Scaling AI Safety Through Mentorship w/ Dr. Ryan Kidd
From Into AI Safety by Jacob Haimes
February 2, 2026 · 1h 32m · Episode 27
About this episode
Dr. Ryan Kidd discusses building a successful AI safety organization and the importance of mentorship in the field.
What does it actually take to build a successful AI safety organization? I'm joined by Dr. Ryan Kidd, who has co-led MATS from a small pilot program to one of the field's premier talent pipelines. In this episode, he reveals the low-hanging fruit in AI safety field-building that most people are missing: the amplifier archetype. I pushed Ryan on some hard questions, from balancing funder priorities and research independence, to building a robust selection process for both mentors and participants. Whether you're considering a career pivot into AI safety or already working in the field, this conversation offers practical advice on how to actually make an impact. Chapters (00:00) - - Intro (08:16) - - Building MATS Post-FTX & Summer of Love (13:09) - - Balancing Funder Priorities and Research Independence (19:44) - - The MATS Selection Process (33:15) - - Talent Archetypes in AI Safety (50:22) - - Comparative Advantage and Career Capital in AI Safety (01:04:35) - - Building the AI Safety Ecosystem (01:15:28) - - What Makes a Great AI Safety Amplifier (01:21:44) - - Lightning Round Questions (01:30:30) - - Final Thoughts & Outro Links MATS Ryan's Writing LessWrong post…
People in this episode
Host: Jacob Haimes
Guest: Dr. Ryan Kidd
Topics covered
- AI safety
- mentorship
- field-building
- talent pipelines
- research independence
- selection process
- career advice
Keywords
- AI safety
- mentorship
- MATS
- talent archetypes
- research independence
- career capital
- field-building
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: MATS, LessWrong, EA Forum
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