4 ms·

Paul Christiano has: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Christiano_(researcher) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Christiano_(researcher)

JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> Christiano has No, he hasn’t. He started a non-profit. I can’t find his pay. Also, the Wikipedia seems wrong. The Alignment Research Center is not a 501(c)(3) charity [1], they simply accept donations through one [2]. They directly claim their evaluations team, METR, is a 501(c)(3) [3], but due to the name being so close to “metro,” I’m having trouble verifying that. (They also launder at least smaller donations through the middleman charity [4].) The closest Cristiano has come to public service is his role at the NIST, an appointment which prompted a revolt amongst staffers given his ties to effective altruism [[5]. All a bit ironic for a pair of nonprofits preaching transparency. [1] https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ [2] https://www.every.org/alignment?donateTo=alignment#/donate/card https://www.every.org/alignment?donateTo=alignment#/donate/c... [3] https://www.alignment.org/donate/ https://www.alignment.org/donate/ [4] https://metr.org/donate https://metr.org/donate [5] https://web.archive.org/web/20240607060738/https://venturebeat.com/ai/nist-staffers-revolt-against-potential-appointment-of-effective-altruist-ai-researcher-to-us-ai-safety-institute/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240607060738/https://venturebe... having trouble loading the original Venture Beat article [a] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39643951 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39643951
- apsec112 2y ago
  How is working at NIST not "going to DC and working for the people at government wages"? He is, in fact, currently working at NIST, he's on the website: https://www.nist.gov/people/paul-christiano https://www.nist.gov/people/paul-christiano The Alignment Research Center is, in fact, a 501(c)3 charity, here is their Form 990: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/863605182/202313199349329641/full https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/863... METR is also a 501(c)3. It doesn't have a Form 990 because it's so new it hasn't filed a return yet, but here is the Guidestar page: https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/99-1219864 https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/99-1219864 every.org is just a generic non-profit payment processor. Lots of people use payment processors, because managing payments is annoying. Calling this "laundering" is like saying that accepting third-party payments through Stripe is some sort of illegal sinister plot.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > How is working at NIST not "going to DC and working for the people at government wages"? It is. I’m saying the sole evidence of outcome I could find was his staff revolting. > Alignment Research Center is, in fact, a 501(c)3 charity, here is their Form 990 Thank you, I stand corrected. (Christiano’s compensation is an admirable zero.) > every.org is just a generic non-profit payment processor Sure, and given ARC and METR are 501(c)(3)s, it’s fine. Charity to charity. If either weren’t, and were simply non-profits, it would mean a charity was lending its tax-exempt status to a non-charity. That would be sketchy. But as you’ve shown, it’s not what’s going on here.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> Christiano has No, he hasn’t. He started a non-profit. I can’t find his pay. Also, the Wikipedia seems wrong. The Alignment Research Center is not a 501(c)(3) charity [1], they simply accept donations through one [2]. They directly claim their evaluations team, METR, is a 501(c)(3) [3], but due to the name being so close to “metro,” I’m having trouble verifying that. (They also launder at least smaller donations through the middleman charity [4].) The closest Cristiano has come to public service is his role at the NIST, an appointment which prompted a revolt amongst staffers given his ties to effective altruism [[5]. All a bit ironic for a pair of nonprofits preaching transparency. [1] https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/ [2] https://www.every.org/alignment?donateTo=alignment#/donate/card https://www.every.org/alignment?donateTo=alignment#/donate/c... [3] https://www.alignment.org/donate/ https://www.alignment.org/donate/ [4] https://metr.org/donate https://metr.org/donate [5] https://web.archive.org/web/20240607060738/https://venturebeat.com/ai/nist-staffers-revolt-against-potential-appointment-of-effective-altruist-ai-researcher-to-us-ai-safety-institute/ https://web.archive.org/web/20240607060738/https://venturebe... having trouble loading the original Venture Beat article [a] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39643951 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39643951

apsec112 2y ago
How is working at NIST not "going to DC and working for the people at government wages"? He is, in fact, currently working at NIST, he's on the website: https://www.nist.gov/people/paul-christiano https://www.nist.gov/people/paul-christiano The Alignment Research Center is, in fact, a 501(c)3 charity, here is their Form 990: https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/863605182/202313199349329641/full https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/863... METR is also a 501(c)3. It doesn't have a Form 990 because it's so new it hasn't filed a return yet, but here is the Guidestar page: https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/99-1219864 https://www.guidestar.org/Profile/99-1219864 every.org is just a generic non-profit payment processor. Lots of people use payment processors, because managing payments is annoying. Calling this "laundering" is like saying that accepting third-party payments through Stripe is some sort of illegal sinister plot.
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  > How is working at NIST not "going to DC and working for the people at government wages"? It is. I’m saying the sole evidence of outcome I could find was his staff revolting. > Alignment Research Center is, in fact, a 501(c)3 charity, here is their Form 990 Thank you, I stand corrected. (Christiano’s compensation is an admirable zero.) > every.org is just a generic non-profit payment processor Sure, and given ARC and METR are 501(c)(3)s, it’s fine. Charity to charity. If either weren’t, and were simply non-profits, it would mean a charity was lending its tax-exempt status to a non-charity. That would be sketchy. But as you’ve shown, it’s not what’s going on here.