Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) safety research is a critical but fragmented field, with senior researchers often working in isolated silos. While junior-focused events and general conferences exist, there's a noticeable gap in dedicated spaces for established experts to engage in deep, sustained collaboration. A specialized retreat could bridge this gap by fostering meaningful exchanges, aligning research directions, and accelerating progress in AGI safety.
One way to address this gap could be by organizing an in-person retreat exclusively for senior AGI safety researchers, funders, and decision-makers. The event would prioritize active collaboration over passive presentations, featuring:
The retreat could help participants exchange ideas, identify synergies between different alignment approaches, and form long-term partnerships. Funders and decision-makers might benefit from clearer insights into research bottlenecks and opportunities.
To test the concept, a smaller pilot event with 20-30 participants could serve as a minimal viable product. Key logistical considerations might include:
Funding could come from sponsorships by alignment-focused organizations or sliding-scale fees, ensuring accessibility for researchers from less-resourced institutions.
Unlike mentorship programs like SERI MATS or broad conferences like EAGx, this retreat would specifically target senior researchers for peer-level collaboration. While smaller alignment workshops exist, they tend to be ad hoc and topic-specific. A structured, recurring retreat could provide a more systematic way to foster high-level coordination in the field.
By creating a dedicated space for senior researchers to collaborate, this idea could help reduce duplication of effort, bridge methodological divides, and ultimately accelerate progress in AGI safety research.
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