Note: 2 vacancies

Role: Researcher or Research Assistant in Advanced Artificial Intelligence
Work location: Brussels/remote (European time zone preferred)
Contract: temporary for 4-5 months
Working hours: Full-time (38h/week)
Closing date: CLOSED
Starting date: November 1, 2023 (or asap)

 

About ICFG

The International Center for Future Generations, established in 2021, is a think tank dedicated to shaping a future where decision-makers anticipate and responsibly govern the societal impacts of rapid technological change, ensuring that emerging technologies are harnessed to serve the best interests of humanity. In summer 2023, the think tank established its headquarters in Brussels. Join our dynamic and purpose-driven team, poised to grow fast and make an impact!


The role

As a researcher at ICFG, you will be at the forefront of our program on Advanced Artificial Intelligence, contributing to two main projects. The first project centers around the disentanglement of the debate on how advanced AI development will unfold. You will conduct comprehensive literature reviews, develop cognitive maps, execute a comparative analysis, and transfer insights into written and interactive media. The follow-up project aims to acquire an overview of various AI governance frameworks, focusing on advanced AI systems, and connecting these concepts to the insights of the first project. Ultimately, your expertise will be instrumental in translating our complex findings into digestible insights, ensuring that our research resonates with a broader audience and has a meaningful impact in the realm of AI governance. More concretely, you will contribute in the following way:

Project 1: State of Expert Debate

  • Conduct an wide-ranging literature review encompassing diverse sources to capture a comprehensive perspective on advanced AI.
  • Develop and analyze cognitive maps representing the mental models of various experts.
  • Perform comparative analysis to identify commonalities, differences, and insights into the debate on advanced AI.
  • Publish research findings and contribute to the development of an interactive website element focusing on cognitive maps.

Project 2: State of Governance

  • Conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature on AI governance approaches, focusing on publicly available information.
  • Develop a concise, easy-to-navigate overview and map highlighting different AI governance approaches and their origins.
  • Produce a substantial background report providing in-depth analysis of each AI governance approach.
  • Explore various categories of governance, including industry self-regulation, government oversight/national law, and international governance frameworks.


What you will need to be successful in this role:

  • Background: A (Master’s) degree or a combination of degrees in
    • a technical field (e.g., Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Systems Engineering, Operations Research, Cognitive Science),
    • a quantitative social science (e.g., Policy Analysis, Political Science, International Relations, Philosophy, Economics, Political Science, or Risk Management),
    • or equivalent professional experience.
  • AI expertise: Solid understanding of the debate around advanced AI and its governance.
  • Well-rounded researcher skills: An ability to creatively identify new sources of evidence; good calibration and rigor when judging the strength of various evidence points; efficiency when scanning various sources for relevant insights; and a strong ability to communicate your findings.
  • A scout mindset: Including epistemic rigor; intellectual humility; probabilistic thinking; an ability to engage with different worldviews (e.g. steelman, red-team, or pass an Ideological Turing test); and a commitment to state your beliefs transparently and honestly.
  • Systems thinking: Holistically approach an analysis by focusing on the way that a system’s constituent parts interrelate and how systems work over time and within the context of larger systems.
  • Counterfactual reasoning: Evaluating alternative scenarios or outcomes based on hypothetical changes to actual events or decisions.


Commitments:

  • Full-time position (38 hours per week).
  • Occasional extra hours may be required.


What we offer:

  • Salary: Competitive, with potential market supplements for Brussels candidates.
  • Work location: Brussels/remote (European time zone preferred).
  • Vacation days: Generous number of vacation days, Parental Leave, and Care Leave days.
  • Inclusive workplace: Diverse and inclusive environment with equal opportunity for all.


How to apply:

If you are passionate about shaping the future of advanced AI and meet the qualifications, we encourage you to apply! You can be a great candidate even if you don’t fit everything we’ve described above. If you have any questions, contact the project manager Max Reddel (m.reddel@icfg.eu) with the subject “[AAI] Research Position”.

In this case, we operate on a rolling admissions basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to increase your chances of securing a position. The eventual deadline for applications is October 31, 2023.

The process follows this structure:


Personal data:

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