Apply for mentorship in AI Safety field-building

By Akash @ 2022-09-17T19:03 (+21)

TLDR: I often meet AI safety field-builders who are looking for advice or mentorship. I also know some who have (limited) capacity to give advice or mentorship. 

Fill out this short form if you are interested in mentorship, or email me at akashwasil133[at]gmail[dot]com. 

Background

I've recently had some 1:1s with university group organizers and other field-builders who are interested in finding and supporting people to work on AI safety.

• Some people have expressed that it would be helpful for them to know where they can get advice (either on specific projects or holistically on their plans/theories of change)
• Some people (especially from outside EA Hubs) often aren't familiar with some organizations/funding opportunities/"common wisdom" that people in EA Hubs often take for granted.
• Some people are nervous about reaching out directly to field-builders who they (often correctly) perceive as very busy.

What I can do

If you are planning on doing field-building with an AI safety focus, please reach out to me. Specific things I can do:

• Understand your plans and try to find ways to make them better (more ambitious, faster, etc.)
• Offer advice
• Connect you with opportunities/people that you might not know about
• See if you're interested in working on any of the projects that I've been considering.

What to do if you're interested

Fill out this form or send me an email at akashwasil133[at]gmail[dot]com.

Miscellaneous

• Some people might be good fits for other programs (e.g., AISFB Hub). In these cases, I'm happy to make introductions.
• One reason I think this hasn't happened is that few people feel qualified to do this (this isn't the main reason-- I think the main reason is that people are too busy, and there's a lot that needs to be done). I don't claim to be the best person for this; I'm just the one who's doing it. (See also Lifeguards and Hero Licensing)
• I expect that I will mostly be corresponding with people over email. In some exceptional cases (e.g., if someone is launching a particularly ambitious project or is interested in one of the projects that me or someone I know is interested in), the mentorship might involve calls (with me or other AIS field-builders I know).