30+ women have come to each of our last 5 women in AI safety events. At the end of every event, they ask us for more!
I’d thought about running an event like this before, but felt daunted. It seemed like a huge lift. I wasn’t even sure women would want to attend.
When I went to one that Monika Jotautaitė hosted, I realised that (1) there’s a LOT of demand for this event and (2) it’s pretty straightforward to organise.
Here’s how you can plan this event in less than 2 hours.
This blog post is written for graduates of BlueDot’s courses.
What you’ll create
When I look around, I don’t see many women in AI safety. I’m not sure why, but what I do know is that these events help create:
A space where women feel comfortable showing up
Connections with people navigating similar paths
Role models whose journeys they can learn from
My hope is that by concentrating women in one place, we make it easier to show up, stay in the field, and maybe even bring friends along.
Two event formats
Here are two that worked well and are simple to organise:
Speed friending
Have people pair up for 7-minute conversations, give people a minute to exchange contacts at the end, then swap over to a new pair. After 6-8 rounds, have an open social.
I recommend placing this timer where everyone can see it.
Talk + socials
Invite someone to give a 20-minute talk with a 20-minute Q&A about something that other women in AI safety might find useful.
The talk encourages attendance and gives people something to discuss during the social.
Who to invite
A rule of thumb is to organise an event that YOU would be excited to attend. That includes deciding who it’s for.
“Women in AI safety” is still a broad category. Maybe you want women already working in the field. Maybe you want women curious about entering. Maybe you want a mix. All are valid — just be intentional.
It can feel painful to tell people no, but thoughtful, considered exclusion is vital to any gathering. (Take it from Priya Parker, an expert in event planning!)
4 steps to bring your event to life
Pick a date and time: I find that weekday evenings (6/7pm) tend to work well.
Find a space (or go online): If you don’t have access to an events space, reach out to other AI safety orgs to see if you can use their office space. Otherwise, you can run it online using our Zoom account.
Submit our events form: We’ll get you set up on our events calendar, which handles invites, feedback forms, reminder emails and guest list. We can also provide a budget for snacks.
Start sending out invites: You’ll surprise yourself by how many people are excited by this type of event. Having 10-20 people show up is plenty for great conversations.
It’s that simple
We’d love to see more women in AI safety, and I believe that events like these can help make AI safety feel more approachable. This isn’t the only thing we can do to encourage diversity in the field, but it’s one way to start.
We’re excited to see your event come to life! Fill out the form and let’s make it happen.