A reminder that this spring’s ACX Meetups Everywhere for DC is happening this Saturday downtown.

• Saturday, May 9th 2026, 5:00 PM

• Teaism, Penn Quarter

• 400 8th St NW, Washington, DC 20004: https://plus.codes/87C4VXVG+XM

• This is specifically the Teaism in Penn Quarter. We will be meeting on the lower level. There should be signs directing you. Teaism doesn’t charge for the meeting space so getting food from Teaism is highly encouraged. Please no outside food or drink.

• After Teaism closes we will likely move to a small open space just north of the nearby Navy Memorial.

• Questions can be directed to Ben Schwab: schwabbenjamin@gmail.com

The local rationalist community is invited to a free screening of "THE AI DOC: OR HOW I BECAME AN APOCALOPTIMIST". Please join us.

This sort of snuck up on me, I didn’t realize it was in development until a month or two ago. But it’s a real documentary, by an Oscar-winning director, distributed by Focus Features… in part about my weird online friends and their predictions of straight lines on a graph. I’m having a bit of future shock at the incongruity, please don’t mind me. I’m told it’s very good.

Doors open at 1:45 PM, screening starts at 2 PM. We’ll have a discussion afterwards somewhere nearby, still being sorted out.

To come, you must RSVP at this site: https://partiful.com/e/9Yb9zajwMQCmg4mYBomc . We screen requests based on the “where did you hear about this event” question that pops up when you RSVP. Make sure to mention that you saw the listing through the rationalist listserv, and say if you’ve been to other in-person rationalist events.

Review: 'The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist' is a panic attack, in a good way

How worried should you be about the rise of artificial intelligence?

mashable.com/article/the-ai-doc-review

You’re welcome to bring guests if you add them as +1s to your response on the partiful listing. However, please do not forward this invitation widely, unless you’re following earlier guidance. In terms of the general public, this is as wide as we’re looking to go. Reach out to me if you have a question about an edge case.

I hope to see you there!

Join us this Saturday, March 7th, for our annual winter tradition: a Canadian crossover meetup with Jennifer Chen of Balsa Research, Waterloo Ontario Rationality, and now Inkhaven fame. This time, we’re pulling on a thread that Waterloo has been having meetups on: the book Moral Mazes, Zvi's Immoral Mazes critique, and what we in DC should do about it.

We'll meet starting at 6pm at Workshop House in Logan Circle:
1717 15th St NW,
Washington, DC 20009
(Google Maps link)

We'll plan for some sort of takeout dinner about 6:30 for those who'd like to join (RSVP!), then have a structured discussion about resisting maze dynamics starting about 7:30 PM. 

Jenn’s group has recently had two Partitioned Book Club meetups on Moral Mazes (I and II), which generated great conversations about how the dynamic applies to Rat and EA communities. Our discussion will focus on how Zvi's critique applies to us, people embedded in or at least familiar with DC's institutions. What can we do about maze dynamics, where are we falling prey to them, and where might we be able to bend our institutions towards truth. Current events, such as the Pentagon-Anthropic dispute and our ongoing Iran conflict, will certainly come up, but we'll moderate the discussion so that they don't fully take over. 

In case you don't have time this week to read both a full book and a collection of Zvi posts of equivalent word-count, our friendly neighborhood robots have written a 3,000 word summary tailored for this discussion. It should take a bit over 10 minutes to read. Our cheat sheet, additional logistics discussion, and RSVPs at:

https://www.lesswrong.com/events/xnG5kWcWaH6wxXzBF/moral-mazes-meetup-dc

This is the first event I’ve helped organize since Manifest X DC, I’m going for a similarly stimulating evening. Join us!

There will be a group hike on Thursday January 1st.

Location: Northwest Branch Trail: Link.

Time: Start at 10:00 AM Thursday January 1st 2026.

Parking: On Colesville Road between New Hampshire Ave and University Blvd.

What: A natural path hike along a river. Weather is predicted to be near freezing and dry so bundle up but wear shoes that can get muddy just in case.

Contact: Ben Schwab 240-391-6021

We know notice is short but we hope to see people there!

Dedicated Discussion Meet-up this Saturday

A reminder that there is a dedicated discussion meet-up this Saturday, November 22nd in Herndon, VA. Details can be found here: https://dcacxrationalitymeetups.beehiiv.com/p/upcoming-dc-acx-events

DC/Baltimore ACX Solstice Celebration, Sunday December 14th

This years DC area secular solstice celebration will take place in Boyds, Maryland on Sunday December 14th. Details can be found here: https://www.lesswrong.com/events/DKpXsn8Posiwemf75/dc-maryland-secular-solstice

Manifest X DC, Saturday November 8th

As expected, ManifestX DC sold out quickly. However the Manifold team and others from out of town will be in DC that weekend. Join the discord at https://discord.gg/NVUAS2at5 or email ManifestXDC@gmail.com to hear about ancillary events that Friday and Sunday.

Dedicated Discussion on Zoning, November 22nd

Join us on Saturday, November 22nd for Washington DC's Astral Codex Ten Dedicated Discussion Meetup in Herndon. This session's question is "How should zoning be reformed?"

Zoning in the United States is a tool localities use for land management and planning. There are controversies and criticisms of the practice. Come explore these issues and discuss different approaches.

The discussion will happen from approximately 7:30 pm until 9:00 pm. You can arrive as early as 6:30 PM and there will be an informal social before and after the dedicated discussion. Some snacks and refreshments will be provided; feel free to bring your own.

This will take place at 205 Meeting House Station Square #403, Herndon, Virginia 20170. There is a parking lot for the building, nearby street parking, and a nearby bus stop. Use code 0072 on the call box and Ben can buzz you in.

Questions can be directed to Ben Schwab at schwabbenjamin@gmail.com. If you need to reach Ben the day of the event, call or text 240-391-6021

Baltimore/DC ACX Solstice celebration, Sunday December 14th

Save the date: LessWrong DC and Baltimore will be hosting a Winter Solstice the afternoon/evening of Sunday, Dec 14, at a location in Gaithersburg. More details to follow.

Manifest X DC - Saturday, November 8th

Ben Shindel and I (John Bennett), are hosting Manifest X DC, a first-of-its-kind one-day forecasting and prediction market "unconference" on November 8th! Like TEDx to TED, or EAGx to EAG, we hope this will be the first of many smaller local versions of the annual Manifest in Berkeley.

We’ll have talks from Robin Hanson, Peter Wildeford, and more. Most of the Manifold team are coming to talk about the company’s history and how they (accidentally?) created a forecasting community. We also have two breakout rooms for looser unconference events, with open signups and some prompts to get you started. Join us!

Discounted early bird tickets are going fast, down to 12 (nope, now 11) of 30 at time of writing. We are capped at 60 total attendees, so expect to sell out soon. Details at https://manifestxdc.github.io/, tickets at the link below:

Manifest x DC · Tickets

Manifest x DC is a participant-driven unconference with exciting invited speakers, hosted in a beautiful group house and event space near downtown DC. Join us…

luma.com/f4bnrtwq

Book Talk - Nate Soares at Politics and Prose (Wharf) - This Friday, September 26th

Eliezer Yudkowski and Nate Soares published a book last week, provocatively titled “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All”. Scott reviewed it earlier this month. Nate Soares is coming to town to explain if he really means it. (Spoiler: he does.)

Nate will be speaking at Politics and Prose at the Wharf, (metro accessible on the Green line, not the original location in Chevy Chase), this Friday, September 26th, at 7pm.

Nate Soares — If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All - with Jon Wolfsthal — Politics And Prose at The Wharf

politics-prose.com/nate-soares

Several of us in DC helped edit this book. We all have different feelings about it, and I won’t speak for the others. But despite being in this community for years, reading the blogs for a decade or more, and being asked to help, I still learned things from the process. The book is worth your time, especially since we got it below 300 pages.

Meetups Everywhere, October 4th, at Teaism Penn Quarter

Finally, a reminder that Kayla is hosting Meetups Everywhere in a week and a half. Saturday, October 4th, at Teaism in Penn Quarter (8th and D St NW), from 5 - 8 PM. Details on the Meetups Everywhere announcement post:

Meetups Everywhere 2025: Times and Places

...

www.astralcodexten.com/p/meetups-everywhere-2025-times-and#%C2%A7dc

A reminder that there is a Dedicated Discussion meetup this Saturday August 16th. The discussion is scheduled to start at 7:30, you can come as early as 6:30. The question is, “What is Intelligence?” Details can be found in this post.

Remember when you get to the building to type 0072 into the call box and Ben can buzz you in. Questions can be sent to Ben Schwab at schwabbenjamin@gmail.com. On the day of the event, if you need to reach Ben, call or text 240-391-6021

Join us on Saturday, August 16th for Washington DC's Astral Codex Ten Dedicated Discussion Meetup in Herndon. The question to be discussed is "What is intelligence?"

This question was raised at the last discussion group and I've encountered it a few other places. Does artificial intelligence actually have intelligence? What is intelligence in humans, animals, and computers, and how will we know when something achieves it?

The discussion will happen from approximately 7:30 pm until 9:00 pm. You can arrive as early as 6:30 PM and there will be an informal social before and after the dedicated discussion. Some snacks and refreshments will be provided; feel free to bring your own.

This will take place at 205 Meeting House Station Square #403, Herndon, Virginia 20170. There is a parking lot for the building, nearby street parking, and a nearby bus stop. Use code 0072 on the call box and Ben can buzz you in.

Facebook Event. Questions can be directed to Ben Schwab at schwabbenjamin@gmail.com. If you need to reach Ben the day of the event, call or text him at 240-391-6021.

Friday May 2nd: Rationalist Shabbat

Hello! We will be doing another rationalist Shabbat event at Rainbow Star House in Rockville. Email Maia for the address if you haven't been before.

Doors open at 5:30pm; food and ritual a bit later.

Please also email Maia to RSVP so we can get a sense of how much food to get (if you're not sure, you can give her a probability of attendance).

Hope to see you there!

Saturday, May 3rd: DMV Abundance Meetup

An Effective Altruist Group is having a meetup to discuss government policy to encourage more housing, faster transit, affordable healthcare, and others. The meetup is in downtown DC and starts at 6:00 PM. Full details can be found here.

Saturday May 10th: Dedicated Discussion on Moral Weight

Join us on Saturday, May 10th for Washington DC's Astral Codex Ten Dedicated Discussion Meetup in Herndon. This session's question was something raised at the last discussion group and is "What gives something Moral Weight?"

With people having concerns about animal rights and with the possibility of more advanced computer programs, having an idea of what potentially gives these entities moral weight has value. Join the discussion about what characteristics of an entity gives it an inherent value that people should care about how it's treated.

The discussion will happen from approximately 7:30 pm until 9:00 pm. You can arrive as early as 6:30 PM and there will be an informal social before and after the dedicated discussion. Some snacks and refreshments will be provided; feel free to bring your own.

This will take place at 205 Meeting House Station Square #403, Herndon, Virginia 20170. There is a parking lot for the building, nearby street parking, and a nearby bus stop. Use code 0072 on the call box and Ben can buzz you in.

Questions can be directed to Ben Schwab at schwabbenjamin@gmail.com.

Facebook Event

Saturday May 24th: Social Meetup in Rockville

Save the date for a Rockville Meetup on Saturday May 24th. Details to follow in a future post.