AI Policy Researcher

Last updated on Dec 2, 2023 4 min read Jobs

This role is now closed. Please see our other opportunities.

This is a role in a new AI governance project that is fiscally sponsored by FAR AI. While you would formally be employed by FAR, your work will be in support of this project, which we hope will eventually become an independent organisation.

Regulators and academic institutions around the globe are actively looking to develop and regulate Artificial General Intelligence. We are looking for an experienced researcher to improve our understanding of non-US efforts to advance the global AI frontier. This will ultimately allow us to promote global collaboration across these efforts.

About us

FAR is a non-profit organization focused on ensuring advanced AI systems are trustworthy and beneficial to humanity.

We are fiscally sponsoring a new AI governance project. This project is managed by a small team led by Fynn Heide focused on improving international cooperation on artificial intelligence. While we expect opportunities in this area to expand markedly in the coming years, the current foci of the team’s efforts are:

  • Developing a shared language: Governments around the world are developing AI regulations. If these regulations were to use a common framework, future collaboration could be much smoother. However, there are few people with a combination of technical, linguistic, and cultural skills to facilitate this type of coordination.
  • Reducing the pressure to race: In the absence of information, people often assume the worst — hence providing insight on the AGI safety plans of foreign actors can reduce race dynamics.

About the role

You will work closely with the rest of the project team on the AI governance project. The key responsibilities of this role include:

  • Analysing foreign government’s AI policies, local AI progress, and parsing the relevant information such that it is easily understandable by an English-speaking audience.
  • Writing (potentially public-facing) reports on foreign AI policy or progress.
  • Communicating with international AI Safety and Governance stakeholders, to share your analysis and ensure it is correctly interpreted.
  • Understanding the global AI governance strategy picture, the role of various government and policy bodies in it, and using that context to prioritise, outsource, and manage corresponding research. We may outsource elements of this work when you do not have the required skills (eg. Mandarin or ML knowledge).

About you

We are looking for people who:

  • Have experience in impact-oriented research.
  • Understand the policy landscape in key foreign governments (e.g. in the PRC).
  • Are knowledgeable about AI Safety and Governance. A background in international relations, public policy, social sciences, history, economics, or computer science could be relevant depending on your specific qualifications and other skills.
  • Are able to operate under uncertainty and take responsibility for navigating a project through it.
  • Are able to perform well in a high-stakes and/or fast-paced environment.
  • Are able to maintain confidentiality.
  • Have excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Are proficient in English and other relevant languages (e.g. Mandarin HSK 5).

We understand that finding someone who has all of these is hard. If you’re missing one or two, please still reach out.

Logistics

You will be an employee of FAR AI, a 501(c)(3) research non-profit. However, your work will solely focus on this global AI governance project, and you will report to the Project Director, Fynn Heide.

  • Location: We are open to hiring and employee to work remotely or in-person for this role. Our in-person office is in Berkeley, CA. If you do not currently have authorization to work in the US, we might be able to sponsor visas for in-person employees depending on your background. We can also hire remotely in most countries. The role will involve some traveling.
  • Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week). For particularly promising candidates we are open to considering a part-time version of the role, with a minimum of 3 days/week.
  • Compensation: $89,000 - $115,000/year depending on experience and location. We will also pay for work-related travel and equipment expenses. We offer catered lunch and dinner at our offices in Berkeley, CA.
  • Application process: Candidates will be invited to 1-2 interviews, and then invited to a paid work trial. Depending on the number of promising applicants, we may add a short, paid research task prior to the initial interview.

We would prefer someone who can start in November, 2023.