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Astral Codex Ten’s Open Thread 453 is a weekly community post with updates on college effective altruism meetups, a response from California House candidate Jamie Joyce, and a grant announcement related to transformative AI. Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures say they will distribute up to $10 million; the post directs readers to details and an application.
Astral Codex Ten published Open Thread 453, its weekly post inviting readers to discuss any topic, and used it to share several community updates. Among them, Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures announced plans to distribute up to $10 million in grants for work on “middle powers and transformative AI,” while the post also linked a response from California House candidate Jamie Joyce and listed three newly planned college meetups.
The grant announcement describes support for research, training, public writing and new organizations focused on what countries beyond the United States and China can do in relation to transformative AI. The post says readers can find further information and apply, but does not state how many grants will be made, when applications close, or how the full amount will be allocated. The “up to $10 million” figure is a maximum, not a statement that the entire sum has already been awarded.
The community update lists planned effective altruism meetups at Oxford, University College Dublin and the University of the Philippines, with further details available through a linked list. It also refers interested voters in California’s 12th congressional district to a response by Jamie Joyce, who is challenging the incumbent in the general election. The author says Joyce contacted them after an earlier primary recommendation favored the incumbent, and says they may revisit their view in a future election post.
The thread includes four recommended comments on an earlier post about AI generalization. The recommendations are attributed to Eliezer Yudkowsky, Ezra Newman, Elias Schmied, and Stuart Armstrong, with subjects including generalization failures, distinctions among AI training stages, and arguments about emergent misalignment. The thread does not summarize or independently assess those commenters’ arguments.
Funding Work Beyond AI Superpowers
The proposed grants point to an effort to examine how countries outside the United States and China might shape the development and governance of transformative AI. The announcement names several possible forms of work, from research and training to public writing and new organizations. If awarded, grants could support people or groups pursuing those areas, but the post does not establish what projects will be selected or what effect they will have.
The other updates are more local in scope but useful to readers following the community: the meetup list signals planned opportunities for students at three universities, and Joyce’s response gives voters in one California district a link to her perspective. Taken together, the post functions as a community noticeboard as well as a place for open discussion.
A Weekly Community Noticeboard
Open Thread 453 is presented as Astral Codex Ten’s weekly visible open thread, where readers can post about any subject or ask questions. The post points to an unofficial subreddit, Discord, bulletin board and in-person meetups around the world. It also notes that some material is free and some is limited to subscribers.
The election note refers back to a spring primary recommendation concerning California’s 12th House District. The author says they supported the incumbent at that time because they viewed Joyce as eccentric and unlikely to win, and says both candidates will face off again in the general election. The author does not withdraw the earlier recommendation in this thread; they say they may reconsider if they write about the November election.
““middle powers and transformative AI””
— Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures, as quoted in the thread
Grant Awards and Election Views
The thread does not provide the grant program’s application deadline, award timetable, eligibility rules, selection process or expected number of recipients. It is also unclear whether the full $10 million will be committed, since the announcement says “up to” that amount. The linked application materials may contain additional details, but they are not reproduced in the source text.
The post does not give the substance of Joyce’s linked response or say whether the author will publish a November election recommendation. It also describes the university meetups as planned; it does not report that any of them have already taken place.
Applications and Upcoming Meetups
Readers interested in the grant program can consult the linked announcement and application for its requirements and schedule. The next concrete developments would be the program’s application deadline and any announcements naming recipients; neither is specified in the thread.
At the community level, readers can check the linked meetup list for details on the Oxford, University College Dublin and University of the Philippines events. California 12th District voters can read Joyce’s linked response, while any change in the author’s assessment depends on whether they publish a separate post about the November election.
Key Questions
What is Open Thread 453?
It is Astral Codex Ten’s weekly open discussion thread, inviting readers to post about any topic or ask questions. This edition also includes community and funding updates.
Who announced the AI grants, and how much is available?
Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures announced that they plan to distribute up to $10 million for work on middle powers and transformative AI. The thread does not say how much will ultimately be awarded.
What kinds of work could the grants support?
The announcement names research, training, public writing and new organizations focused on how countries beyond the United States and China can respond to transformative AI.
Which universities have meetups planned?
The post lists planned effective altruism meetups at Oxford, University College Dublin and the University of the Philippines. It directs readers to a linked list for details.
Did the author change their view on Jamie Joyce?
Not in this thread. The author says they may reconsider their earlier primary recommendation if they write about the November election, and links to Joyce’s response for interested voters.
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