I’m currently doing interviews with early career and aspiring AIS researchers to learn how to better support this group, since I know a lot of us are struggling. Even though you left, I think there are valuable information in your experience. You can answer here publicly or contact me via your preferred method.
Would you be interested in being a research sponsor. I’m guessing wildly here but maybe you can earn enough to live the fun life you want while also supporting a AI Safety researcher? Given that you been in the field, you have some capability to evaluate their work. You can give someone not just money but also a discussion partner and some amount of feedback.
If you can help someone else succeed, that creates as much good as doing the work yourself.
I just started doing these interviews with people, so I don’t know for sure. But if my current model is more or less right, there will be lots of people who are in the situation you just left behind. And if I would make some wild guesses again, I would say that most of them will quit after a few year, like you, unless we can create better support.
This is just something that came to my mind late at night. I have not though long and hard about this idea. But maybe check if something like this feels right for you?
What could have been different about the world for you to succeed in getting a
sustainable AI Safety research career?
If I had had a mentor early on, in the beginning of 2016, that would have been
great. A mentor who has patience for a bungling young person and keeps nudging
them back on the right path. A mentor who has time for a weekly video call. A
mentor who sets the structure for the relationship. Because I wouldn’t have
known what structure is good.
I still don’t know how to find such a person.
Added 2020-04-28: In hindsight, the mentor should have recognized that I lack a foundation of machine learning knowledge. They should have told me to have fun and study whatever AI-related topic I like, with as much backtracking as I like, for one or two years. Rather than trying to do research projects and to get a job. I wish I had that chance again. Following the MIRI Research Guide would have been just the right thing from me. But for some reason I strayed from that path.
What if you got more funding?
More funding would unblock all dependency cycles in the diagram above. This
means that I could continue doing research. Would I do it? I think so,
especially with a collaboration partner as described above. I tend to be
doubtful about what I’m doing, but I also believe that I have something to
contribute to the field. Not raw math power – other people are better at that.
But more on the software development, process, management, people side.
What if you got some sort of productivity coaching?
I don’t think I have a big problem with productivity. Are you asking because I
wrote about dawdling above? I’ve fixed that mostly. And I’m so far not willing
to give up the remaining big time consumers (family, Japanese, weightlifting,
BJJ, sleep).
That said, it’s always helpful to have someone look at what I’m doing and tell
me where I can do better.
What if you had a collaboration partner?
This would help if the person filled in for my weaknesses. Ie. if they knew in
depth about math and ML theory. If they liked to read articles and keep up with
what the field is doing. If they liked to carve out new problems to be solved.
About the research sponsorship:
I’m all for supporting eager people. The tax issues and other formalities can be
sorted out. Whether I would personally start earning to give or have time for
discussions and feedback, I don’t know yet. It depends on what I do next.
Certainly I wouldn’t mind if people ask me for it. I would like to be the kind
of mentor that I wish I had. Of course, I’m still inexperienced, but I think
I could help someone who is where I was four years ago.
I wouldn’t want to evaluate the usefulness of people’s proposals and make
funding decisions. This would require keeping up with current research, which is
something I dislike. Also, I’m already doubting the usefulness of my own
research, so how would I know about others’?
If you need more detail, let me know and I’ll book a time in your Calendly.
Brief note on sponsoring: I like the idea. Practically one might need to jump through some extra hoops in order to get these donations deducted from one’s taxes.
Nice diagram.
I’m currently doing interviews with early career and aspiring AIS researchers to learn how to better support this group, since I know a lot of us are struggling. Even though you left, I think there are valuable information in your experience. You can answer here publicly or contact me via your preferred method.
(linda.linsefors@gmail.com, https://calendly.com/linda-linsefors/ais)
What could have been different about the world for you to succeed in getting a sustainable AI Safety research career?
What if you got more funding?
What if you got some sort of productivity coaching?
What if you had a collaboration partner?
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Random suggestion
Would you be interested in being a research sponsor. I’m guessing wildly here but maybe you can earn enough to live the fun life you want while also supporting a AI Safety researcher? Given that you been in the field, you have some capability to evaluate their work. You can give someone not just money but also a discussion partner and some amount of feedback.
If you can help someone else succeed, that creates as much good as doing the work yourself.
I just started doing these interviews with people, so I don’t know for sure. But if my current model is more or less right, there will be lots of people who are in the situation you just left behind. And if I would make some wild guesses again, I would say that most of them will quit after a few year, like you, unless we can create better support.
This is just something that came to my mind late at night. I have not though long and hard about this idea. But maybe check if something like this feels right for you?
If I had had a mentor early on, in the beginning of 2016, that would have been great. A mentor who has patience for a bungling young person and keeps nudging them back on the right path. A mentor who has time for a weekly video call. A mentor who sets the structure for the relationship. Because I wouldn’t have known what structure is good.
I still don’t know how to find such a person.
Added 2020-04-28: In hindsight, the mentor should have recognized that I lack a foundation of machine learning knowledge. They should have told me to have fun and study whatever AI-related topic I like, with as much backtracking as I like, for one or two years. Rather than trying to do research projects and to get a job. I wish I had that chance again. Following the MIRI Research Guide would have been just the right thing from me. But for some reason I strayed from that path.
More funding would unblock all dependency cycles in the diagram above. This means that I could continue doing research. Would I do it? I think so, especially with a collaboration partner as described above. I tend to be doubtful about what I’m doing, but I also believe that I have something to contribute to the field. Not raw math power – other people are better at that. But more on the software development, process, management, people side.
I don’t think I have a big problem with productivity. Are you asking because I wrote about dawdling above? I’ve fixed that mostly. And I’m so far not willing to give up the remaining big time consumers (family, Japanese, weightlifting, BJJ, sleep).
That said, it’s always helpful to have someone look at what I’m doing and tell me where I can do better.
This would help if the person filled in for my weaknesses. Ie. if they knew in depth about math and ML theory. If they liked to read articles and keep up with what the field is doing. If they liked to carve out new problems to be solved.
About the research sponsorship:
I’m all for supporting eager people. The tax issues and other formalities can be sorted out. Whether I would personally start earning to give or have time for discussions and feedback, I don’t know yet. It depends on what I do next. Certainly I wouldn’t mind if people ask me for it. I would like to be the kind of mentor that I wish I had. Of course, I’m still inexperienced, but I think I could help someone who is where I was four years ago.
I wouldn’t want to evaluate the usefulness of people’s proposals and make funding decisions. This would require keeping up with current research, which is something I dislike. Also, I’m already doubting the usefulness of my own research, so how would I know about others’?
If you need more detail, let me know and I’ll book a time in your Calendly.
I’ll get back to this by 24 March.
Brief note on sponsoring: I like the idea. Practically one might need to jump through some extra hoops in order to get these donations deducted from one’s taxes.
Hm, I did not think about the tax part.
What country to you live in?
Maybe BERI would be willing to act as middle hand. They have non profit status in the US.
Note: It’s BERI, not BEARI
Ok, thanks. I have changed it …
… I mean that is what what I wrote all along, can’t you see? :P