An essay by Venkatesh Rao (Contraptions newsletter) arguing that the Effective Altruism movement\u2019s framing of AI safety has become a problem in itself: \u201cEA promises to solve AI Safety. Now we have two problems.\u201d Rao draws on nearly two decades of writing alongside the rationalist community, and frames the piece as personal history as well as argument. Rao\u2019s Contraptions newsletter (formerly Ribbonfarm) was tagged \u201cpostrationalist\u201d by Scott Alexander.
An essay by anthropologist Dr. Hilary Agro arguing that debates about technology stay irrational because so many people depend on screens for comfort and relief, and so defend them rather than question them.
Why I recommend it: Free to read. This is an opinion essay with a clear point of view, not a research paper — read it as one argument to think with.
Ben Hylak argues that as AI agents start negotiating with each other on our behalf, our privacy will depend on how well those agents handle social situations.
Why I recommend it: An opinion essay by a startup founder, not research. Good prompt for thinking about what you let an agent share.
A long technical essay that probes the Jev model with roughly 10,000 API calls and reasons out how it is likely built, correcting popular claims circulating on social media.
From the site: I probed Jev with 10,000 API calls to work out roughly how it’s built, and why most of the grifter takes on X are completely wrong.
Why I recommend it: Free to read in full. A good example of testing a claim yourself instead of repeating hot takes — useful if you want to sound informed about new models without overstating what is actually known. The conclusions are the author's inferences, not confirmed by the model's makers.
Noema Magazine essay on how generative AI is reshaping creative work and value — what an abundance of output does to originality, pay and the meaning of being a creative professional.
Why I recommend it: If you work in a creative field, read this before you decide how to position AI in your own pitch.
The Argument essay arguing that much of the current AI debate misreads the problem: delegating decisions is the intended feature, not an accident, and that reframing should change how we govern it.
Why I recommend it: Read this alongside the optimistic AI takes — holding both views is what makes you sound credible on the topic.
CreativeApplications theory piece on predictive capital — how forecasting systems and data models shape markets, labor and creative practice, and who benefits from prediction.
Why I recommend it: Dense but rewarding — helpful vocabulary for talking about data and power without sounding alarmist.
An essay on how AI exposes the cultural debt embedded in org charts, leadership habits, and unexamined processes.
Why I recommend it: This piece nails why AI adoption is less a technology problem and more a culture-and-power problem. Essential reading for anyone leading a team through change.
An engineer's essay on how cheap AI-assisted building encourages teams to ship more software than they can maintain or justify.
Why I recommend it: The best argument I have read for restraint. If AI makes it easy to build everything, deciding what not to build becomes the real skill.
