Scaling AI Safety Through Mentorship w/ Dr. Ryan Kidd

from Into AI Safety · host Jacob Haimes

What does it actually take to build a successful AI safety organization? I'm joined by Dr. Ryan Kidd, who has co-led MATS from a small pilot program to one of the field's premier talent pipelines. In this episode, he reveals the low-hanging fruit in AI safety field-building that most people are missing: the amplifier archetype.I pushed Ryan on some hard questions, from balancing funder priorities and research independence, to building a robust selection process for both mentors and participants. Whether you're considering a career pivot into AI safety or already working in the field, this conversation offers practical advice on how to actually make an impact.Chapters(00:00) - - Intro (08:16) - - Building MATS Post-FTX & Summer of Love (13:09) - - Balancing Funder Priorities and Research Independence (19:44) - - The MATS Selection Process (33:15) - - Talent Archetypes in AI Safety (50:22) - - Comparative Advantage and Career Capital in AI Safety (01:04:35) - - Building the AI Safety Ecosystem (01:15:28) - - What Makes a Great AI Safety Amplifier (01:21:44) - - Lightning Round Questions (01:30:30) - - Final Thoughts & Outro LinksMATSRyan's WritingLessWrong post - Talent needs of technical AI safety teamsLessWrong post - AI safety undervalues foundersLessWrong comment - Comment permalink with 2025 MATS program detailsLessWrong post - Talk: AI Safety Fieldbuilding at MATSLessWrong post - MATS Mentor SelectionLessWrong post - Why I funded PIBBSSEA Forum post - How MATS addresses mass movement building concernsFTX Funding of AI SafetyLessWrong blogpost - An Overview of the AI Safety Funding SituationFortune article - Why Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX debacle is roiling A.I. researchNY Times article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusadeCointelegraph article - FTX probes $6.5M in payments to AI safety group amid clawback crusadeFTX Future Fund article - Future Fund June 2022 Update (archive)Tracxn page - Anthropic Funding and InvestorsTraining & Support ProgramsCatalyze ImpactSeldon LabSPARBlueDot ImpactYCombinatorPivotalAthenaAstra FellowshipHorizon FellowshipBASE FellowshipLASR LabsEntrepeneur FirstFunding OrganizationsCoefficient Giving (previously Open Philanthropy)LTFFLongview PhilanthropyRenaissance PhilanthropyCoworking SpacesLISAMoxLighthavenFAR LabsConstellationColliderNET OfficeBAISHResearch Organizations & StartupsAtla AIApollo ResearchTimaeusRAND CASTCHAIOther SourcesAXRP website - The AI X-risk Research PodcastLessWrong blogpost - Shard Theory: An Overview

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This episode is 1 hour and 31 minutes long.

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This episode was published on February 2, 2026.

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