Existential Security Incubation

 

The Rethink Priorities Existential Security Team is launching new organizations and projects to bolster existential security. Currently, we’re focusing on reducing extreme risks from advanced artificial intelligence, especially through lab governance and US policy.

How it works

Project idea research

We identify, evaluate, and do deeper, decision-focused research on possible projects that can improve existential security. We systematically move from an initial list of hundreds of ideas down to our top projects, evaluating them based on potential impact, cost, downside risk, pilotability, and neglectedness. To find out more about our process and our current top list of project ideas, see here.

 
 

Building founder teams

We find exceptional founders from a variety of backgrounds who are ready to use their skills and experiences to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. We connect these individuals and help build founding teams to launch new projects.

Supporting founders and projects

We provide intensive, tailored support to founders and early-stage existential security projects. This can include helping them get seed funding, operational and research support, mentorship and coaching, and connections via Rethink Priorities’ network of organizations and people working at the frontier of existential security.

 
 

Why work with us?

 

  • Access to high-quality research on project ideas and to our researchers.

  • Benefit from our strong network and connections in the AI risk and existential security field.

  • Intensive, tailored support via seed funding, operations management, mentorship, and more.

  • We have a track record of success in launching and/or supporting high-impact projects (e.g. Condor Camp, Successif, Epoch, ERA).

 
 
 

Advisor and Testimonial

Jacintha Baas

Entrepreneur with over 10 years of experience in founding & scaling organizations

Carmen Medina, Director of Condor Camp

Rethink's incubation program was responsible for the conception, creation, and growth of Condor Camp. The idea started as a research project by Rethink's Renan Araujo. After the first pilot and a year of experiments, I stepped in Renan's place as director and the project continues, fiscally sponsored by Rethink.

Based on the early effects of the pilot, we believe that the program has the potential to make a sizeable impact on finding the best talent for the field of existential security and building it in Brazil. We look forward to continuing this partnership with Rethink.

 

Existential Security Team

  • Ben Snodin – Research Manager

    Ben Snodin is a Research Manager at Rethink Priorities working on existential security. Before joining RP, Ben was a Senior Research Scholar at the Future of Humanity Institute. Ben holds an MPhys (combined undergrad and master’s) in Physics and a PhD in Theoretical Chemistry from Oxford University, and has worked in finance as a quantitative analyst.

  • Renan Araujo – Research Manager

    Renan Araujo is a Researcher Manager at Rethink Priorities working on existential security. Previously, he was a Predoctoral Research Fellow at the Legal Priorities Project. He holds an MSc in Criminal Justice Policy from the London School of Economics, where he was a Chevening Scholar, and a Law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.

  • Marie Davidsen Buhl – Research Analyst

    Marie is a Research Analyst on the Existential Security Team. Before joining RP, she earned a BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from the University of Oxford. While studying, she helped run the Effective Altruism Oxford group and worked with CEA to support early- and mid-stage EA groups.

  • Jam Kraprayoon – Research Analyst

    Jam Kraprayoon is a Research Analyst at Rethink Priorities working on existential security. He is also a manager at the Effective Institutions Project. Previously, Jam was a Program Officer at the Asian Productivity Organization, where he focused on public sector reform, regulation, and strategic foresight. He holds an MPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford and a BSc in Government from the London School of Economics.

  • Linch Zhang – Senior Researcher

    Linchuan (Linch) Zhang is a Senior Researcher at Rethink Priorities working on existential security research. Before joining RP, he did forecasting projects around Covid-19, including with superforecasters and University of Oxford researchers. Previously, he programmed for Impossible Foods and Google, and has led several EA local groups.

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