Effective Altruism-Linked Group Funds Anti-AI Student Protest Campaign

An effective altruism-linked organization called Irreplaceable is funding an anti-AI campaign that pays $2,000 per week to its organizers. The campaign aims to protest against AI development and advocate for regulations that could benefit the effective altruism agenda.

Irreplaceable is recruiting student leaders to coordinate walkouts at over 100 colleges in October, demanding new regulations on the AI industry. According to a job description, each paid organizer will manage about a dozen flagship campuses and carry out high-volume outreach, forge political partnerships, and run a digital creator program.

A critic has labeled this campaign as 'astroturfing', implying that it is an attempt to create a grassroots movement while being secretly funded by effective altruists. The organization's funding sources are unclear, but it has ties to the Center for AI Safety, which employs a strategist who also works for Irreplaceable.

Effective altruism has a history with the crypto industry, particularly through its connections to Sam Bankman-Fried and other FTX executives who have been linked to effective altruist causes. The campaign's launch on August 28 coincided with veterans of climate change groups like Sunrise Movement and 350.org.