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

Links

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

Funding Organizations

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

Coworking Spaces

Research Organizations & Startups

Other Sources

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

Scaling AI Safety Through Mentorship w/ Dr. Ryan Kidd