iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I have posted a kind of stream-of-consciousness reflection on this past week's discourse. Although, 'discourse' feels minimizing, given it is always downstream of real lives and real harms. whatweare.substack.com/p/no-true-vi...

whatweare.substack.com

No true victims

SFF funding decisions & how the AI safety field treats women

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The world is very sexist. I don't necessarily think EA is doing worse than the surrounding communities with similar demographics, but it sure as heck doesn't seem to be doing better. And importantly, its whole thing is being a nonprofit space so ???

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Since 2021, throughout my time in this community, I've experienced several harassment issues, including workplace harassment at CEA. I reported it, an independent investigator deemed it sexual harassment, and they ended up settling with me.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Growing up, I didn't really experience sexual harassment where I lived. In my math & stats undergrad, I remember some sexist comments people made, but personally I didn't experience any sexual harassment. The first time I was sexually harassed was an EA Global after-party in 2021

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

@faineg.com you may also find the above interesting, feel free to ignore tags sorry, I'm not sure how much you're interested in these threads

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Also, for some reason I'm one of the only long-time EAs/safety people who speaks out against sexism regularly and tries to push for change publicly, despite it super not being my job.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Dustin & Jaan have both now granted to Lightcone & are part of Lightcone commons as funders. Lightcone commons will make grants using different evaluators, including the director of Lightcone. I don't want to only see concern and seriousness when there is public backlash

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I personally think it is so hard to speak out against sexism in the rationalist community, because you enter this convoluted world where everyone must truly mean what they say & they can't have ulterior motives if they're a Known Rationalist or AI Safety Person

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

My main objection to his reading is that it completely ignores the possibility that John Wentworth has said, "I update on AI alignment qualifications based on attendance to RMN events" for potentially selfish, power-seeking, shock-value reasons

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I also strongly disagree with how the current director of Lightcone discusses concerns around sexism. For example, here were his thoughts on the original RMN comments.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I have no insight into the SFF process, but one of the recommenders for the round was Robin Hanson. In 2010, he famously wrote an essay where he says, "I present evidence that most men would rather be raped than cuckolded" www.overcomingbias.com/p/gentlesile...

overcomingbias.com

Gentle Silent Rape

Added Oct ’13: Warning: you may find this post disturbing if you are disturbed by the topics of rape, abduction, or being drugged.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Yeah also we still disagree on some of the current SFF grants. I have registered my prediction that there will be continued, significant issues related to sexism from a small subset of current grantees, based on publicly available information

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Oh lol sorry, understood, ignore me xx

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I also personally think a lot of very important and respectable work is being done in the AI safety space. Overall, good ventures has enabled high quality philanthropy on global health, animal welfare, pandemic preparedness, and ai risk

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Important update: grant has been withdrawn (cc @faineg.com)

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

We can share our stories. And we can change minds. But there is no special set of words that will show people what they cannot know or will not see. And that is a very difficult thing to accept.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Basic thinking. Basic responsibility. Basic understanding. Sometimes, when I write, it makes me feel so much better. Like my reality exists. But when I'm just trying to convince people of truths they should already know, the writing is mostly painful.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

But some things don't need to be explained in excruciating detail. Sometimes, you don't need to bare the very depths of your most heartbreaking experiences to request basic respect. Basic care for women. Basic due diligence.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I think many of us are taught that things are going badly because *we've* done something wrong. And I guess for me, at some point, my brain concluded that I must just not be explaining myself clearly.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I think this is partly what drives a lot of my short form writing, though in long form I try to regulate this more. I've talked about this dynamic with my therapist a lot. I think it comes down to the over-responsibility a lot of victims carry

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Whenever I feel helpless about gender issues, my primary instinct is to explain how I feel in aching paragraphs. If I just explain how much harassment truly takes from victims, how much assault takes, how much rape takes, if I just make them understand how much I lost. If I just say it right.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

For whatever it might be worth: bsky.app/profile/fran...

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I personally feel certain this is not a plus for Dustin, I think this is a big negative. I don't know anything about Jaan tallin, but I would guess it's not a plus for him. However, I do believe this grant round was negligent and there is a serious ignorance towards the severity of the issue

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I'm not even objecting to the morality at this point, I just want to see evidence that the thinking cap is on and some real discernment is occuring

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

That's almost always my third sentence

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yeah, it's almost like this issue has been enabled to continue for years and years, and now that AI safety is finally getting mainstream attention, the status quo of ignoring sexism will be difficult to maintain. Who could have predicted that!

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Well thank God we've finally gotten to the bottom of that. *Multiple* women, you say? I've just updated all the way!

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Prior to receiving this funding, John also wrote this on LessWrong. "It’s not just a kink; from the first approach to a date to sex, women typically want to not have to consent to what’s happening." Link: share.google/atq5NLM2wEuy...

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

This person, John, and his collaborator have just received $519,000 in funding from Survival and Flourishing Fund. Link: share.google/92h2uuZVEuoQ...

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Thank you, I appreciate it! The CEO left a comment on the post, which attempts to explain. I found his comment pretty gross and very different to anything else that had been said to me before posting. I also found his explanation absurd. I think it's impossible to know what they were thinking.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

You don't need to be sorry! I agree that it would have been much better to say women given the subject matter, it was a useful criticism

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Absolutely no pressure to read this of course and I very much respect coming to your own conclusions, but I thought I would just share a quick example of orgs I respect for anyone interested

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I can certainly understand where this perception comes from. An example of some orgs I really respect in the space are those involved with the AI evaluators forum, I appreciated their recent letter on accountability for frontier labs: aievaluatorforum.org/initiatives/...

aievaluatorforum.org

Minimum Conditions for Embedding Evaluators

An open letter calling on all frontier AI companies to embed independent evaluators — signed by 200+ researchers, practitioners, and organization leaders.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

trying to write seriously about sexism while having my profile picture be my labubu wearing the gnome hat I purchased is mildly breaking my brain

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

FWIW, I do not believe the organization has actually improved since my post. I know of an additional person who left, even with the updated policies and new HR professional, due to a separate incident of suspected sexism and hostility. There are serious cultural issues.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I believe AI safety has serious issues of sexism, but I also work in the field and do not believe it to be a scam. Though, I agree that the government needs to regulate AI. However, technical solutions are part of regulation and I do believe technical research is needed.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Yes. Women have been trying to discuss their experiences in these spaces for years. I wrote about the harassment I experienced at CEA, and it was well-received because I had learned the only acceptable tone one may take to discuss such issues. It depresses me. I spent months on the post.

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Frances Lorenz @franceslorenz.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Ah my apologies, I meant it in the gen z slang way and wasn't being careful with my words (i.e. "I'm worried for the girls") Indeed, women.

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