Snapshot · The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
In the AI 2040 Plan A scenario, 2029 is depicted as the last viable moment for effective government regulation before full AI automation of research becomes unstoppable.
Where this was said
At 1:15:40 · chapter starts 1:15:17
Steven Bartlett asks what a curious, concerned listener can actually do. Kokotajlo's answer is layered. For those with relevant talent or passion, there are organisations working on political advocacy, technical research, and building tools — direct involvement is possible and valuable. For everyone else, the two most accessible actions are paying more attention to these issues and talking about them with others; and contacting elected representatives. He stresses that the core problem right now is not that regulation is technically impossible or politically unachievable — it's that most people don't yet take the issue seriously enough to demand it. If the kinds of things he has described in this conversation were already 'top of everybody's mind,' there would already be much better regulation in place. He also recommends asking political candidates their specific positions on AI and voting accordingly — describing AI as possibly the most important issue in the 2028 US presidential election.
Plan A involves four principles: slow AI development to a safer pace; require total research transparency so governments and scientists can verify safety claims; actively encourage multiple competing companies across multiple countries rather than a monopoly; and build new data centres so that if the deal breaks down, they can be destroyed to prevent an even worse race. Kokotajlo thinks it's possible but not likely without major public pressure.
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