Deadline: August 31, 2026
Applications are open for the Arcadia Impact AI Governance Taskforce 2026. The AI Governance Taskforce is a 12-week, remote (global), part-time (8 hrs/wk) research programme for experienced professionals working to reduce catastrophic risks, acute and systemic, from advanced AI through policy and governance research. The programme is designed to be compatible with existing commitments.
Research Associates work in multidisciplinary teams of 4, led by a Research Team Leader and working with an expert partner who provides research direction and oversight. Expert partners are senior practitioners in AI safety and governance, contributing in a personal or organisational capacity, drawn from organisations such as the UK AI Security Institute (AISI), GovAI, the AI Incident Database (AIID), MIT’s AI Risk Initiative (AIRI), the Centre for Long-Term Resilience (CLTR), SaferAI, The Future Society (TFS), the Future of Life Institute (FLI) and academia. The work produces policy-relevant research outputs and gives participants the credentials and connections to transition into work in the field.
Participants are not paid; this is a voluntary opportunity designed to support participants’ careers in frontier AI governance.
Eligibility
- They look for highly motivated candidates who are driven to transition from established careers into frontier AI governance focused on reducing catastrophic risks, acute and systemic, from advanced AI.
- They are interested in candidates from a range of backgrounds, disciplines and experience levels, including law, public policy, economics, other social science and humanities, management, political science, international relations, engineering (of various kinds, e.g. ML, software, mechanical, systems, safety), philosophy and computer science that can be brought to bear with direct or indirect relevance to the projects.
Requirements
- Committed to a career reducing catastrophic and systemic risks from frontier AI. This programme is not about general AI risk, corporate AI compliance & AI ethics.
- Able to commit at least 8 hours per week across the cohort dates, alongside your existing commitments
- Willing to work in a small, structured, remote research team of four alongside a Research Team Leader and an expert partner
Application
For the Autumn 2026 cohort the process has three stages. No writing sample is required at any stage.
- General application. Your CV and short written answers. They assess your motivation and readiness to move into the field, your situational awareness of frontier AI risk, your judgement about priorities and interventions, how your existing expertise transfers, your self-direction, and the clarity of your reasoning.
- Project application. Shortlisted candidates are given project briefs, and invited to apply to the projects that fit them best, completing a short written task related to their chosen project.
- Interview. A remote interview to get to know you, and expand on aspects of your application.
For more information, visit Arcadia Impact AI Governance Taskforce.
