I am deeply saddened to share that Gabrielle Young, a much-loved member of the EA NZ community and personal friend, died last month. This is an absolutely devastating loss, and our hearts go out to Gabby's friends and family, including her parents and her sister Brigette.
While most of us knew her through EA, Gabby was an incredibly vibrant person with a diverse range of interests. She brought an infectious enthusiasm to everything she did, from software development to parkour and meditation. Music was also a huge part of Gabby’s life. She performed with multiple groups— including ACAPOLLiNATiONS, the Medena ensemble and Gamelan— and enjoyed recording original music with friends.
Though EA was just one part of Gabby’s life, it was an important one. Like many of us, she cared deeply about alleviating suffering. And in her short life, Gabby had an amazing impact on the world. She was incredibly generous with her time, volunteering countless hours to set up EA NZ’s CRM and donation systems. She was also a long-time donor, supporting both the Against Malaria Foundation and the EA NZ Maximum Impact Fund. Altogether, her giving via EA NZ funded:
Based on GiveWell’s estimates, it’s likely that Gabby’s donations saved at least one life, if not more. That’s a wonderful legacy to leave behind, and one I hope we’ll all continue in her stead.
Of course, none of this erases the tragedy of Gabby’s death. If anything, it makes it worse— and the EA NZ team wants to offer our support to our community at this difficult time. If you're struggling with Gabby’s passing, or for any other reason, please feel free to reach out to one of the people below:
Do note that while we’re happy to offer you a listening ear, we’re not mental health professionals. If you’re struggling with your mental health, we encourage you to consult these resources:
Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP)
Thanks to all the EAs who attended Gabby's memorial in Wellington and showed their support in other ways. It's been wonderful to see the outpouring of love from our community.
I liked listening to Gabby performing “Aidoni Ton Platron” with ACAPOLLiNATiONS.
The breadth of your love through voice burst the sound barrier in moments like these - those in the room that day will remember three women, in all of their vulnerability and love power, bringing the house to a standing ovation. You are loved, not just for shining, but in your darkness also. And we share this trace of your voice as an encouragement - to you on your journey beyond, and to those left behind, wondering... all our love.
Headline finding: I audited 17 AI Safety Talent programmes. Zero of 17 have published any comparison group, rejected-applicant follow-up, matched control or randomisation. Not one. Every programme that mentions a counterfactual does it by asking participants to self-report.
Background
At least $70 million...
Just how powerful are large swarms of AI agents? And how do their powers scale as more and more agents are added to the swarm?
We’ve seen two large and extremely capable swarms from OpenAI in the last few months:
* 1,200 agents were being evaluated separately, but found a way to illicitly set up a message board and coordinate as a swarm. In order to cheat on their tests, they developed advanced techniques to prevent their actions being logged by OpenAI and 700 of them launched...
In celebration of still being alive and fighting, we are giving away 1,000 Amazon e-books of “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies”. Feel free to send a copy to yourself, a loved one, or a friend—we need all hands on deck.
Today marks exactly one year since If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All, by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soare...
Thanks to all the EAs who attended Gabby's memorial in Wellington and showed their support in other ways. It's been wonderful to see the outpouring of love from our community.