AI Policy Fellowship 2024

The IAPS AI Policy Fellowship is a paid, remote-first program where participants will learn about AI policy from experts, build research skills, and contribute to managing risks from advanced AI systems.

Applications are now closed.

Overview of the Fellowship

  • Dates and Location

    July 8th to October 11th: kicking off with an in-person 2-week period in Washington, DC, on July 8-19, then remote onwards.

  • Financial Support

    Each fellow will receive a $15,000 USD stipend, plus benefits, to work full-time. Eligible travel expenses for the in-person period will also be covered.

  • Target Audience

    Anyone can apply. We expect the most competitive applicants to be early- to mid-career professionals interested in switching into AI policy careers.

  • Day-to-day

    Fellows will be supervised by experts in AI policy subfields and support their supervisor’s work, such as by co-authoring policy pieces and distilling policy research to key stakeholders.

About IAPS

We’re a remote-first think tank of aspiring wonks trying to figure out what risks from advanced AI might matter most and how to solve them. We do so by:

  • Conducting policy research, looking over the horizon to identify policy proposals that are actionable today but relevant tomorrow, and

  • Cultivating policy talent, forging a community of researchers and practitioners who are thoughtful about uncertainty but able to get things done.

We aim to be humble yet purposeful: we’re all having to learn about AI rapidly, and we would love it if you could join us in tackling these risks together.

Our work covers three areas: AI policy and standards, compute governance, and international governance and China.

Read more here.

About the Fellowship

What the fellowship will look like

  • Between July 8-19:

    • Two weeks of AI policy learning and connecting: In Washington, DC, fellows will meet their supervisors and the IAPS team for two weeks of AI policy discussions, training sessions, project selection, and meetings with relevant organizations working on shaping the governance of AI both in the US and globally.

  • Between July 20th and October 11th:

    • Work in partnership with their supervisor: This can include distilling policy ideas to key stakeholders (e.g., government agencies), co-authoring research and policy pieces (e.g., policy briefs, reports, op-eds), or doing desk research on policy analysis. Your work will depend on your background, experience, and interests

    • Regular project support and connection with the IAPS team: Every week, fellows will have meetings with their cohort and an IAPS research manager to receive project management support, additional feedback, and be kept in the loop about IAPS’s work and the rest of the cohort.

    • Preparing for after the fellowship: Throughout the program, we will support fellows in building up the skills, domain knowledge, and connections that they will need to succeed in an AI policy career, whether that career is in think tanks, government, or elsewhere. As part of that goal, we will provide resumé reviews, connections to relevant professionals and organizations, and, exceptionally, additional financial support for career transitions.

More details about what we offer

  • Expert supervision: Fellows will work closely with a supervisor on their work agenda and policy engagement strategy. See the sections below for more on some of our partner supervisors and our team’s work.

  • Community: IAPS has access to a strong network of AI policy experts to which we will proactively connect our fellows.

  • Financial support: Fellows will receive $15,000 USD, eligible benefits (based on country of residence, but including healthcare in the US) and eligible travel support for the in-person period (including flights, accommodation, and meals).

  • Training: We will continuously offer brown-bag workshops with experienced policy and industry professionals from other organizations, career advice sessions, and other training opportunities.

  • An international, remote-first organization: IAPS and our AI Policy Fellowship are remote-first, and we are excited to build a diverse, international cohort of fellows. Our staff hail from a wide range of countries, and we can legally hire in many places. Due to administrative and legal reasons, we are unable to hire in some locations, but this can vary substantially by individual circumstance, and we will follow up with you in case we have any limitations in hiring in your country. If you have questions about a specific country and whether we are able to hire there, please reach out to us at info@iaps.ai.

Some of Our Team

  • Amanda El-Dakhakhni

    LEADERSHIP

    Amanda is Acting Co-Director and oversees our compute governance and external affairs work. Previously, she spent several years advising emerging technology companies operating in complex environments, including Uber and Cruise (the autonomous vehicle division of General Motors). She also served in policy and legal roles in the U.S. Senate, U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Obama-Biden White House.

  • Shaun Ee

    POLICY AND STANDARDS

    Shaun is Policy and Strategy Manager and focuses on safeguards and information-sharing for dual-use foundation models, tapping on experience in national security, cybersecurity, and East Asia policy. Previously, he coordinated cyber policy for Singapore’s government under the Prime Minister’s Office, worked in Washington, DC as assistant director of the Atlantic Council’s cyber program, and served as a signaler in the Singapore Armed Forces.

  • Asher Brass

    COMPUTE GOVERNANCE

    Asher is a Researcher focusing on infosecurity and compute governance. Before joining IAPS, Asher was Head of the Cyber Analysis Team at Cynerio, a medical device cybersecurity start-up. He also previously served as a cybersecurity officer in the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (Unit 8200) and was a Senior Technological Researcher at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

Requirements

  • Background: Anyone can apply to the fellowship. At the same time, we expect the most competitive candidates to be early- to mid-career professionals who want to pursue AI policy careers aimed at understanding and managing risks from advanced AI systems.

  • Commitment: Full-time work for the duration of the program (July 8th to October 11th).

  • In-person period: We require fellows to be able to attend the in-person period in Washington, DC, between July 8-19.

  • Remote work: After the in-person period, fellows will work remotely for the remainder of the program. While we can’t guarantee it, we might be able to assist fellows in joining programs by IAPS’s partner organizations that provide coworking spaces in AI-relevant community hubs like San Francisco, London, or DC.

We are open to flexibilizing these requirements in case of exceptional circumstances. If you are unsure you meet any of the requirements, we suggest you err on the side of applying or feel free to reach out to us at info@iaps.ai.

Our focus areas

IAPS’s work falls under three focus areas:  

Compute governance

  • We seek to establish a firmer empirical and theoretical grounding for the fledgling field of compute governance, inform ongoing policy processes and debates, and develop more concrete technical and policy proposals. We are focused on understanding the impacts and limitations of existing compute-related US export controls, investigating hardware-enabled governance mechanisms, and researching what changes to export controls or their enforcement may be feasible and beneficial.

Policy & Standards

  • We identify concrete interventions that could improve the safety, security, and governance of advanced AI systems that could be implemented through regulation, standards, or voluntary commitments from AI companies. In our work, we draw on lessons from cybersecurity and cyber policy, and high-stakes and safety-critical industries.

International governance & China

  • We seek to improve decisions at the intersection of AI governance and international governance or China. We are interested in international governance regimes for advanced AI, China-West relations concerning AI, and relevant technical and policy developments within China.

Our recent work

This selection adds some color to what projects fellows could potentially work on:

Fellows will have the opportunity to support similar projects, as well as other non-public projects intended to brief out our work to relevant stakeholders. Further research can be viewed here.

 Questions?

Applications are now closed.

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If you have any questions not answered by this page, feel free to reach out to us at info@iaps.ai.

IAPS is committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and supportive community for you to thrive and do your best work. We encourage everyone to apply regardless of your age, gender identity/expression, political identity, personal preferences, physical abilities, veteran status, neurodiversity, or any other background. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at info@iaps.ai.