Balancing funder priorities and research independence

What does it actually take to build a successful AI safety organization? I'm joined by Dr. Ryan Kidd, who has co-led MATS from a small pilot program to one of the field's premier talent pipelines. In this episode, he reveals the low-hanging fruit in AI safety field-building that most people are missing: the amplifier archetype.

I pushed Ryan on some hard questions, from balancing funder priorities and research independence, to building a robust selection process for both mentors and participants. Whether you're considering a career pivot into AI safety or already working in the field, this conversation offers practical advice on how to actually make an impact.

Chapters

• (00:00) - - Intro
• (08:16) - - Building MATS Post-FTX & Summer of Love
• (13:09) - - Balancing Funder Priorities and Research Independence
• (19:44) - - The MATS Selection Process
• (33:15) - - Talent Archetypes in AI Safety
• (50:22) - - Comparative Advantage and Career Capital in AI Safety
• (01:04:35) - - Building the AI Safety Ecosystem
• (01:15:28) - - What Makes a Great AI Safety Amplifier
• (01:21:44) - - Lightning Round Questions
• (01:30:30) - - Final Thoughts & Outro

• MATS

Ryan's Writing

• LessWrong post - Talent needs of technical AI safety teams
• LessWrong post - AI safety undervalues founders
• LessWrong comment - Comment permalink with 2025 MATS program details
• LessWrong post - Talk: AI Safety Fieldbuilding at MATS
• LessWrong post - MATS Mentor Selection
• LessWrong post - Why I funded PIBBSS
• EA Forum post - How MATS addresses mass movement building concerns

FTX Funding of AI Safety

• LessWrong blogpost - An Overview of the AI Safety Funding Situation
• Fortune article - Why Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX debacle is roiling A.I. research
• NY Times article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusade
• Cointelegraph article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusade
• FTX Future Fund article - Future Fund June 2022 Update (archive)
• Tracxn page - Anthropic Funding and Investors

Training & Support Programs

• Catalyze Impact
• Seldon Lab
• SPAR
• BlueDot Impact
• YCombinator
• Pivotal
• Athena
• Astra Fellowship
• Horizon Fellowship
• BASE Fellowship
• LASR Labs
• Entrepeneur First

Funding Organizations

• Coefficient Giving (previously Open Philanthropy)
• LTFF
• Longview Philanthropy
• Renaissance Philanthropy

Coworking Spaces

• LISA
• Mox
• Lighthaven
• FAR Labs
• Constellation
• Collider
• NET Office
• BAISH

Research Organizations & Startups

• Atla AI
• Apollo Research
• Timaeus
• RAND CAST
• CHAI

Other Sources

• AXRP website - The AI X-risk Research Podcast
• LessWrong blogpost - Shard Theory: An Overview