AI researcher argues that Vladimir Putin's values and goals may not be fundamentally worse than other world leaders, challenging a common assumption in AI safety discussions.

The article uses a humorous anecdote from Kelsey Piper about moral relativism to introduce the topic of how we judge Putin's character

The author acknowledges Putin has likely done terrible things and lacks good moral judgment, but questions whether this makes him uniquely problematic

The piece challenges a stronger claim often made in AI discussions that extends beyond Putin's actual character flaws

The author appears to be critiquing how AI safety discussions sometimes use Putin as a worst-case example without nuanced analysis