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MATS Winter 2023-24 Retrospective
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utilistrutil
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MATS is a prominent AI safety research mentorship program; this retrospective is useful for understanding field-building strategies, program evaluation methods, and the talent pipeline entering AI safety research.
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AI safetyPostmortems & retrospectivesAnnouncements and updatesBuilding the field of AI safetyField-buildingOrganization updates
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Importance: 42/100blog postanalysis
Summary
Comprehensive retrospective on the fifth iteration of the ML Alignment & Theory Scholars (MATS) program, covering 63 scholars mentored by 20 AI safety researchers. The report evaluates program outcomes, scholar satisfaction, and operational changes, while identifying improvements for future cohorts including advisory boards for mentor selection and expanded AI governance mentorship.
Key Points
- •63 scholars received mentorship from 20 research mentors; scholars rated overall program 9.2/10 likelihood to recommend (NPS +74)
- •Key operational changes included reducing stipends from $40/h to $30/h, transitioning to a Research Management model, and expanding use of Lighthaven campus
- •Mentorship was the most valuable element for 38% of scholars, rated 8.1/10; median scholar made 5 professional connections and found 5 potential collaborators
- •Research Management added ~10% productivity boost and 10 productive hours per median scholar, valued at ~$1000
- •Future improvements proposed: advisory boards for mentor selection, fewer mechanistic interpretability mentors, more AI governance mentors, and pre-screening with CodeSignal
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| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| MATS ML Alignment Theory Scholars program | Organization | 60.0 |
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MATS Winter 2023-24 Retrospective — EA Forum
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by utilistrutil May 11 2024 59 min read 2 62
AI safety Postmortems & retrospectives Announcements and updates Building the field of AI safety Field-building Organization updates Frontpage MATS Winter 2023-24 Retrospective Summary Theory of Change Winter Program Overview Schedule Mentor Selection Approach Scholar Allocation Winter Mentor Portfolio Mentors’ Counterfactual Winters Other Mentorship Programs Scholar Selection Educational Attainment of Scholars Scholars’ Counterfactual Winters Engineering Tests Stipends Mentor Suggestions Neel Nanda’s Training Phase (Nov 20-Dec 22) Research Phase Elements (Jan 8-Mar 15) Mentorship Research Management Seminars & Workshops Milestone Assignments Lighthaven Office Strategy Discussions Networking Events Social Events Community Health Extension Phase (Apr 1 - Jul 19) Winter Program Evaluation Evaluating Program Elements Overall Program Mentorship Research Management Seminars & Workshops Lighthaven Office Strategy Discussions Networking Events Community Health Evaluating Key Scholar Outcomes Scholar Self-Reports Mentor Evaluations Milestone Assignments Funding and Other Career Obstacles Evaluating Key Mentor Outcomes Self-Reported Benefits Biggest Impact Testimonials Improved Mentor Abilities Lessons and Changes for Future Programs Advisory Board for Mentorship Selection Fewer Mechanistic Interpretability Mentors More AI Governance Mentors Pre-Screening with CodeSignal Research Manager Hiring Modified Discussion Groups Acknowledgements 2 comments Co-Authors: @Rocket , @LauraVaughan , @McKennaFitzgerald , @Christian Smith , @Juan Gil , @Henry Sleight , @Matthew Wearden , @Ryan Kidd
The ML Alignment & Theory Scholars program (MATS) is an education and research mentorship program for researchers entering the field of AI safety. This winter, we held the fifth iteration of the MATS program, in which 63 scholars received mentorship from 20 research mentors. In this post, we motivate and explain the elements of the program, evaluate our impact, and identify areas for improving future programs.
Summary
Key details about the Winter Program:
The four main changes we made after our Summer program were: Reducing our scholar stipend from $40/h to $30/h based on alumni feedback;
Transitioning Scholar Support to Research Management ;
Using the full Lighthaven campus for office space as well as housing;
Replacing Alignment 201 with AI Strategy Discussions .
Educational attainment of MATS scholars: 48% of scholars were pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD;
17% of scholars had a master’s degree as their highest level of education;
10% of scholars had a PhD.
If not for MATS, scholars might have spent their counterfactual winters on the following pursuits
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