Hey, I’m Samu.
I'm currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy, Neuroscience, and Cognition at the University of Magdeburg. My academic focus lies at the intersection of AI systems and Neuroscience/Cognitive Science. I’m particularly interested in exploring how the development of safe AI systems can benefit from insights in these fields.
One of my ongoing project revolves around the fascinating concept of ‘Hebbian’ Natural Abstractions, which is a variant of the Natural Abstractions Hypothesis. If you are not familiar with this hypothesis, it suggests that a) the universe abstracts well into concepts, b) that these concepts are high-level summaries of low-level systems and c) that these concepts are “natural”, meaning that we should expect a wide range of cognitive agents to converge onto finding them. If this hypothesis is correct, we could more reliably specify what it is that want AI systems to do (e.g. specify a high-level description of the physical configuration of a desirable world). Together with Jan, with whom I am working on this project, we want to understand how the brain populates its cognitive maps with said concepts. I also enjoy writing on other topics, from ethics, artificial sentience and maybe whole brain emulation, so reach out if you'd like to collaborate!
Before diving into this area, I was actively involved in the climate movement, where I contributed as a UX designer and worked with organizations such as Together for Future e.V. and Future Matters Project. In these roles, I focused on project management, team development, and knowledge management.
When I'm not immersed in my academic pursuits, I enjoy various hobbies. For example, I like to look at letters (I hope this is a more interesting description of “reading” than you’re used to), bouldering, playing guitar and piano, and riding my bike (a lovely Koga Miyata Carbon Tech 5000). I also sympathize with some views of the Effective Altruism and Rationality community (though I disagree on many parts as well; in general, I try to keep my identity small and form my own views).
If you’re interested in any of the aforementioned topics, the easiest method to contact me is via Telegram (~1-3 days answering delay usually – but 100% response rate), otherwise you can use my email. Here you can also book a 1-on-1 with me or give me anonymous feedback (I love reading feedback!). Also: I subscribe to Crocker’s Rules, so feel free to optimize your message for information, rather than being nice (this does not imply reciprocity).
- Higher-quality posts that are worth reading.
- Publically available Zettelkasten (interconnected box of ideas).
- Other random, but often useful!, stuff.