[Problem profile] “Stable totalitarianism” by Stephen Clare

The Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia for just four years, yet in that time they murdered about one-quarter of Cambodia's population. Even short-lived totalitarian regimes can inflict enormous harm. Narrated by AI. --- Outline: (03:48) Summary (04:18) Our overall view (07:12) Why might the risk of stable totalitarianism be an especially pressing problem? (07:36) Could totalitarianism be an existential risk? (08:45) Is any of this remotely plausible? (12:03) Will totalitarian regimes arise in future? (13:06) Could a totalitarian regime dominate the world? (13:29) Domination by force (16:38) Controlling a powerful government (19:24) Could a totalitarian regime last forever? (23:11) The chance of stable totalitarianism (27:50) Preventing long-term totalitarianism in particular seems pretty neglected (30:13) Why might you choose not to work on this problem? (31:06) What can you do to help? (31:33) AI Governance (33:10) Researching risks of global coordination (34:30) Working on defensive technologies (36:39) Protecting democratic institutions (38:15) Learn more about risks of stable totalitarianism (39:27) Explore other pressing world problems The original text contained 13 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. --- First published: June 19th, 2024 Last updated: October 29th, 2024 Source: https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/risks-of-stable-totalitarianism --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.