Artificial intelligence has turned from a piece of science fiction into reality in a much shorter time than almost anyone expected. So have the risks. The loss of control to superintelligent AI, the misuse of AI by bad actors to create novel bioweapons, extreme concentrations of power in the hands of oligarchs and dictators; these are all potential consequences of unregulated AI development in a digital arms race. This is not the future we want, and we aim to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The founders of LAISH noticed a gap in the Portuguese landscape: there was a growing interest in AI safety, but no community to serve as the first point of contact. Portugal is home to one of the most highly educated youth populations in Europe, a strong expat community of digital workers and tech people, and is an EU member. Portugal can play a role in the growing coalition of Middle Power states working to mitigate the harms of transformative AI. We at LAISH aim to harness that latent talent and passion and give meaningful pathways to make an impact.

We are part of a larger network of AI safety communities in Europe and around the world, and we strongly believe that local communities like ours can help accelerate people through the talent pipeline to the point where they are making meaningful contributions. As a first point of contact, we want to help those who are earlier on and perhaps lack the right context, and help them find ways they can learn and work on projects now so that they can be ready for a further fellowship, training program, or even direct work in an impactful organization.

Our community events, courses and career advising are all aiming towards taking people early on in their AI safety journey and giving them the right knowledge and skills for the next step in the pipeline.