Invitation to lead a project at AI Safety Camp 

Virtual Edition, 2026

Do you have AI Safety research ideas that you would like to work on with others? Is there a project you want to do and you want help finding a team? AI Safety Camp could be the solution for you!

Summary

AI Safety Camp Virtual is a 3-month online research program from January to April 2026, where participants form teams to work on preselected projects. We want you to suggest the projects!

If you have a project idea and could lead work on it, apply to be a Project Lead. If accepted, we offer some assistance to develop your idea into a plan suitable for AI Safety Camp. When project plans are ready, we open up team member applications. You get to review applications for your team, and select who joins as a team member. From there, it’s your job to guide work on your project.

Who is qualified?

That depends on what kind of project you plan to lead. 

For projects to stop harmful AI developments, we ask of you to have already overseen work in the area you want to lead a team in – or to send us a solid plan to recruit and rely on teammates who have. For example, if you want to organise with tech workers to build collective bargaining power, you'll need experience doing that.

For research projects, we require that you have some previous research experience. If you are at least 1 year into a PhD or if you have completed an AI Safety research program (such as a previous AI Safety Camp, PIBBSS, or MATS), or done a research internship with an AI Safety organisation, then you are qualified already. Other research experience can count, too.

More senior researchers are welcome too, as long as you think our format of leading an online team inquiring into your research questions suits you and your research.

We require that all Project Leads are active participants in their projects and spend at least 10h/week on AISC.
 

If you are unsure, or have any questions you are welcome to:

• Book a call with Robert

• Send an email to Robert or Remmelt

Choosing a project idea

AI Safety Camp is about ensuring future AIs are either reasonably safe or not built at all. We welcome many types of projects including projects aimed at stopping or pausing AI development, aligning AI, deconfusion research, or anything else you think will help make the world safer from AI. If you like, you can read more of our perspectives on AI safety, or look at past projects.

If you already have an idea for what project you would like to lead, that’s great. Apply with that one!

However, you don’t need to come up with an original idea. What matters is you understanding the idea you want to work on, and why. If you base your proposal on someone else's idea, make sure to cite them. 

You can submit up to two project proposals if you want. However, you are only allowed to lead one project.

Use this template to describe each of your project proposals. We want one document per proposal.

We’ll help you improve your project

As part of the Project Lead application process, we’ll help you improve your project. The organiser whose ideas match best with yours, will work with you to create the best version of your project.

We will also ask for assistance from previous Project Leads, and up to a handful of other trusted people, to give you additional feedback.

Timeline

Project Lead applications

• September 28 (Sunday):  Application deadline for Project Leads.

• October 19 (Sunday):  Deadline for refined proposals.

Team member applications:

• October 25 (Saturday):  Accepted proposals are posted on the AISC website. Application to join teams open.

• November 16 (Sunday):  Application to join teams closes. 

• December 21 (Sunday):  Deadline for Project Leads to choose their team. 

Program 

• Jan 10 - 11: Opening weekend.

• Jan 12 - Apr 19:  Projects are happening.
  Teams meet weekly, and plan in their own work hours. 

• April 24 - 27 (preliminary dates):  Final presentations, we'll likely host an online conference for this again. 

Afterwards

• For as long as you want:  Some teams keep working together after the official end of AISC.
  When starting out we recommend that you don’t make any commitment beyond the official length of the program. However if you find that you work well together as a team, we encourage you to keep going even after AISC is officially over.

Application process for Project Leads

As part of the application process we will help you improve your project plan, mainly through comments on your document. How much support we can provide depends on the number of applications we get. However, everyone who applies on time (before September 28th) is guaranteed at least one 1-on-1 call with someone on the AISC team, to discuss your proposal. 

Your application will not be judged based on your initial proposal, but on the refined proposal, after you had the opportunity to respond to our feedback. The final deadline for improving your proposal is October 19th. 

Your Project Lead application will be judged based on:

1. Theory of change
   What is the theory of impact of your project? Here we are asking about the relevance of your project work for AI Safety. If your project succeeds, can you tell us how this makes the world safer?

2. Project plan and fit for AISC
   Do you have a well-thought-out plan for your project? How well does your plan fit the format of AISC? Is the project something that can be done by a remote team over 3 months? If your project is very ambitious, maybe you want to pick out a smaller sub-goal as the aim of AISC.

3. Downside risk
   What are the downside risks of your projects and what is your plan to mitigate any such risk? The most common risk for AI safety projects is that your project might accelerate AI capabilities. If we think your project will enhance capabilities more than safety, we will not accept it.

4. You as Project Lead
   Do we believe that you have the required skills and commitment to the project, and enough time to spend on this, in order to follow through? If we are going to promote your project and help you recruit a team to join you, we need to know that you will not let your team down. 

Stipends

As of now, we do not have any funds available for stipends. In case of a stipend grant around beginning October, we would still only be able to offer stipends for participants residing in low-income countries.

Do you want to be a Project Lead?

If you have a project idea and you are willing to lead or guide a team working on this idea, you should apply to be a Project Lead.

We don’t expect a fully formed research plan! If we think your idea is suitable for AISC, we can help you to improve it.

If you are unsure, or have any further questions you are welcome to:

• Book a call with Robert

• Send an email to Robert or Remmelt