Grantmakers should think about how to react to a potentially changing funding landscape, with many more “traditional” grantmakers funding research in academia, and more talented academics being open to work on AI existential safety. This could also mean to prioritize work that is substantially different than what will be researched in academia.
I was thinking about this as well. Not sure how much effort is being put into this, but academics should maybe consider first trying to get funding from traditional sources to do their alignment work if that means more funding overall. Getting funded by EA/Rat sources means there’s less funding for independent researchers, who already have less avenues for funding. I’d love to know if this is something grantmakers would adjust on.
Perhaps there should even have someone part/full-time who is focused on getting alignment academics funded through traditional means rather than EA/Rat Grantmakers.
Of course, if the traditional funding won’t fund the kind of alignment work the academic wants to do then obviously worth getting funding outside of that. And if EA/Rat sources allow for a productivity boost in ways trad funding doesn’t fund, then it’s also worth it.
I was thinking about this as well. Not sure how much effort is being put into this, but academics should maybe consider first trying to get funding from traditional sources to do their alignment work if that means more funding overall. Getting funded by EA/Rat sources means there’s less funding for independent researchers, who already have less avenues for funding. I’d love to know if this is something grantmakers would adjust on.
Perhaps there should even have someone part/full-time who is focused on getting alignment academics funded through traditional means rather than EA/Rat Grantmakers.
Of course, if the traditional funding won’t fund the kind of alignment work the academic wants to do then obviously worth getting funding outside of that. And if EA/Rat sources allow for a productivity boost in ways trad funding doesn’t fund, then it’s also worth it.