Buterin AI Existential Safety Fellowship

The Buterin AI Existential Safety Fellowship is a flagship talent‑pipeline program for AI existential safety research, administered by the Future of Life Institute in partnership with the Beneficial AI Foundation (BAIF). The program offers fully funded PhD and postdoctoral fellowships to researchers whose work focuses on analyzing how advanced AI systems could cause existential catastrophe and developing technical approaches to reduce those risks. Fellows typically receive full PhD tuition and fees plus a US$40,000 annual stipend for up to five years, or an US$80,000 annual stipend for three‑year postdoctoral positions, together with a research budget for expenses such as travel and compute. The fellowship cohort spans top universities in the US, UK, Canada and beyond, and fellows are integrated into a broader community of AI safety researchers through virtual and in‑person events. BAIF’s role includes managing the Buterin AI Existential Safety Fellowship branding and collaborating with FLI on program implementation and support for fellows.