Karen Maria Alston
Bio
Participation1
I am a strategist and founder with 20+ years of experience in communications, stakeholder engagement, and systems-level storytelling currently making a deliberate pivot into AI governance and safety. Based in Washington, DC, I bring expertise in field-building, narrative strategy, and translating complex ideas for broader audiences. I am naturally curious and a committed learner who believes that getting AI right is one of the most consequential challenges of our time. As a woman in my 50s (being honest) I am making a mid-career transition because I believe the AI safety field needs voices from outside the traditional pipeline. I am committed to learning and to being one of them. I am enrolled in BlueDot Impact's AI Safety Fundamentals cohort, participates in a weekly AI Research and Governance Study Group, and has been accepted to EA Global 2026.
How others can help me
I'm actively seeking roles in AI governance, safety, and external affairs particularly at organizations where communications, policy, and field-building intersect. If you know of opportunities, are hiring, or can make an introduction, I'd genuinely welcome the conversation. I'm also looking to connect with others navigating a similar transition into this space people who are serious about the work and willing to think together. I am eager to learn from others who have navigated the pivot, care about the future of humanity and navigating the daily ups and downs of worrying about our future.
How I can help others
I’m most useful at the intersection of ideas and audiences. I can help teams think through messaging, distribution, and narrative strategy where those choices affect adoption, trust, or field-building, especially for AI governance and safety work.
Comments9
This post speaks directly to where I am right now and I truly enjoy your content. I am pivoting careers which is, honestly, a scary place to be. So, I keep showing up to EA events such as happy hours and women's gatherings. I am usually the oldest person in the room, which isn't always easy. However it is starting to pay off.
I attended an EA Women's event recently, met someone and within a week she had already opened two doors for me. I didn't plan on that and I am still working on describing what role I want to play in the AI Safety space. However, I am glad I attended that event.
A few months ago, at an EA Happy Hour I met someone in the same generation as me, also searching, pivoting careers and trying to figure it out. We now share resources and support each other and yes, joke that we are always the elders in the room. That connection alone has made the journey feel less lonely and I have someone I can reach out to and find community.
Sofia's framework captures something I'm living in real time. The layers and serendipity are real. I am learning greater patience and believe in the power of compounding. I am looking forward to the day I can stop saying I'm pivoting and finally say I've arrived. Until then, I'll keep showing up.
This post was recommended to me by a friend in EA and I was pleasantly surprised to see you were the author. Such great advice and guidance for those of us searching for jobs in the EA space. Thank you for the tips and the section on imposter syndrome. I am going to listen to the 80000 hours podcast on mental health. The journey to being hired is a deliberate practice and I am determined to find a role.
Thank you!
I love this post and the concept of "surface area for serendipity!" I believe in the power of serendipity and creating opportunity by stepping out and adding to your network. I am new to the EA community and learning to how to engage, be present and add value. This post is a helpful guide for newcomers. I hope to update this post in a few months with first hand knowledge of the guidance that you offer to assist in finding a job.
Thank you!
Hello everyone
I’m Karen Maria and I am based in Washington, DC in the USA. I was introduced to effective altruism through my 80,000 Hours coach, and I’m still orienting myself within the community.
I’ll be honest, the EA Forum can feel overwhelming and intimidating at times. There’s a level of rigor here that I deeply respect, and I’m currently more of a reader and lurker but I do plan to post and be a contributor. I’m learning how to sit with ideas, follow arguments carefully, and build understanding before I form strong views.
I’m making a late career pivot into AI safety and governance. I come from a background in marketing, communications, stakeholder engagement and brand strategy. Over the past year my curiosity about AI tools turned into deeper concern about societal impact, power concentration, persuasion, and who is most vulnerable as these systems advance. I am currently working on my theory of change.
Most of my downtime now is spent studying. I’m reading research papers, policy analysis, and watching lots of podcasts, often slowly and repeatedly, to build real comprehension rather than surface familiarity. This transition is intentional and, at times, uncomfortable, but it’s necessary.
I’d love recommendations from this community:
- Articles or papers that will help me build foundational understanding
- Writers or researchers worth following closely
- Posts on the Forum that you think are especially clarifying for someone earlier in the journey
I’m here because I value the norms this community upholds: intellectual honesty, seriousness about impact, and humility in the face of uncertainty. I’m grateful to learn from those further along the path and to be part of the conversation as I continue to grow into this work.
Karen Maria
Thanks for sharing this update, your theory of change, and being transparent on where Amplify is now and where you are headed. I am glad to see someone taking marketing seriously within the EA Safety ecosystem. Too often, strong ideas stall not because they lack the ideas but they lack the reach. Wishing you momentum as you scale and navigate the next phase.
Karen Maria
A year ago, I would have never considered a role in AI Safety. I too fell down the rabbit hole by reading AI 2027, taking courses and now am completely focused on finding a role in the AI Safety community. I am a women, experienced professional in my 50s and my life has changed over the past 3 months. This essay is great advice, to be in this industry you need context, a deep understanding of the landscape and nuance. I am happy to be a student and to learn and am realizing it may take me 6 - 12 months to find a job. Thank you for this roadmap and guidance.
Congratulations @gergo! Having had the pleasure of connecting with you already, I can say with confidence that EA UK is in very good hands. Wishing you a strong and exciting start in this new role.