Many people want to contribute to AI safety and they may have strong technical abilities, but not yet be in a position to be able to contribute to research. Some of these people might also have experience in movement building. It might be worthwhile to pick Masters of AI programs that are highly ranked and pay for a pair of AI Safety movement builders to study there so that they can promote the idea among the school, whilst upskilling at the same time. (This could work for other cause areas like biosecurity)
Maybe only tangentially related, but a master’s in passing (quitting mid-Ph.D.) is free. In fact, one receives a Ph.D. stipend while completing the degree.
Addendum: This option can in theory be utilized by (1) helping EAs/longtermists apply to Ph.D. programs (perhaps in non-technical related fields rather than technical fields) and (2) convincing and facilitating mid-Ph.D. students looking to make career pivots from research to movement building.
Masters Degrees for Movement Building:
AI Safety
Many people want to contribute to AI safety and they may have strong technical abilities, but not yet be in a position to be able to contribute to research. Some of these people might also have experience in movement building. It might be worthwhile to pick Masters of AI programs that are highly ranked and pay for a pair of AI Safety movement builders to study there so that they can promote the idea among the school, whilst upskilling at the same time. (This could work for other cause areas like biosecurity)
Risks: Masters degrees are very expensive.
Maybe only tangentially related, but a master’s in passing (quitting mid-Ph.D.) is free. In fact, one receives a Ph.D. stipend while completing the degree.
Addendum: This option can in theory be utilized by (1) helping EAs/longtermists apply to Ph.D. programs (perhaps in non-technical related fields rather than technical fields) and (2) convincing and facilitating mid-Ph.D. students looking to make career pivots from research to movement building.