Scaling AI Safety Through Mentorship w/ Dr. Ryan Kidd

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 - Talent needs of technical AI safety teams LessWrong post - AI safety undervalues founders LessWrong comment - Comment permalink with 2025 MATS program details LessWrong post - Talk: AI Safety Fieldbuilding at MATS LessWrong post - MATS Mentor Selection LessWrong post - Why I funded PIBBSS EA Forum post - How MATS addresses mass movement building concerns FTX Funding of AI Safety LessWrong blogpost - An Overview of the AI Safety Funding Situation Fortune article - Why Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX debacle is roiling A.I. research NY Times article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusade Cointelegraph article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusade FTX Future Fund article - Future Fund June 2022 Update (archive) Tracxn page - Anthropic Funding and Investors Training & Support Programs Catalyze Impact Seldon Lab <a href="h