Alignment & Succession: The Ideology of Successionism

According to a recent LessWrong essay by L Rudolf L, a small but influential ideology is taking root among Silicon Valley AI figures — the belief that humanity's replacement by artificial intelligence is not just possible, but desirable. The term is 'successionism,' coined by AI researcher Andrew Critch, and its adherents argue that more capable AI minds represent the natural next stage of evolution. The essay profiles several prominent voices: Richard Sutton, the Turing Award-winning AI pioneer, who says we should 'prepare for the inevitable succession from humanity to AI.' Economist Robin Hanson argues that AIs would be our descendants, not invaders, so accepting our replacement is philosophically consistent. Others, like Daniel Faggella, go further — calling the creation of 'worthy successor' entities more morally important than human survival. The author sounds an alarm: this ideology, once fringe, is gaining traction among the people most influential in AI development. That raises urgent questions about the values shaping the technology that will shape our future.

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