I’m trying to get a better picture in my head of what good work looks like in this space - i.e, existing work that has given us improved strategic clarity. This could be with regards to TAI itself, or a technology such as nuclear weapons.

Imo, some examples of valuable strategic work/insights are:

• Ajeya Cotra’s work on forecasting TAI via bioanchors
• Niels Bohr (and other scientists) realising during the development of the nuclear bomb that an oligopoly on nuclear weapons could lead to relative peace between global superpowers. (https://www.governance.ai/research-paper/lessons-atomic-bomb-ord)

I’m curious as to any other examples of existing work that you think fit into the category of valuable strategic work, of the type that you talk about in this post.

This is a really comprehensive post on pursuing a career in technical AI safety, including how to test fit and skill up 

Hi Will, 

From listening to your podcast with Ali Abdaal, it seems that you're relatively optimistic about humanity being able to create aligned AI systems. Could you explain the main reasons behind your thinking here?

Thanks!

Strongly second this^