A Physical Community Hub for AI Safety in Bangalore,India to build long-term AI safety careers, host multiple AI safety fellowships, career events and build a community that raises the long-term impact and value of AI
Ryan+1A Physical Community Hub for AI Safety in Bangalore,India to build long-term AI safety careers, host multiple AI safety fellowships, career events and build a community that raises the long-term impact and value of AI
Ryan+1Electric Sheep's Bangalore AI Safety Exchange (BASE) is a physical AI safety hub located in the heart of India’s premier tech city Bengaluru that is designed to strengthen India's AI safety ecosystem by providing the physical infrastructure, community, and programming needed for researchers and practitioners.
AI safety fellowship org Electric Sheep (www.electricsheep.is) is the creator of BASE and sponsored its pilot facility. Having secured and tested the facility with multiple hackathons and events we are now seeking funding for the first full year of BASE’s building costs (only).
BASE is essential because India has one of the world's largest and fastest-growing pools of AI talent, yet there is no dedicated physical home where AI safety researchers, engineers, founders and policy professionals can consistently collaborate. BASE addresses this gap by creating a permanent, community-driven hub as an ecosystem anchor to nurture talent, host event and anchor fellowships.
We have already secured and been testing a 50-seat co-working space in Bengaluru with in house breakout space and catering (we have secured this at sub market rates) and have piloted multiple programs to demonstrate the value of the space. These include the BASIS AI safety reading group and multiple high-impact hackathons with APART. We have hosted ecosystem events and day conferences and are building the operational infrastructure needed to support a thriving AI safety community.
We have executed multiple rounds of market research while helping build a 200-strong campus adjacent ‘waitlist’/community, which has yielded multiple positive uses of such a space and commitments to engage.
Furthermore, we are exploring anchoring recognised fellowships at the campus to maintain a high value ‘in house’ community and guarantee steady, high-value occupancy while giving Indian researchers direct access to programmes that would otherwise require relocating to London, the Bay Area, or Berkeley in an increasingly fraught visa environment.
India has one of the world's largest and fastest-growing pools of AI talent, yet its AI safety ecosystem remains fragmented.
BASE addresses these issues of coordination, sustainability and development by creating shared infrastructure that enables
Founder and CEO of Electric Sheep
Head of Business Development
A Physical Community Hub for AI Safety in India in India’s tech city to build long-term AI safety careers, host multiple AI safety fellowships, career events and build a community that raises the long-term impact and value of AI
BASE addresses a clear gap in India’s growing AI safety ecosystem: the lack of a stable physical community where researchers, engineers, and policy professionals can collaborate over the long term. Its early programs, partnerships, and growing local community suggest genuine demand for this infrastructure. By connecting fellowships, supporting sustained research, and helping talented people remain engaged after short-term programs end, BASE has the potential to become an important anchor for AI safety work in India.
Our Impact pathway is:
Footfall Model and Franchising
It’s important for any physical project to demonstrate that it will be used. The Hub's operational planning is structured to sustain a baseline monthly footfall of 30-40 attendees, composed primarily from participants of a range of fellowships that we will seek to franchise into our space.
We have already begun the process of piloting this model of BASE as a ‘meta-hub’ with co-location enabling fellows to form consistent career paths through AND between fellowships.
We have already worked with Apart Research and BASIS, have received a small exploratory grant agreement from Bluedot, and have opened conversations with TARA, as well as MATS, and SPAR to create India, in-person versions.
I have held an event at their space and had good conversations with Ash. I respect Aditya SK and others who work with them. I am excited to see what they end up doing for the community here in India. I especially hope we see bridges being built between all the diverse and rich worldviews here.