AI safety for policymakers

An orientation for people working on or around AI policy: the nature of the risk, why coordination is hard, and the governance proposals on the table.

1. 1
   Human CompatibleNon-fiction Books Intermediate~11 hr read

   A policymaker-friendly account of the control problem from a leading AI researcher.

2. 2
   The Coming WaveNon-fiction Books Beginner~11 hr read

   A technology insider's case for why containment is the defining policy challenge.

3. 3
   The A.I. DilemmaYouTube Beginner~65 min watch

   The race dynamics driving deployment—why market pressure outruns caution.

4. 4
   OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Testifies on AI Oversight Before SenateYouTube Beginner~3 hr watch

   The industry-government conversation about oversight, verbatim.

5. 5
   How to Legislate AIYouTube Beginner~25 min watch

   What workable AI legislation could actually look like.

6. 6
   In the Age of AIDocumentaries Beginner~2 hr watch

   AI as a geopolitical force: the US-China dynamic that shapes every governance question.

7. 7
   Coded BiasDocumentaries Beginner~85 min watch

   Algorithmic harms that are already here—and what regulating them takes.

8. 8
   Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of WarNon-fiction Books Intermediate~13 hr read

   The autonomous-weapons debate in depth, from a defense-policy insider.

9. 9
   SlaughterbotsYouTube Beginner~10 min watch

   Seven minutes on why cheap autonomous weapons are an arms-control problem.

10. 10
    Unknown: Killer RobotsDocumentaries Beginner~70 min watch

    Where autonomous weapons actually stand today, beyond the fiction.

11. 11
    The Precipice (Chapter on AI)Non-fiction Books Intermediate~55 min read

    AI risk placed in the wider landscape of existential risks—and why this century matters.

12. 12
    The Windfall ClauseAcademic Papers Intermediate~10 min read

    A concrete governance mechanism for sharing the gains and easing race dynamics.

13. 13
    The Vulnerable World HypothesisAcademic Papers Intermediate~40 min read

    Why some technologies may demand unprecedented global governance.

14. 14
    Is Power-Seeking AI an Existential Risk?Academic Papers Intermediate~1.5 hr read

    The step-by-step risk argument, laid out for scrutiny.

15. 15
    Situational AwarenessWebsites Intermediate~5 hr read

    An influential (and contested) forecast of the decade ahead—know the argument being made.

16. 16
    Import AIWebsites Intermediate

    A weekly newsletter tracking AI progress with a policy reader in mind.

17. 17
    AI Policy PodcastPodcasts Intermediate~45 min per episode

    Ongoing coverage of the policy debates as they unfold.

18. 18
    80,000 Hours PodcastPodcasts Beginner~2.5 hr per episode

    Long-form interviews mapping the governance landscape and how to act on it.

19. 19
    BlueDot Impact: The Future of AICourses Beginner~2 hr course

    A short, non-technical course to consolidate the landscape—no ML background needed.

See all learning paths →