CharitiesGovAI
GovAI
Charity

GovAI

AI Governance Field Building

GovAI’s mission is to help decision-makers navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI, by producing rigorous research and fostering talent.

Reducing global catastrophic risks

What problem is GovAI working on?

AI has the potential to be a radically transformative technology. Continued progress will likely bring profound benefits, including economic growth, medical advancements, and other changes that could support human flourishing and security. However, this progress may also bring important risks.

Government bodies, technology companies, and other institutions are facing increasingly difficult decisions about how to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by AI. GovAI aims to help in two key ways. First, we produce relevant research to support informed decision-making. Second, we run fellowships and visitor programs to address talent gaps.

You can read more about our mission and how GovAI pursues it in their most recent annual report.

What does GovAI do?

GovAI conducts research on a broad range of subjects. Its largest focus has been on general-purpose AI systems and their implications for security.

Researchers at GovAI seek to understand how general-purpose AI may both contribute to and mitigate risks in domains such as cybersecurity, biosecurity, and economic security. Its team looks at both the present-day implications of these AI systems and the implications they may have if progress continues. Ultimately, most of the research relates to the following themes:

  • Risk Analysis:‍ What is the state of evidence regarding different hypothesized risks from AI – and what further information would be most useful for reducing uncertainty? At the same time, what role can AI progress and adoption play in mitigating risks?
  • ‍Best Practices: How can AI companies make responsible development and deployment decisions, successfully managing risks without hindering innovation and adoption?‍
  • ‍Public Policy: How can governments use their toolboxes to ensure that AI companies adopt responsible AI development practices, that unnecessary barriers to innovation and adoption are avoided, and that society is made resilient to large-scale changes from AI?

In addition, GovAI:

GovAI reports it’s researchers have provided knowledge and assistance to decision makers in government, industry, and civil society. Its alumni have gone on to policy roles in government; top AI labs, including Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Anthropic; and think-tanks such as the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and the Tony Blair Institute. Its initial research agenda, published in 2018, helped define and shape the nascent field of AI governance. Its research developing the framework of “cooperative AI" led to the creation of a $15 million philanthropic foundation. It made early contributions to the ongoing public discussions over the security implications of AI.

Its researchers have published in leading journals and conferences, including Science and NeurIPS, and have published commentary in venues such as War on the Rocks, The Washington Post, and Lawfare. Its work has also been covered by publications such as The New York Times, MIT Technology Review, and the BBC.

What information does Giving What We Can have about the cost-effectiveness of GovAI?1.

We don't currently have further information about the cost-effectiveness of the GovAI beyond it doing work in a high-impact cause area and taking a reasonably promising approach.

Please note that GWWC does not evaluate individual charities. Our recommendations are based on the research of third-party, impact-focused charity evaluators our research team has found to be particularly well-suited to help donors do the most good per dollar, according to their recent evaluator investigations. Our other supported programs are those that align with our charitable purpose — they are working on a high-impact problem and take a reasonably promising approach (based on publicly-available information).

At Giving What We Can, we focus on the effectiveness of an organisation's work -- what the organisation is actually doing and whether their programs are making a big difference. Some others in the charity recommendation space focus instead on the ratio of admin costs to program spending, part of what we’ve termed the “overhead myth.” See why overhead isn’t the full story and learn more about our approach to charity evaluation.