Raising Awareness for AI Existential Risks in Germany

Mentor: Karl von Wendt
Project area: AI safety explainers, creating attention for AI existential risks in Germany

Project Language

English and German.

Minimum Time Commitment

10 hours per week.

Project Abstract

I would like to develop ideas and specific creative content for increasing awareness of AI existential risks in Germany/Austria/Switzerland. There is no specific proposal yet. The focus is on German language, but not limited to it. Possible forms could be video, interactive formats, games, writing, or a combination of these, ideally something unique and surprising, potentially viral.

Theory of Change

I believe that broad public awareness of AI existential risks is critical for preventing the development of an uncontrollable AI, for these reasons:

a) It is necessary to create political pressure for regulations,

b) it is useful for influencing the AI labs, in particular encouraging employees who may already be concerned but are afraid of speaking out because of peer pressure/possible retaliation,

c) it helps people like Hinton/Bengio who are already warning about the dangers to be taken more seriously, and

d) people have the right to know that some people are risking their future/the future of their children for personal profit. German language so far is largely neglected.

Desired Mentee Background

No specific requirements. Creativity is most important. Team members with diverse backgrounds are ideal.

Desired Mentee Level of Education

Any level.

Other Mentee Requirements

Mentees should either have some basic understanding of AI safety or a background in creativity (not necessarily professional), preferably both, but this is not a requirement. I appreciate diverse backgrounds, interests, and opinions.