Scott Alexander’s Open Thread 453 links election response and AI grants

Scott Alexander’s Open Thread 453 links election response and AI grants

Scott Alexander’s post is dated September 28, 2026. In this weekly open thread, he links Jamie Joyce’s response to his earlier ballot recommendation, notes new college meetup plans, and shares comments on AI generalization. He says he may reconsider his view of the House race if he writes about the November election, and recommends Joyce’s response to interested district voters. Alexander also reports that Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures announced grants of up to $10 million for work on “middle powers and transformative AI.” He describes the focus as research, training, public writing and new organizations examining what countries beyond the US and China can do during the AI transition. The post links further details and an application. The announcement identifies a proposed area of work, but does not say what projects will receive funding.

Publication: 4d248e40-6c5b-a247-cb7b-c1b343ea6695

attribution — pass: This is a single weekly open-thread post by Scott Alexander with his own commentary, not a bare listing. The reading attributes the grant announcement to Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures as reported by Alexander, and the ballot response to Jamie Joyce.

Astralis Foundation and Macroscopic Ventures, which I think are parts of our conspiracy although I can’t keep track any more, announce

summary — pass: The summary covers the post's items: the Joyce response, the meetups, the grant program and the AI generalization comments. It explains 'middle powers' as countries beyond the US and China, and the page defines 'transformative AI'. The conditional reconsideration is preserved. The question follows from what the post leaves unstated. Omitting Alexander's joking 'conspiracy' aside is a minor stylistic loss only.

I may reconsider if I make a post on the November election.

date — pass: originalPublished is 2026-09-28T16:02:37Z, which matches the stated September 28, 2026 and the source dateline. The dateModified is identical, so there is no sign of a later edit. Evidence kind is publisher-page, so no archive disclosure is needed. The reading includes no hindsight framing or later events.

Scott Alexander Sep 28, 2026

support — pass: Each claim matches the source verbatim or closely: the up-to-$10 million grants, the stated focus areas, and the linked response and possible reconsideration. The limitation that recipients are unidentified is accurate to the text. The reading implies no unsupported benefits.

distributing up to $10 million in grants for work on “middle powers and transformative AI”

media — pass: No media was selected, and no verified media candidates were supplied, so nothing is misidentified.