Project Details
Updated 07/07/26 · Provided via application · VerifiedBlack in AI Safety and Ethics (BASE) will provide technical training in AI safety to 40 participants from the Black diaspora. Twenty participants will complete a 12-week remote ARENA training program beginning July 19, and twenty participants will complete a 5-week remote technical training program during Cohort 2 of the BASE Fellowship beginning September 8. Eleven participants completed the 12-week ARENA training ahead of Cohort 1, and 17 completed the 5-week technical training during the cohort.
Interpretability, evaluations, oversight, and other technical AI safety exercises cannot reasonably be completed on a personal computer. Providing GPU credits will allow participants to work through those exercises hands-on throughout both training programs, rather than learning the material solely through theory.
The project will be led by Lawrence Wagner and Robert Amanfu, with two teaching assistants providing office hours, debugging support, assignment support, and technical guidance throughout both training programs. The concrete output will be 40 participants who finish the technical AI safety training, including the compute-intensive exercises that are part of both programs.
Theory of Impact
Updated 08/26/26 · By grantmaking.aiAdvanced AI systems will require more researchers with the technical skills to evaluate, interpret, and identify potential risks before deployment. One of the biggest barriers to developing that talent is access to compute. Our project develops that talent within the Black AI safety community, where ability and motivation already exist but access to compute does not. By providing GPU credits, participants can complete the technical AI safety exercises necessary to build those skills. More researchers with hands-on experience in AI safety give the field more people who can help evaluate advanced AI systems and reduce catastrophic risks from AI
People
Updated 08/26/26 · By grantmaking.aicreator
Discussion
Thanks for flagging this. I checked both the ARENA website and our technical trainer to better understand the course’s compute requirements. About 30% of the notebooks include GPU-dependent work, around 20% are effectively GPU-bound, and some newer alignment exercises do not run reliably on free Colab. Reliable compute matters most during the hands-on portions of the course, where participants complete capstone projects, collect activations, work with SAEs, fine-tune models, and experiment with larger open models.
Based on your feedback, we revised the budget to reduce the compute allocation and direct more funding toward participant stipends:
- GPU credits for 40 participants: $11,000
- Participant stipends: $16,000
- Teaching Assistant 1: $7,500
- Teaching Assistant 2: $7,500
- Program coordination and technical support: $8,000
- Total request: $50,000
We’re two weeks into the current cohort of ARENA. Learners are working through the structured online curriculum at arena.baseresearch.org, and we hold live online pairing sessions on Sundays so participants can work through exercises together and get support in real time.
As we receive funding, we plan to move to a hybrid model for the next cohort, with online access to the curriculum and in-person pairing sessions at FAR Labs on Saturdays and Sundays. The in-person sessions will give learners more time to work together and get direct support, while the online option keeps the program accessible.
Great idea that will bring more voices into the AI Safety space!
As a BASE advisor, I believe deeply in this mission because expanding the pipeline of Black AI safety researchers strengthens not only the field, but the communities these researchers serve. Diverse perspectives lead to more equitable, trustworthy, and responsible AI. Thank you for all you do to create these opportunities and invest in the next generation.
I support this mission and all the opportunities it is creating for Black AI Safety researchers.
BASE is doing critical work in diversifying AI safety as a highly consequential but highly demographically concentrated field.
Like many others have stated, the work BASE is doing is critical; we are unlikely to succeed in creating safe(r) AI if the field remains so demographically concentrated.
I'm happy to continue to support the great work that BASE is doing. Thank you to the entire BASE team for creating this space & opportunities for continued community and growth.
Great mission!
As a BASE advisor, I'm also a big fan of what Lawrence is building here. We need more black folks in the community; otherwise, we're missing out on some talented people who could otherwise be part of the most important conversation of the century.
Rooting for yall.
Broadening the base, so to speak, of who gets a say in our AI futures is so important!
Supporting BASE means helping create opportunities for underrepresented researchers and strengthening the AI safety community.
Who can say no to unlocking the limitless potential of this community? Happy to support BASE in all the ways I can. We need your voices in this space.
What a special community!
I have worked with Lawrence and believe in him and the mission!
Nurturing the next generation of talent is a no-brainer. I do want to flag that ARENA doesn't really require that much GPU compute, and the exercises which do aren't core to the curriculum. I'm neutral but would endorse if you change to paying the participants an unrestricted stipend/gift and let them decide how they want to use it unless that gets complicated for legal reasons.. This would also help attract higher quality applicants with optionality over opportunities.