IIIb. Lock Down the Labs: Security for AGI - SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Overview

• AI labs are treating security as an afterthought, risking AGI secrets being stolen by state actors like the CCP.
• Securing AGI secrets and weights is crucial but current efforts are inadequate.
• AGI secrets are as important as national defense secrets.

Key Topics

1. Underrate State Actors at Your Peril

• Intelligence agencies have formidable capabilities.
• China engages in widespread industrial espionage.
• Espionage can include hacking, infiltration, and stealing trade secrets.

2. The Threat Model

Model Weights

• AI models are large files that can be stolen, equivalent to secret weapons.
• Securing model weights is crucial to prevent AGI being used by unauthorized states or actors.
• Current security measures are inadequate.

Algorithmic Secrets

• Protecting algorithmic secrets is crucial as they could give adversaries a significant edge.
• Algorithmic advancements are more critical than compute power.
• Current security practices are poor.

3. What Supersecurity Will Require

• Security needs government cooperation for state-level protection.
• Measures include:
  • Airgapped datacenters with military-level security.
  • Technical advances in hardware encryption.
  • Extensive personnel vetting and monitoring.
  • Strong internal controls and pen-testing by expert agencies like the NSA.

4. We Are Not on Track

• AI labs claim to work on AGI but fall short in security measures.
• There is a disconnect between the perceived value of AGI and the security measures in place.
• Urgent need to enhance security to prevent irreversible damage to national security.

Conclusion

• AGI secrets are crucial for national security and global power dynamics.
• Current security practices are inadequate, and immediate action is needed to safeguard AGI research.

Next Post

• IIIc. Superalignment