An Overview of the AI Safety Funding Situation (LessWrong)
Summary
Analyzes AI safety funding from sources like Open Philanthropy, Survival and Flourishing Fund, and academic institutions. Estimates total global AI safety spending and explores talent versus funding constraints.
Review
This detailed analysis provides a nuanced examination of AI safety funding landscape, revealing the complex ecosystem of financial support for preventing potential negative AI outcomes. The research meticulously tracks funding from philanthropic organizations, government grants, academic research, and for-profit companies, demonstrating a growing financial commitment to AI safety research. The methodology involves aggregating grant databases, creating Fermi estimates, and analyzing spending across different organizational types. Key findings include an estimated $32 million contribution from for-profit AI companies, approximately $11 million from academic research in 2023, and significant contributions from organizations like Open Philanthropy. The analysis goes beyond mere financial tracking, exploring critical questions about whether the field is more constrained by talent or funding, suggesting a complex interdependence between financial resources and human capital.
Key Points
- Open Philanthropy is the largest AI safety funder, spending about $46 million in 2023
- For-profit AI companies contribute an estimated $32 million annually to AI safety research
- The field may be simultaneously constrained by funding, talent, and leadership