[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. ---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. --- First published: April 13th, 2026 Source: https://80000hours.org/career-reviews/ai-safety-fieldbuilding --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.