You can get some data on how Amsterdam/NL compares to other places in Europe using the Geography section of the 2024 EA Survey—though obviously survey respondents aren’t the full picture of who’s actually present and engaged (and we had a big spike in 2024, so maybe something happened with the sampling). Amsterdam has the highest percentage of EA Survey respondents in continental Europe, and the Netherlands is the country with the fourth highest percentage of Survey respondents.
We’ve got a community co-working space, EAGxAmsterdam, regular meet-ups, and quite a few organisations that have been heavily influenced by effective altruism: Catalyze, Doneer Effectief, Lafiya Nigeria, NOVAH, the School for Moral Ambition, The Mission Motor, Timaues, and the Tien Procent Club.
And of course, you probably already know this, but UvA has a decent reputation for AI, and Amsterdam has strong finance and tech sectors.
Having said all this, since you said elsewhere that you’ve already got good friends in Zurich, I’d go there :)
Oh cool I didn’t know theere was data to back this claim up. That’s really awesome to hear that amsterdam is so active. I’ve already applied to go to EAGx Amsterdam and It’s definitely higher on my list now.
Thank you for the detailed breakdown :)
I’d assume if you break it down for population, amsterdam is actually really really high here!
Yes, in per capita terms we do pretty well :) But so do Norway, Switzerland, and Estonia.
I’d suggest having a few 1-1s with people who have been in a similar situation to yourself (or people who can provide an overview of different relevant communities).
@guneyulasturker 🔸 came to Amsterdam from Turkey to do an exchange here (and eventually interned with us) because he thought it’d be a good place to connect with EAs in Europe. I think he was a little disappointed at first—it’s not like there’s something happening every night of the week—so he can give you a nuanced view.
Perhaps you could also talk to @mariuswenk? He was interning with EA Switzerland and then chose to spend a few weeks interning with us to see how things vary from place to place.
Good luck making the decision, and we look forward to welcoming you at EAGxAmsterdam!
I believe Amsterdam has a very active community. I was a bit disappointed at first, but I think that was due to my unrealistic expectations. After returning to Turkey, I’m very glad that I did my exchange in Amsterdam, most of that gratitude comes from the wonderful community there. I’d be happy to give more details on my experience, send me DM if you’d like to!
I am actually currently based in Zurich and work from its EA and AI Safety co-working space PEAKS, which has around 15 desks, and is quite lively. People from the community are always welcome to join!
Any suggestions? My current considerations are Amsterdam, Zurich (if I can get in), Berlin & London. I just don’t know which one of these would be easiest to get a job in/most money left over to give/most EAs.
Trying to answer your core question here: I believe all four of those cities are good candidates and have active EA communities. London certainly has the highest absolute number of AI Safety people, and could be safely considered the biggest AI Safety hub in Europe. Berlin currently mainly has an EA co-working space, but as of this Monday, people are also starting to coordinate more on AI Safety co-working. @James Herbert has already shared a lot regarding Amsterdam, and I am happy to share more about Zurich below.
With an EU passport, you can definitely get into Zurich as long as you have some sort of financial stability (could be a remote job). Both EA communities in Zurich and Amsterdam are very active. Zurich also has a very active AI Safety community. During university semesters, there are one or two events per week on AI Safety in Zurich (although for various experience levels), and many people in the co-working space are working on AI Safety.
I am very happy to share my insights on EA and AI Safety Hubs in Europe. Feel free to DM me if you would like to have a chat!
You’d be very welcome in the Netherlands!
You can get some data on how Amsterdam/NL compares to other places in Europe using the Geography section of the 2024 EA Survey—though obviously survey respondents aren’t the full picture of who’s actually present and engaged (and we had a big spike in 2024, so maybe something happened with the sampling). Amsterdam has the highest percentage of EA Survey respondents in continental Europe, and the Netherlands is the country with the fourth highest percentage of Survey respondents.
We’ve got a community co-working space, EAGxAmsterdam, regular meet-ups, and quite a few organisations that have been heavily influenced by effective altruism: Catalyze, Doneer Effectief, Lafiya Nigeria, NOVAH, the School for Moral Ambition, The Mission Motor, Timaues, and the Tien Procent Club.
And of course, you probably already know this, but UvA has a decent reputation for AI, and Amsterdam has strong finance and tech sectors.
Having said all this, since you said elsewhere that you’ve already got good friends in Zurich, I’d go there :)
Oh cool I didn’t know theere was data to back this claim up. That’s really awesome to hear that amsterdam is so active. I’ve already applied to go to EAGx Amsterdam and It’s definitely higher on my list now.
Thank you for the detailed breakdown :)
I’d assume if you break it down for population, amsterdam is actually really really high here!
No worries!
Yes, in per capita terms we do pretty well :) But so do Norway, Switzerland, and Estonia.
I’d suggest having a few 1-1s with people who have been in a similar situation to yourself (or people who can provide an overview of different relevant communities).
@guneyulasturker 🔸 came to Amsterdam from Turkey to do an exchange here (and eventually interned with us) because he thought it’d be a good place to connect with EAs in Europe. I think he was a little disappointed at first—it’s not like there’s something happening every night of the week—so he can give you a nuanced view.
Perhaps you could also talk to @mariuswenk? He was interning with EA Switzerland and then chose to spend a few weeks interning with us to see how things vary from place to place.
Good luck making the decision, and we look forward to welcoming you at EAGxAmsterdam!
I believe Amsterdam has a very active community. I was a bit disappointed at first, but I think that was due to my unrealistic expectations. After returning to Turkey, I’m very glad that I did my exchange in Amsterdam, most of that gratitude comes from the wonderful community there. I’d be happy to give more details on my experience, send me DM if you’d like to!
Thank you for sharing your experience!
I am actually currently based in Zurich and work from its EA and AI Safety co-working space PEAKS, which has around 15 desks, and is quite lively. People from the community are always welcome to join!
Trying to answer your core question here: I believe all four of those cities are good candidates and have active EA communities. London certainly has the highest absolute number of AI Safety people, and could be safely considered the biggest AI Safety hub in Europe. Berlin currently mainly has an EA co-working space, but as of this Monday, people are also starting to coordinate more on AI Safety co-working. @James Herbert has already shared a lot regarding Amsterdam, and I am happy to share more about Zurich below.
With an EU passport, you can definitely get into Zurich as long as you have some sort of financial stability (could be a remote job). Both EA communities in Zurich and Amsterdam are very active. Zurich also has a very active AI Safety community. During university semesters, there are one or two events per week on AI Safety in Zurich (although for various experience levels), and many people in the co-working space are working on AI Safety.
I am very happy to share my insights on EA and AI Safety Hubs in Europe. Feel free to DM me if you would like to have a chat!