LessWrong (Curated & Popular) "dark ilan" by ozymandias
Apr 6, 2026
A secret lab detective wrestles with a discovery about unaligned superintelligences and why society hides dangerous truths. Strange bans, odd cultural quirks, and mysterious zones hint at a larger conspiracy. Discussions probe whether rapid computer progress is itself an information hazard and why people are trained to avoid certain knowledge.
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How Society Hides Dangerous Knowledge
- Society shelters dangerous knowledge by normalizing ignorance and training people to distrust apparent conspiracies.
- Vellum's repeated loose-end investigations expose selection effects in the Basement of the World and why keepers see many false alarms.
Speed Of Computer Progress Is The Real Hazard
- The key infohazard isn't that AGI is possible, it's how fast computing intelligence can grow without historical traces.
- Bubbling history would require erasing centuries, making slow-growth assumptions themselves suspicious.
Respect Keeper Warnings About Infohazards
- Don't dismiss a keeper's refusal as trolling; their oath and caution aim to avoid infohazards rather than deceive.
- Vellum values truth but Keepers may redirect you to protect you from self-harmful knowledge.