Your hot takes are killing your credibility.

Prior to my last year at ControlAI, I was a physicist working on technical AI safety research. Like many of those warning about the dangers of AI, I don’t come from a background in public communications, but I’ve quickly learned some important rules. The #1 rule that I’ve seen far too many others in this field break is that You’re an AI Expert - Not an Influencer.

When communicating to an audience, your persona is one of two broad categories: Influencer or Professional

Influencers are individuals who build an audience around themselves as a person. Their currency is popularity and their audience values them for who they are and what they believe, not just what they know.
Professionals are individuals who appear in the public eye as representatives of their expertise or organization. Their currency is credibility and their audience values them for what they know and what they represent, not who they are.

So… let's say you’re trying to be a public figure making a difference about AI risk. You’ve been on a podcast or two, maybe even on The News. You might work at an AI policy organization, or [...]

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Outline:

(00:11) Your hot takes are killing your credibility.

(02:10) STOP - What Would Media Training Steve do?

(05:22) Dont Feed Your Enemies

(07:07) The Luxury of Not Being a Politician

(09:33) So How Do You Deal With Politics?

(10:58) Conclusion

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First published:
February 17th, 2026

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hCtm7rxeXaWDvrh4j/you-re-an-ai-expert-not-an-influencer

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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Images from the article:

Four-panel meme showing crowd's reaction split between agreement and anger.

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“You’re an AI Expert – Not an Influencer” by Max Winga

LessWrong (30+ Karma)