Arvind Raman lasted three months as head of the AI safety agency. That's barely enough time to figure out where the bathroom is. The position existed for ninety days. He spent most of that time explaining to people what CAISI stands for.
The Trump administration created an AI safety agency. Then they put someone in charge of it. Then that person left. Now the director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology will run both agencies. One man doing two jobs. Revolutionary cost-cutting. Nobody in history has ever thought of this.
CAISI was supposed to prevent AI from killing us all. Three months in, the guy running it decided he'd rather do literally anything else. You know your job is pointless when you can't make it to summer. Interns last longer. Produce from Whole Foods lasts longer.
Retail traders saw this headline and immediately started googling "AI safety stocks." They found nothing. So they bought Palantir instead. Same thing, right? Both have computers. Both use electricity. Perfect DD.
The acting director now oversees standards and AI safety. He'll measure things with rulers and also prevent Skynet. Efficiency. The agencies will share a coffee maker. They'll alternate who buys the K-cups. This is governance.
Raman's resignation letter probably said "pursuing other opportunities." That's code for "this job was f*cking stupid." Three months is exactly how long it takes to realize you're the captain of a paper boat. You show up. You sit in meetings. You draft memos nobody reads. Then you leave before anyone notices you did nothing.
The best part? Someone will replace him. Another guy will take the job. He'll last four months this time. Progress.
Photo by Mason Hassoun on Unsplash
Leave a Comment