受到GPT-4和AI x-risk的启发，作者在2024年踏上了一段自我探索的旅程。他前往库斯科，购入摩托车，积极融入当地社群，尝试了各种活动，试图在对未来不确定性的焦虑与享受当下生活之间找到平衡。然而，他发现自己难以融入，渴望被理解却又因害怕被视为“狂热者”而选择沉默。最终，他意识到AI只是他逃避过去情感的借口，并从这次经历中学习到，改变始于内心，计划需周全，实践宜循序渐进，并要兼顾AI世界与现实生活。这次“跳跃”的价值，或许要用时间来衡量。

⚡️ **AI的冲击与个人行动的触发**：作者在2023年被GPT-4的能力以及关于AI x-risk的讨论所震撼，尤其是Eliezer Yudkowsky“不要指望生命能长久”的观点，这促使他在2024年做出大胆的决定——前往库斯科，购买摩托车，并积极参与当地生活，试图在对未来不确定性的焦虑中寻找出路，甚至一度放弃原有工作，全身心投入体验生活。

🧘 **在生活体验与内心冲突间的挣扎**：为了缓解对未来的焦虑，作者尝试了多种生活方式，如派对、表演、舞蹈、骑行、徒步和拳击等，享受当下的同时，却发现自己与周围的人格格不入。他因追求“最大速度”而感到焦虑，但又无法向他人解释，渴望被理解却又因害怕被视为“狂热者”而将一切压抑在心底，这种内心的隔阂成为他体验生活的一大阻碍。

💡 **对AI的重新认知与生活态度的调整**：在对现有生活感到厌倦后，作者重新将注意力转向AI领域，并从中找到了归属感。同时，他也意识到需要“慢下来”，关注AI技术之外的现实世界和普通人的生活。他反思自己之前的行为，认为对Eliezer观点的理解可能成为了逃避过往情感经历的借口，并认识到改变应源于内心的转变，而并非简单的外部行动。

📈 **从错误中学习与未来计划的优化**：作者承认自己购买摩托车等行为有些“用力过猛”，反思了自己在尝试新事物时缺乏充分准备和研究，导致犯下不少错误。他从中学习到，在未知领域采取行动前，应进行更充分的探索、阅读和研究，并认识到如今可以通过AI辅助规划，使计划更加周全，实践过程也应循序渐进，避免操之过急。

⚖️ **对“跳跃”价值的审视与长远视角**：作者将这次经历视为一次“赌博”，其成败与否取决于未来五年内世界是否会发生颠覆性的变化。他表达了对Eliezer Yudkowsky的感谢，认为其激励促使自己完成了这次重要的“跳跃”。然而，他也留下了对时间与金钱投入方向的思考，暗示了对此次经历最终回报的审慎态度，以及对人生选择的持续探索。

Published on July 25, 2025 7:29 PM GMT

During 2023, I was in shock with the capabilities of GPT-4, and I started to read more about the topic of x-risk. Then I stumbled upon Eliezer Yudkowsky and the conversation with Lex Fridman

He said, "Don't expect it to be a long life." For some reason, this idea stuck in my head, and I decided to take a leap of faith in 2024. I went to another city, Cusco, a very touristy city where Machu Picchu is located, bought a motorcycle, and started joining local communities.

I went there to also relax after years of working in the tech sector. I mean, why continue working if we are going to die anyway... :p So I started partying, joining classes in acting, dance, motorcycle clubs, hiking, boxing, and so on. Life was good...

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But the problem was how other people were seeing me. I was very much too anxious, wanting to do it all at maximum speed. But all the other people were living their lives normally. I felt pretty strange; I just don't fit in. Trying to accelerate everything is not a good recipe for success. For example, making relationships takes time.

So I was there enjoying life, but the world continued to function as before. Nothing changed... why would it?

I also didn't want to tell them why I was too anxious. I was thinking they would not understand...

This was the problem: I was enjoying life, but nobody really understood me. There was a deep longing for wanting to be understood, but I did not even try to explain to them. This was my error: closing everything into myself... and not wanting to be seen as a maniac.

Then I got bored of all of this in the middle of the year. I guess I wanted to be part of something big, and I found this in AI. So this was the place where I was happy, just exploring this technology...

But at the same time, I realized I needed to take it easy. There is still a world outside this bubble of AI, people who don't know about this tech and live their lives normally.

We should try to be on both sides, always staying grounded...

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What I learned.

I think I used Eliezer's words as an excuse to go do what I wanted to try (I just wanted to forget a relationship from the past). (Now I understand that each change starts with a change in the mind first.)

Buying the motorcycle went too far (it was better to try it in a lesser way, like renting it). Thank God I did not get injured.

I understood that my planning was not always good. I mean, I was a novice in all of these things I tried, so I made a lot of errors, and it's okay. (I learned to do research on new topics.) (Today, this translates to using more AI in planning.) Just plan better before doing something you don't know... (more exploring, reading, and so on.)

Finally,

It was a bet. I am not sure if the bet paid off. I mean, if the world does not end (or change in a meaningful way) in 5 years, we can say it paid off. Otherwise, perhaps I should have invested time and money in other things... :v

Thanks to Eliezer for motivating me to make this jump...

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