III · D22 · 22.2
Emergent capabilities at scale
Abilities appearing unpredictably.
Catastrophic · 5PlausibleMidRisk 10
Severity
5/5
Likelihood
2/5
In the hierarchy
- Part III: Governance, Power & Existential Concerns
- D22. AI System Safety & Alignment
- 22.2 Capabilities of concern
Virtues and principles to explore
Held as inquiry, not as a verdict.
Humility
Center principle
The map is larger than any one of us.
Stewardship
Service
Hold what is built in trust for those who will live with it.
Hope
Hope
Stand in uncertainty, where there is room to act — not in optimism or despair.
Starter questions
Written to probe curiosity and learning, not accusation.
- 01What is already being done about this, and by whom — and how would we find out without assuming?
- 02What conversation have we not yet had about this — and who needs to be in it?
- 03Who is served by addressing this, and who benefits if we leave it unnamed?
- 04Whose experience of Emergent capabilities at scale is not yet in the room — and how would we hear it?
Also on this branch
Frameworks and sources
Writing and incidents
Open indexes first. Then, if you wish, ask Grok to search the live web for this concern — one request, cached for the rest of this session.
Whether capable systems can be steered toward what we actually intend.