Views on AI Aren't Binary — They’re Plural (Extended Abstract)

Recent developments in AI have brought broader attention to tensions between two overlapping communities, “AI Ethics” and “AI Safety.” In this article we (i) characterize this false binary, (ii) argue that a simple binary is not an accurate model of AI discourse, and (iii) provide concrete suggestions for how individuals can help avoid the emergence of us-vs-them conflict in the broad community of people working on AI development and governance. While we focus on “AI Ethics” and “AI Safety,” the general lessons apply to related tensions, including those between accelerationist (“e/acc”) and cautious stances on AI development.