80,000 Hours - Narrations

Funding for AI safety is surging, but the field needs dozens of new grantmakers to connect that money with impactful projects. Learn what it takes to make effective grants, which backgrounds are a promising signal for your fit, and how to explore this career path.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:10) Summary

(02:48) Recommended

(02:57) Review status

(04:27) Why work on grantmaking for AI safety?

(06:17) There simply aren't enough grantmakers

(06:55) Your work can have extremely high leverage

(10:49) You can help your grantees do more good

(12:52) The job can be highly fulfilling

(14:27) What do grantmakers actually do?

(17:33) Could you be a good fit?

(17:37) Skills that will help you succeed

(22:08) Promising background experience

(22:54) Downsides to working on grantmaking

(25:09) Top organisations

(26:30) How to enter the field

(28:21) Find jobs in AI safety grantmaking

(28:43) Speak with us

(29:04) Learn more

(29:07) Notes on the philanthropic situation

(29:36) Personal reflections from grantmakers

(30:02) Other resources

(30:27) Acknowledgements

The original text contained 12 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Organisations with influence, financial power, and advanced technology are targeted by actors seeking to steal or abuse these assets. A career in information security is a promising avenue to support high-impact organisations by protecting against these attacks, which have the potential to disrupt an organisation's mission or even increase existential risk.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:12) Summary

(02:09) Recommended

(02:19) Review status

(05:26) Why work on AI security?

(06:33) Ways to contribute

(06:37) Protecting AI from external attackers

(08:39) Stopping subversion from misaligned AI ("AI control")

(11:28) Verification, compliance, and AI governance

(13:39) What's it like to work on AI security?

(15:22) Would you be a good fit?

(16:58) Useful skills

(18:57) Key roles to aim for

(21:30) Downsides to working on AI security

(22:03) How to enter with a lot of experience

(23:15) How to enter early in your career

(24:09) Where can this work be done?

(24:13) Top organisations to work for

(24:45) Smaller organisations

(25:07) Grantmakers

(25:36) Find jobs in AI cybersecurity

(25:46) Speak with us

(26:06) Learn more

(26:09) External attacks

(27:01) AI control

(27:31) AI governance

(27:47) Acknowledgements

The original text contained 5 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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The US federal government has jurisdiction over the most prominent AI companies in the world — and the people working inside it may have more influence over AI's future than almost anyone else. But government AI policy work is hard to break into, politically constrained, and carries a real risk of doing harm. Learn what it actually takes to build a career in US government AI policy: which roles and agencies matter most, what skills you'll need beyond technical expertise, and how to think honestly about whether Washington's political culture is a place where you'll thrive.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:10) Summary

(01:50) Recommended

(02:00) Review status

(02:05) Why work in AI policy within the US government?

(04:04) Would you be a good fit?

(04:08) What skills are needed to succeed?

(06:02) What experience is useful

(07:02) What else do you need?

(08:12) Downsides to working in US government AI policy roles

(08:18) Risk of doing harm

(09:50) Risk of burnout

(10:07) Top organisations

(10:54) Executive branch

(10:59) Executive Office of the President

(12:04) Departments and agencies

(13:44) Congress

(16:38) State governments

(17:37) Government contractors

(18:42) Next steps

(18:46) If you're ready to apply for jobs

(18:55) If you need to build career capital

(21:04) Speak with us

(21:25) Learn more

(21:28) Top recommendations

(22:36) Further recommendations

(23:44) Acknowledgements

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Explore how careers in biosecurity research, policy, and entrepreneurship can help reduce risks like engineered pandemics.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(02:18) Recommended

(02:27) Review status

(02:32) Why work on pandemic prevention?

(02:37) It could save millions of lives

(03:32) It isnt very speculative

(04:23) There are many tractable approaches

(05:27) It doesnt require working on AI

(06:28) What does this path involve?

(07:39) Technical careers

(09:28) Policy careers

(11:00) Entrepreneurial and operations careers

(13:41) Other careers

(14:36) Could you be a good fit?

(14:40) The best backgrounds and skill sets

(19:24) What do you want from a job?

(21:05) Four ways to test your fit

(22:51) Guidance for experienced professionals

(23:51) Find jobs in pandemic prevention and biosecurity

(24:37) Learn more

(24:40) Top recommendations

(25:20) Other resources

(26:17) Further recommendations

The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

We all want to find a dream job that’s enjoyable and meaningful, but what does that actually mean?

Some people imagine that the answer will come to them in a flash of insight, while others think what matters is that their dream job is easy and well paid.

At 80,000 Hours, we’ve reviewed three decades of research into what makes for a satisfying career, drawing on hundreds of studies, and didn’t find much evidence for either conclusion. Instead, we found five key ingredients of a dream job.

They don’t include income, nor are they as simple as “following your passion.” What’s crucial is to get good at something that helps other people.

Let’s start with where we go wrong.

The bottom line:

What makes for a dream job?

Decades of psychology research suggests there are five key things to look for in a dream job:

Work that’s engaging hour-to-hour

Work that helps others

Source:

https://80000hours.org/career-guide/dream-job/

Narrated by the author.

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Outline:

(00:00) What makes for a dream job?

(00:35) Where we go wrong

(13:59) What you should really aim for in a dream job

(21:50) Don't follow your passion — instead, do what matters

(24:30) How to put these ideas into practice

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What if your job was to think carefully about the long-term future of humanity? Macrostrategy research is one of the most neglected (and potentially most important) career paths focused on tackling the world's most pressing problems. We break down what macrostrategy researchers actually do, why the rise of advanced AI makes their work more urgent than ever, and what it takes to succeed in a field where the questions are enormous, the feedback loops are slow, and the number of people working on it can be counted in the dozens.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:10) Summary

(02:12) Recommended

(02:21) Review status

(02:26) What is macrostrategy research, and why work on it?

(06:08) Why work on macrostrategy research?

(08:02) What are the downsides to working on macrostrategy?

(08:07) You might struggle to get a job

(08:54) It may be difficult to make progress

(10:22) It might be hard to influence decision makers

(11:31) It might be better to focus on more speculative issues later

(13:21) Would you be a good fit for macrostrategy research?

(13:26) What skills and traits are needed to succeed?

(15:29) What experience is useful?

(17:16) Non-research paths

(17:52) Example people

(17:56) Rose Hadshar

(18:53) Top organisations

(21:01) Next steps

(21:05) If youre ready to apply for jobs

(21:27) If you need, test your fit or build career capital first

(23:49) If you want to learn more

(26:48) Speak with us

(26:51) Want one-on-one advice on pursuing this path?

The original text contained 4 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

The future of AI is difficult to predict. But while AI systems could have substantial positive effects, there's a growing consensus about the dangers of AI.

Narrated by the author.

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Outline:

(00:00) Risks from power-seeking AI systems

(00:16) Introduction

(02:08) Summary

(03:03) Why are the risks from power-seeking AI a pressing world problem?

(04:42) Section 1: Humans will likely build advanced AI systems with long-term goals

(10:32) Section 2: AIs with long-term goals may be inclined to seek power

(25:26) Section 3: These power-seeking AI systems could successfully disempower humanity

(37:33) Section 4. People might create power-seeking AI systems without enough safeguards, despite the risks

(46:36) Section 5: Work on this problem is neglected and tractable

(58:19) Section 6: What are the arguments against working on this problem?

(01:24:07) Section 7: How you can help

(01:27:55) Thank you for listening

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When most people think about working on AI safety, they picture researchers and policy wonks. But there's a quieter, often overlooked path that may actually have more impact — and it's desperately short of talent. AI safety fieldbuilders are the people who recruit, train, and connect the researchers, policymakers, and communicators who make the whole ecosystem run. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this might be the highest-impact career move you've never considered.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:09) Summary

(01:43) Recommended

(01:52) Review status

(03:31) What do fieldbuilders work on?

(05:18) Why AI safety fieldbuilding can be highly impactful

(05:23) Fieldbuilding works

(07:02) AI safety needs more skilled people

(09:03) The work is highly neglected

(10:28) Helping others lets you multiply your impact

(12:15) Potential downsides to working on fieldbuilding

(12:28) Career capital may be lower

(15:37) The 'career path' isn't as clear

(16:21) Technical work often pays better

(16:53) Direct work can also grow capacity

(17:38) How can fieldbuilding backfire?

(19:39) Could you be a good fit?

(19:50) Skills that will help you succeed

(22:05) Promising professional backgrounds

(23:11) How to get started

(25:39) Find jobs in AI safety fieldbuilding

(26:31) Learn more

(26:34) Top recommendations

(27:15) Further recommendations

(28:11) Acknowledgements

The original text contained 8 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

Winning elections is one of the most direct levers on the world's biggest problems — and the field is more open to talented newcomers than you'd think. We make the case for why impact-driven people are exactly what politics needs more of. You'll find an honest look at the real downsides, the skills and backgrounds that transfer surprisingly well, and concrete next steps to get started.

Narrated by AI.

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Outline:

(00:09) Summary

(02:13) Two main paths to impact through electoral politics

(03:06) Recommended

(03:16) Review status

(03:21) Why work in US electoral politics?

(03:26) Individuals really can make a difference

(05:06) Why should you run for office?

(07:44) Why should you work for a campaign?

(13:26) Elected leadership matters a great deal

(17:37) Lower-level offices shape higher-level outcomes.

(18:16) Politics is a good option if you expect transformative AI relatively soon.

(19:29) Downsides of working in electoral politics

(19:34) Downsides to running for office

(22:10) Downsides to working on campaigns

(24:23) Would you be a good fit for working in electoral politics?

(24:28) Skills that will help you succeed

(27:07) What experience is useful?

(28:43) What else is helpful?

(29:10) Top roles and where to work

(29:32) Common roles to look for

(29:58) Key places to work

(31:08) Next steps

(32:36) Read next

(32:46) Learn more

The original text contained 9 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

AGI could rapidly transform the world, posing existential risks to humanity. Here’s why working on AI risks could be the most important use of your career.

Narrated by the author.

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Outline:

(00:00) How artificial intelligence could create the world’s biggest problems

(00:19) Introduction

(03:41) So how could advanced AI pose the world’s most pressing problems?

(08:31) 1. AI could replace human labour in the most economically valuable fields

(22:14) 2. Replacing this much human labour could trigger the next radical transformation of society

(28:01) 3. This transformation could be extremely rapid and dramatic

(36:39) 4. A rapid, AI-driven transformation would raise a range of major challenges, including existential risks

(44:47) 5. Work on these problems is tractable but neglected

(47:49) Objections and replies

(01:27:51) Learn more

(01:29:13) Acknowledgements

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