[Career review] “China-related AI safety and governance paths” by 80,000 Hours

Expertise in China and its relations with the world might be critical in tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems. In particular, China’s relationship with the US is arguably the most important bilateral relationship in the world, with these two countries collectively accounting for over 40% of global GDP. These considerations led us to publish a guide to improving China–Western coordination on global catastrophic risks and other key problems in 2018. Since then, we have seen an increase in the number of people exploring this area.

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Outline:

(01:52) Summary

(03:02) Section 1: Why pursue this path?

(03:47) Reason #1. Safely managing the introduction of AI may require unprecedented international coordination.

(05:41) Reason #2. Coordination between China and the US on AI safety would require deliberate effort.x

(09:26) Reason #4. You could help pioneer the subfield of China–Western coordination on AI safety and governance.

(11:21) 5. Gaining and leveraging expertise on China is a promising option in general.

(12:35) Section 2: Arguments against pursuing this path

(13:07) Argument #1. It’s far from guaranteed you’d have a large impact in this career.

(15:55) Argument #2. There is a possibility of doing harm.

(17:12) Argument #3. There are potential abuses of AI-enabled technology.

(18:48) Argument #4. There are complex international political considerations and uncertainties.

(22:02) Section 3: Ideas for where to aim longer term

(23:07) Paths that are likely most suitable for people of Chinese citizenship and/or heritage

(29:29) Paths for which citizenship is less likely to be an important consideration

(35:47) Paths for which the relevance of citizenship is unclear

(42:19) Section 4: Alternative routes that we haven’t investigated

(43:49) Section 5: Personal fit

(44:19) Bilingualism and/or cross-cultural communication skills

(45:11) Strong networking abilities (especially for policy roles)

(45:37) Good judgement and prudence

(46:58) Speak with a specialist advisor

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First published:
February 9th, 2022

Source:
https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/china-related-ai-safety-and-governance-paths