[Career review] “Building the field of AI safety” by Aaron Gertler

When most people think about working on AI safety, they picture researchers and policy wonks. But there's a quieter, often overlooked path that may actually have more impact — and it's desperately short of talent. AI safety fieldbuilders are the people who recruit, train, and connect the researchers, policymakers, and communicators who make the whole ecosystem run. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this might be the highest-impact career move you've never considered.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:09) Summary

(01:43) Recommended

(01:52) Review status

(03:31) What do fieldbuilders work on?

(05:18) Why AI safety fieldbuilding can be highly impactful

(05:23) Fieldbuilding works

(07:02) AI safety needs more skilled people

(09:03) The work is highly neglected

(10:28) Helping others lets you multiply your impact

(12:15) Potential downsides to working on fieldbuilding

(12:28) Career capital may be lower

(15:37) The 'career path' isn't as clear

(16:21) Technical work often pays better

(16:53) Direct work can also grow capacity

(17:38) How can fieldbuilding backfire?

(19:39) Could you be a good fit?

(19:50) Skills that will help you succeed

(22:05) Promising professional backgrounds

(23:11) How to get started

(25:39) Find jobs in AI safety fieldbuilding

(26:31) Learn more

(26:34) Top recommendations

(27:15) Further recommendations

(28:11) Acknowledgements

The original text contained 8 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:
April 13th, 2026

Source:
https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/ai-safety-fieldbuilding

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.