are seemingly only used to justify the sexualization of the underage female characters.<ref>Rachel Adjogah, [https://medium.com/@collegehill/that-time-eliezer-yudkowsky-recommended-a-really-creepy-sci-fi-book-to-his-audience-b15494241a9b That Time Eliezer Yudkowsky recommended a really creepy sci-fi book to his audience], https://medium.com/@collegehill/, July 12, 2024</ref> This is apparent in how teenage girls in the novel are portrayed as stereotypical, scantily-clad nymphets who strip down to their panties at the drop of a hat while being described with names and attributes (such as "loligirl" and "andriod sex kitten") that are clearly direct references to niche online kink subcultures such as Lolicon and the more adult-oriented segments of the [[Furry fandom]]. In one notable scene, the six-year-old Alice goes completely naked in order to be invisible. Ironically, when a responding to a commentor asking Yudkowsky if the book has "less creepy sex scenes than ''Time Braid''” (a previous novel by Brown with similarly [[pedophilia|pedophilic]] fetishization of young girls), he assured his followers that the book is "basically safe for work", despite the actual contents of it being the exact opposite. This post was only a few months after he claims to have learned about celebrity pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, which would have made most people hypersensitive to sexualizing minors. 

In these examples, Yudkowsky's understanding of what is or isn't considered sexually appropriate is shown to be highly warped and the boundaries for something that crosses the line for him is seemingly so low that it's almost non-existent. He does not seem to have learned from the many sexual scandals in his community ''circa'' 2013 to 2015, or have matured as he grew older and settled into stable romantic relationships.

===Eugenics promotion===
In February 2025, Yudkowsky endorsed a project on "How to Make Superbabies" as "arguably the third most important project in the world."<ref>https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/DfrSZaf3JC8vJdbZL/how-to-make-superbabies</ref><ref>https://x.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1892374125089341444#m archive </ref> Superbabies meant "high-IQ" and maybe less susceptible to disease ie. race-and-IQ and eugenics. Connoisseurs of terrible ideas remember his ranking of people's value and intelligence, from PhDs in computer science to John McCarthy to Yudkowsky to the Singularity, in an essay quoted above.<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky, "Above-Average AI Scientists," LessWrong 2008 https://web.archive.org/web/20130621105407/http://lesswrong.com/lw/uc/aboveaverage_ai_scientists/</ref> The project's promoter admires the ethically and scientifically shaky work of researcher He Jiankui in China.<ref>https://www.technologyreview.com/2019/12/03/65024/crispr-baby-twins-lulu-and-nana-what-happened/</ref><ref>https://www.science.org/content/article/did-crispr-help-or-harm-first-ever-gene-edited-babies</ref><ref>https://x.com/kiranmusunuru/status/1201510219727147008</ref> Yudkowsky squares this with Libertarianism by imagining that people volunteer for risky experiments ([[Space advocacy|space advocates]] like [[Elon Musk]] also imagine people volunteering for risky or near-suicidal space missions).<ref>Eliezer Yudkowsky @ESYudkowsky, twitter, September 26, 2024 https://x.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1839287999986868571#m archived https://archive.ph/B1M9q {{quotebox|Which lifelong position of mine do you object to, pray tell? Building more nuclear power plants? Removing regulatory obstacles to building housing? More aggressive experimentation in human intelligence augmentation even at the cost of volunteer casualties?}}</ref> Just how an embryo could volunteer to be gene-edited with CRISPR, with effects that might become visible decades or generations later, is unclear, but how that would go with no federal regulations on medicine and medical research should be clear enough to anyone who can force themself to look at the history of medical and psychological research in the 19th and 20th centuries.

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010205221413/https://sysopmind.com/eliezer.html Yudkowsky's outdated autobiography]
*[https://www.wired.com/2001/04/making-hal-your-pal/ Making HAL Your Pal] by Declan McCullagh, ''Wired'', April 19, 2001.
*[https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/ai-visionary-eliezer-yudkowsky-on-the-singularity-bayesian-brains-and-closet-goblins/ Interview with Yudkowsky] by John Horgan, ''Scientific American'', March 1, 2016
*[https://www.yudkowsky.net/ yudkowsky.net]
*[https://arbital.com/ Arbital]
*[https://intelligence.org/ Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) web page]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yudkowsky, Eliezer}}
[[Category:Atheists]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Bloggers]]
[[Category:Consequentialism]]
[[Category:Cult leaders]]
[[Category:Effective altruists]]
[[Category:Futurism]]
[[Category:Internet kooks]]
[[Category:LessWrong]]
[[Category:Libertarians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Oligarchic escapes]]
[[Category:Philosophers]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience promoters]]
[[Category:Rationalism]]
[[Category:Thielsphere]]
[[Category:Transhumanism]]

Categories: Atheists, Authors, Bloggers, Consequentialism, Cult leaders, Effective altruists, Futurism, Internet kooks, LessWrong, Libertarians, Living people, Oligarchic escapes, Philosophers, Pseudoscience promoters, Rationalism, Thielsphere, Transhumanism