“There are something like two to three thousand people working full time on trying to make AI go well…
Growing at 30 to 40 percent a year is not fast enough, given how quickly the risk is increasing, given how quickly the AI systems are becoming more powerful.
And so the field has a desperate need for more talented people to enter and start owning important problems and start doing impactful work.” ~ Dewi Erwan
Dewi Erwan, our CEO & co-founder, sat down with Ben Lukszys, a BlueDot talent investor, to talk through his journey from nationalism to altruism, BlueDot’s big bet on an in-person campus, and what it’s like working at BlueDot.
The first half focuses on Dewi’s story:
Seven years as a child actor on a Welsh soap opera
Third place on Britain’s Got Talent
Falling off a cliff and starting a marathon seven weeks later
The expanding moral circle that took him from nationalist to altruist
The second half shifts to AI safety and BlueDot Impact:
Three grand strategies for making AI go well
Why talent is the bottleneck for AI safety
BlueDot’s big bet for the next six months
What it’s like to work at BlueDot
If you’re thinking about joining BlueDot, this podcast is a great way to understand our origin story, why talent work matters, and a taste of who you’d be working with.
You can check out our open roles here.
Timestamps
(00:00:00) - The story behind BlueDot Impact’s name
(00:10:36) - Dewi’s childhood: child actor, Britain’s Got Talent finalist, and multiple near-death experiences
(00:53:06) - Dewi’s expanding moral circle: nationalism, activism, and altruism
(01:31:56) - From skipping school to designing BlueDot’s first AI safety course
(01:53:18) - A field’s three inputs: strategy, funding, and people
(01:57:30) - Strategy: three grand strategies for making AI go well
(02:15:54) - Funding: AI safety is not constrained by money
(02:18:06) - Talent is the bottleneck: BlueDot’s big bet
(02:25:13) - Trust, feedback, and what it’s like working at BlueDot
(02:35:50) - The future Dewi is fighting for
