AGI safety researchers often spend significant time on tasks outside their core expertise, creating a bottleneck in critical safety research. Meanwhile, many skilled professionals want to contribute to AGI safety but lack the technical background for direct research. This creates an opportunity to connect these groups in a way that benefits both.

How the Matching System Could Work

One approach would involve creating a specialized platform where researchers can request specific types of support, matched with volunteers possessing relevant skills. The system might include:

A simple intake form for researchers to describe their needs
A database categorizing volunteer skills and availability
Basic matching algorithms to connect compatible pairs
Templates for common support scenarios to streamline collaboration

The initial version could start as a basic Google Form/Sheet system, evolving into a more sophisticated platform as participation grows. The focus would be on tasks like technical troubleshooting, administrative work, or literature reviews that currently divert researchers' attention.

Potential Benefits and Challenges

For researchers, this could reclaim valuable time currently spent on peripheral tasks. Volunteers would gain meaningful ways to contribute using their existing skills. However, ensuring quality matches presents challenges that would need addressing:

Implementing rating systems and skill verification for volunteers
Creating clear guidelines to prevent mismatches
Maintaining volunteer engagement through impact visibility

Unlike generic freelancing platforms, this specialized approach could offer better matches by focusing specifically on AGI researcher needs while leveraging volunteers' altruistic motivations.

Implementation Pathway

Starting small with manual matching could validate the concept before building more complex systems. An initial phase might involve:

Surveying researchers to quantify time spent on non-core tasks
Creating a waiting list to gauge volunteer interest
Running pilot matches with a small group to test effectiveness

As the system proves valuable, it could expand to include features like scheduling tools, communication channels, and quality control mechanisms specifically designed for researcher-volunteer collaborations.