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What funding sources exist for technical AI safety research?

by johnswentworth
1st Oct 2019
1 min read
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What funding sources exist for technical AI safety research?
35habryka
4riceissa
2habryka
1philip_b
2johnswentworth
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habryka

Oct 01, 2019*

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Some opportunities that I know about:

  • The Long Term Future Fund is I think currently the most active granter in the space for independent researchers
  • MIRI has in the past funded some independent researchers, and some programs that try to facilitate research (like funding to MIRIx workshops, or the AI Safety camp, or related projects)
  • Jaan Tallinn has some budget set aside to fund people doing interesting research, I think partially administered via Alex Zhu. Happy to put anyone interested into contact.
  • There exist a variety of small donors who I think are open to this. Matt Wage (also on the LTFF) is often open to things like this.
  • The Open Philanthropy Project has (had?) a scholarship program, here are some examples of people they funded, I do not know whether there is any way to apply to it:
    • https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/scholarship-support-2019
    • https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ai-scholarships-2018
  • The Open Philanthropy Project also has an AI Policy careers scholarship program:
    • https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/funding-AI-policy-careers
  • The EA Foundation has given grants for AI Alignment Research:
    • https://ea-foundation.org/grantmaking/
  • Being a student at CHAI is one way of getting funding. They might also be open to more independent research arrangements, but not sure:
    • https://humancompatible.ai/
  • The FHI research scholars program includes people who work on technical AI Alignment:
    • https://www.fhi.ox.ac.uk/rsp/
  • BERI has historically done some grantmaking in this space, though that will likely now be done via the Survival and Flourishing Fund. For that, applications are open for 4 more days, though require some kind of existing institutional affiliation.
  • I can imagine that Tyler Cowen's Emergent Ventures is open to funding things in this space

Will edit this if I come up with anything else, or if someone else points out something that I am missing.

Edit: New additions by Issa Rice:

  • Paul Christiano has done some independent funding in this space (and maybe Open AI is also open to that, but I don't know)
  • FLI has made grants, though I don't know about the current state of their grant program
  • EA Grants also has given some grants in this space
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[-]riceissa6y40

Potential additions: Paul Christiano, Future of Life Institute, EA Grants.

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2habryka6y
Indeed, thanks! Added them to the list above
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[-]philip_b6y10

Are you interested in AI safety jobs, i.e. to be hired by a company and work in their office?

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[-]johnswentworth6y20

That is not the main focus of the question, but you're welcome to leave an answer with suggestions in that space. It is "funding", in some sense.

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What funding sources exist? Who are they aimed at - people within academia, independent researchers, early-career researchers, established researchers? What sort of research are they aimed at - MIRI-style deconfusion, ML-style approaches, more theoretical, less theoretical? What quirks do they have, what specific things do they target?

For purposes of this question, I am not interested in funding sources aimed at strategy/infrastructure/coordination/etc, only direct technical safety research.

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