Iām Michael Aird. Iām a researcher/āwriter with the existential risk strategy group Convergence Analysis. Before that, I studied and published a paper in psychology, taught at a high school, and won a stand-up comedy award which ~30 people in the entire world wouldāve heard of (a Golden Doustie, if you must know).
People can talk to me about
Things related to topics Iāve written about, such as:
(Iām not an expert on these topics, but know at least a bit about each of them.)
I might be able to help you think about what longtermism-related research, career options, etc. to pursue, based on my extended hunt. But Iām pretty new to the area myself.
EA clubs/āevents/āoutreach in schools. I donāt do this anymore, but could share resources or tips from when I did.
Iād like to talk to other people about
Pretty much any topic Iāve written about!
How to evaluate or predict the impacts of longtermist/āx-risk-related interventions
Relatedly, theory of change for research or research organisations (especially longtermist and/āor relatively abstract research)
Feedback on my workāabout anything from minor style points to entire approaches or topic choices
Other topics people think itād be useful for me to learn about, research, and/āor write about
How to get in touch:
Send me a message here, email me at michaeljamesaird at gmail dot com, or book a time to chat here.
Who are you?
Iām Michael Aird. Iām a researcher/āwriter with the existential risk strategy group Convergence Analysis. Before that, I studied and published a paper in psychology, taught at a high school, and won a stand-up comedy award which ~30 people in the entire world wouldāve heard of (a Golden Doustie, if you must know).
People can talk to me about
Things related to topics Iāve written about, such as:
Moral/ānormative uncertainty
Information hazards and downside risks (see also here)
Existential risk in general, or especially from a ābig pictureā/āāabstractā/āāstrategicā perspective (e.g., potential paths to catastrophe or the concept of differential progress)
(Iām not an expert on these topics, but know at least a bit about each of them.)
I might be able to help you think about what longtermism-related research, career options, etc. to pursue, based on my extended hunt. But Iām pretty new to the area myself.
EA clubs/āevents/āoutreach in schools. I donāt do this anymore, but could share resources or tips from when I did.
Iād like to talk to other people about
Pretty much any topic Iāve written about!
How to evaluate or predict the impacts of longtermist/āx-risk-related interventions
Relatedly, theory of change for research or research organisations (especially longtermist and/āor relatively abstract research)
Feedback on my workāabout anything from minor style points to entire approaches or topic choices
Other topics people think itād be useful for me to learn about, research, and/āor write about
How to get in touch:
Send me a message here, email me at michaeljamesaird at gmail dot com, or book a time to chat here.