Local Group Starter Guide

Most groups in Germany (including SAIGE!) began with one or two people running small, cheap experiments and keeping what worked. Ideally, you’d find a co-organiser, but you can start without.

If you are thinking about it but not sure that you are the right person: get in touch with us anyway. We can tell you how other groups started and what it would involve.

1. 1Talk to SAIGE. Write to us at team@safeaigermany.org. We are happy to share what worked and what didn’t, connect you with other groups nearby and add you to the local groups map.
2. 2Find your advisers. Advisors are the people you can talk to when you are unsure. E.g., which outreach channel you might be missing, or whether a topic suits your audience. Getting your ideas red-teamed can help with both your internal programme planning and your outreach.
3. 3Build a support network. People who advocate for your group (e.g. a local tech community, a professor, a department) and others whom you can solve bottlenecks with. Avoid trying to figure everything out alone.
4. 4Pick one regular format. A weekly reading group, a co-working session or a monthly talk. It’s usually helpful to start with something low-budget (e.g. organising a watch party by broadcasting a SAIGE online talk) to explore what gains traction, and at the same time discover where the organisers’ interests lie.
5. 5Get the basics online. This includes an initial website (we can share templates), a group chat. You can use Luma for your event calendar.
6. 6Run your first event. This can be an intro talk or a discussion evening. See the outreach section below.

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Recommended reading for leaders

Learning how to be a good leader matters as much as knowing the AI safety field, both for your group and the wider ecosystem. We recommend these two books to every group leader:

• Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler. (When you are a leader, you will most likely have to engage in difficult conversations.)
• Oversubscribed: How to Get People Lining Up to Do Business with You by Daniel Priestley. (Once you have high-impact events planned, getting them out there is very important, so that people know your activities and can engage with your group.)

In order to fill a room and achieve the impact we wish to have, we need great outreach (on top of great speakers!). Give one person ownership of outreach for each event.

Patterns observed

• People will register, but expect about two-thirds of the registered attendees to turn up.
• Personal messages by trusted networks (e.g. lecturer, team lead) can make a big impact in your outreach.
• Start from what people already care about: e.g. the impact of advanced AI on future jobs and academia work for students. For professional audiences, see Groups for professionals.
• Ask attendees how they heard about your event in the first place. After a few rounds, you will know which outreach channel works best for your group, which helps with targeting your outreach focus.
• Reach out to local companies and industry, not only universities. It can lead to unexpected support: companies have offered venues, catering and even sponsorship for AI safety events.

We have several local groups in Germany that are run by and for people working in industry.

Timing and venues

• Meet in the evening or at weekends, and keep a consistent frequency.
• Ask certain employers whether they’d be willing to host. They may be happy to offer a meeting room and potentially some budgets too.
• Some good alternatives are co-working spaces and meetup venues.

Reaching people

• Use LinkedIn and local community channels.
• Partner with existing communities. This can include industry AI ML/governance meetups, developer groups, and local Chaos Computer Club chapters.
• Ask members to share events in their company’s internal channels.

Framing

Start with what people are already familiar with at work. This can be trying to deploy AI reliably within companies, compliance with the EU AI Act, and topics on how AI is changing their own jobs and prospective careers. You can then move to the larger risks from advanced AI.

Formats that work

• Reading groups. Read on one topic together and leave time for discussions.
• Projects that use members’ skills, e.g., red-teaming, security, or policy and legal analysis.
• Hackathons and co-working days, which may fit better than a weekly commitment.

Moving into AI safety

Many of us want to contribute without immediately giving up a stable job. Point them to part-time options first, like the BlueDot courses, SPAR and the SAIGE Incubator. Make it clear to your audience that AI safety organisations are in need of much more than just technical researchers. We also need operations, engineering, legal and policy talents.

To run a group, you don’t need to be an AI safety researcher yourself. However, you should know enough to form an impactful strategy and point people in the right direction.

Get the overview

• BlueDot Impact courses in technical AI safety and AI governance: free, part-time, cohort-based.
• AI Safety, Ethics and Society, a free online textbook from the Center for AI Safety.
• SAIGE talk recordings on YouTube.

Dig deeper

AI safety programmes and fellowships differ a lot in how competitive they are. If you are new to AI safety, we recommend starting with part-time programmes and building experience before applying to the most selective full-time fellowships.

Showing all 15 programmes

Listed alphabetically. Details change between cohorts, so check each programme’s website before applying.

Grow as an organiser

• Organiser resources from Kairos.
• The two leadership books recommended in Start a group.
• Talk to other organisers. For most problems you encounter, someone somewhere else has already solved it.

People have a sustainable role when they enjoy it. Depending on capacity, one person can take on several roles.

Find what each person enjoys

1. Each organiser lists the tasks they found most and least interesting.
2. Compare lists and assign roles accordingly. One person’s least favourite task might be another’s favourite.
3. Note that roles can rotate, and people’s interests change.
4. Stay flexible. Someone may want to try a different role for their own growth, even if it is not their strongest yet.

The usual question is how to be more “inclusive” towards people who are different from the majority in the field. That framing treats them as guests to be accommodated. We recommend building a group that people from many backgrounds naturally belong to.

Things to try

• Brainstorm in writing instead of hands up and taking the mic, so the quality of ideas counts more than the volume or accent of a voice.
• Use Slido for Q&A, for the same reason.
• Vary your social formats. Evening-only events might not be friendly to people with caring responsibilities. Try weekend activities such as lunches or daytime co-working.
• Offer a quiet space at longer events, for people who need some space from sensory overload.
• Collect anonymous feedback on people’s experiences (including on its leadership).

If you tried something else that worked, tell us and we will add it here!

Most events go smoothly, but be ready before something goes wrong. A clear code of conduct also signals to newcomers that your group is a safe place to be.

Before your events

• Adopt a code of conduct before your first event. You are welcome to adapt SAIGE’s Code of Conduct.
• Make sure to link it on your event pages.
• Offer an anonymous way to report problems and to raise concerns. You can refer to SAIGE’s incident report form.

If something happens

1. If anyone is in danger, call the emergency services (112, or the police on 110).
2. Listen to the person who raised the problem with empathy.
3. Write down what happened as soon as you have the relevant information.
4. Ask what they would like to happen next. Tell them honestly what you can and cannot do.
5. Act on it, which can mean talking to the person involved, asking them to leave, or not inviting them to future events.

Working on AI risk can be heavy; many people in the field feel that there is no other option than to work all day. However, top athletes do not train all day. They eat well, sleep well and take set rest, because that is what makes their performance possible. Your work on AI safety is the same: protecting your health comes first, and the impact follows from it.

Habits that help

• Take short breaks during the day. This can be 10–20 minutes walk with no phone or music, giving your brain space to process.
• Do something unrelated to your work every day. Friends, sport, cooking, you name it.
• It is okay to say “not today”. You can tell friends you would rather not talk about AI safety. Good friends will understand.
• Notice how content affects you. After certain news/conversations, ask yourself “That made me feel…” and fill in the blank. It can be useful to spot unhelpful patterns.
• Focus on what you can control. Many of the problems are too big for one person. You can choose how you respond to them and how to spend your working hours.
• Have someone to talk to. Such as a fellow organiser, a friend who understands the field, or an adviser. Reaching out is not a burden on them.

Where to find speakers

• Researchers at your own university, including PhD students and postdocs working on relevant topics.
• Other groups: speakers who gave a good talk in one city might be happy to give it again in another.
• One can organise a low-budget event by streaming SAIGE online talks, forming a watch party in your local group.

When you are not sure a speaker fits your mission

Before you invite a speaker, here are some things which can help you check their alignment with your mission:

1. Read or watch something recent they have published on AI risk.
2. Have a short call. Tell them about your group’s mission, and ask how they see the risks from advanced AI.
3. Choose a suitable format. Someone sceptical of catastrophic risk may be a reasonable choice for a debate or a panel discussion, but less as an individual speaker.
4. Still unsure? Ask SAIGE or another organiser for a second opinion.

For many people, your group is their first contact with AI safety. How you talk about the risks is likely to influence how they think about the problem too.

In your activities

• Be accurate. State your sources. Make sure it is clear what is established evidence, what is a forecast and what is your own view.
• Acknowledge where you have uncertainties.
• Meet people where they are. See Outreach for tips on starting from what your audience already cares about.

If journalists contact you

• It is fine to take time, in order to prepare a couple of key messages.
• Speak for your group instead of the whole field.
• You can ask to review your quotes before publication. In Germany, it is common practice to authorise interview quotes.

Volunteers and successors

• Industry professionals may have little time. Consider asking them for small tasks first (e.g. a poster, reviewing a funding application).
• Ask volunteers what they want out of it (e.g. a track record for moving into AI safety) before you propose tasks to them.
• Note that students graduate, and professionals can change jobs or cities. Confirm a successor before someone leaves such that you have ample time to do handovers.

Paid roles

• Before you hire, you’d need to secure funding and decide who the legal employer is (see the next section).
• In Germany, the common options are a Minijob, a Werkstudent contract, part-time employment or freelance work. Each has different rules on hours, pay limits and social insurance.
• For experienced professionals, they might consider contributing part-time and/or as a contractor. Check if their employment contract allows side work.

Most groups do not need a legal entity to start running. But you’d need one to receive grants or employ people.

GDPR applies to your group when you collect data such as names, emails and photos. Please pay attention to:

• Add a privacy notice to sign-up forms. Include information such as what you use the collected data for, how long you plan to keep it and how people can ask for it to be deleted. You can refer to SAIGE’s Privacy Notice.
• Consent on mailing lists. Ask people to opt in, and include an unsubscribe link in every email.
• Photography: Specify that photos will be taken. Offer options if people wish to opt out (e.g. a coloured sticker).
• Use group accounts instead of personal ones, so that they can be handed over when organisers change. Delete data you no longer need.

A theory of change illustrates how your activities lead to the impact you want. It helps funders see what you are trying to achieve and how. Moreover, it keeps your team focused on your group’s goals.

It often helps to work backwards: state the impact you wish to achieve, and write down what has to happen for each step to lead to the next. An example for a local group:

You should be able to keep track of each step and revisit regularly. Change your activities if an assumption turns out to be wrong.

• Kairos supports university AI safety groups, including meeting costs and organiser time.
• BlueDot Impact rapid grants fund specific field-building activities on short timelines.
• Pathfinder and the AI Safety Map funding newsletter list further opportunities.
• Your university: student councils and departments often fund events by student groups.
• Local companies: some are willing to sponsor events, so it is worth asking.

We encourage you to find your own funding. It builds your group’s independence and track record. Not sure where to apply? Groups in Germany can ask us; we are happy to look over applications.

For groups in Germany, we offer:

• A listing on our map.
• Connecting you with an experienced organiser.
• Potential small seed funding for new groups (see Funding).
• A network of local group organisers across Germany.
• Regular gatherings to support one another.

Please write to us at team@safeaigermany.org if you wish to contribute to this guide, or to flag anything that we should change.