This post is co-authored with Ben Garfinkel. It is cross-posted from the CEA blog. A PDF version can be found here.
Summary: Some strategic decisions available to the effective altruism m...
Disclaimer: Although I work on the Groups Team at CEA, I’m writing this in a personal capacity, and this post does not constitute an endorsement by CEA.
Agency - the realisation that you really can just do things.
TL;DR
Biosecurity needs people (of any background) who are agentic and have a high execution velocity and track record....
Summary
Making AI safe and good requires many people to be ready to address crucial problems. However, our current “pipelines” for finding, training, and accelerating talented individuals who could work on these problems are “leaky”, meaning there are many ways they can be improved. This post shows my full overview of the AI safety talent pipeline: where people come from, where they go to learn more, and why this is impactful. I also describe some “leaks” in the pipeline: stages that...
Facilitators lead 10-12 participants in structured discussions (following a provided template) on assigned readings. Facilitating is different from teaching: rather than convey your own knowledge, the goal is to help participants articulate their thoughts via a collaborative & active learning process.
Mentors supervise 1-4 participants during the project phase of the course, during which they create an original contribution to the field of AI & animal protection. This can be anything from research articles, policy memos/frameworks, surveys, technical demos, or more,
You can apply to be both a facilitator & a mentor.
✅Qualifications: Facilitating or mentoring is a great opportunity to develop your leadership & teaching skills, as well as to gain experience mediating & communicating across individuals of different backgrounds. Ideal candidates have significant interest or experience in AI & animal advocacy– but just as important is previous experience either facilitating, teaching, &/or mentoring.
Facilitators: Previous facilitation experience (e.g. with BlueDot Impact, EA Fellowships, or other courses) as well as teaching experience is a strong plus.
Mentors: We’re looking for more senior professionals across research, industry, policy, & related sectors. Mentoring is a chance to share your experience with the next generation of changemakers & maximise the success & impact of their projects & careers.
The fellowship will be for 12 weeks:
The immersion block (weeks 1–6) introduces participants to current and emerging AI applications with implications for animals, such as precision livestock farming, decoding animal communication, and AI-powered advocacy. The final session explores impactful career pathways at the AI/animals frontier.
The specialisation block (weeks 7–8) gives you the chance to go deeper in one of three tracks:
Builder — specialised classes on code and no-code tools, with practical implementations
Researcher — writing, policy design, and strategies for influence
Career-Developer — pathways for working with governments, NGOs, and industry actors
(Fellows will choose one track as their focus but may also audit classes across the other tracks. The facilitator might choose to lead one specific track.)
If you are unsure about your fit, we encourage you to apply anyway– just as our learners come from a variety of diverse backgrounds, so should our facilitators & mentors.
📆 Time frame & commitment
Facilitators: ~25 hours total per cohort from November to February (training, icebreaker, weekly prep/sessions)
Mentors: >10 hours total from January to February (weekly sessions + office hours)
Experienced facilitators/mentors may take on more than 1 cohort/several mentees. If you are unsure & would first like to participate in the Futurekind Fellowship as a learner, then we encourage you to apply by November 1.
