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Ottawa AI Safety Club

AI systems are becoming increasingly powerful and dangerous faster than most people realize.

Our Mission

We think that matters, and we're doing something about it. The Ottawa AI Safety Club brings together students from across all disciplines to grapple seriously with the defining technical and civilizational challenge of our era.

Our work spans technical and governance research, policymaking, and philosophy, united by the goal of making AI systems human-aligned and beneficial for everyone. Whether you're a computer scientist, philosopher, policy student, or just genuinely curious, there's a place for you here.

Join Us →

Based in Ottawa, at the heart of Canada's research and policy community.

What We Work On

  • Technical Research Alignment, interpretability, robustness, and evaluation of AI systems. ▸
    Work in this area includes reading and discussing papers on mechanistic interpretability, scalable oversight, and evaluation methods. Members interested in research can connect with uOttawa faculty and apply to programs like MATS or ARENA.
  • Governance & Policy Shaping the frameworks, institutions, and policies that govern how AI is built and deployed. ▸
    We examine how governments, labs, and international bodies are responding to advanced AI, from compute governance and liability frameworks to concrete policy proposals, with a focus on how Canada can play a meaningful role in shaping responsible AI development.

Events

Reading groups, speaker talks, workshops, and more.

Parliament Hill viewed from the Ottawa River
Upcoming

No upcoming events are scheduled yet. Join the mailing list to be notified when new events are posted.

Past Events

Past event listings will appear here.

Fellowships

Structured programs to take your AI safety work further.

Fellowships are one of the best ways to move from curiosity to serious contribution. Below are the programs we most often recommend, spanning technical research, governance, and introductory study. Club members get help with applications, including essay feedback and connections to past participants.

Run by the Club
Ottawa AI Safety Fellowship IntroCohort
8 weeks~3 hrs/weekNo prerequisites

Our flagship reading-and-discussion fellowship. Each week, a small cohort works through a curated curriculum covering the core arguments for AI risk, alignment research directions, and governance. It ends with a self-directed mini-project.

Apply to the next cohort →
External Programs
MATS TechnicalResearchPaid
10+ weeksFull-timeBerkeley / Remote

The ML Alignment & Theory Scholars program pairs promising researchers with experienced mentors at leading labs and organizations. A strong path toward a full-time research career.

Visit MATS →
ARENA TechnicalBootcamp
4–5 weeksFull-timeLondon / Remote

Alignment Research Engineer Accelerator is an intensive, hands-on bootcamp that builds the practical engineering skills needed for empirical alignment research, from transformer internals to RL.

Visit ARENA →
BlueDot AI Safety Fundamentals IntroGovernanceFree
12 weeks~5 hrs/weekRemote

A facilitated online course with separate Alignment and Governance tracks. One of the most accessible entry points into the field, with a global community and a final project.

Visit BlueDot →

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about getting involved.

Membership
How do I join? +

Fill out the Google Form linked throughout the site. We'll reach out with next steps.

Are there any prerequisites? +

No prerequisites. If you're curious and willing to engage seriously with the material, you're welcome.

How much time is required? +

Involvement is flexible. Most members attend monthly events; more active participants help organize or work on projects. There's no minimum commitment.

Can graduate students, postdocs, or faculty join? +

Absolutely. We welcome graduate students, postdocs, and faculty who are interested in participating, speaking, or collaborating.

What language are events held in? +

Events are primarily in English, though we try to accommodate French-speaking members where feasible.

Careers & Opportunities
What career paths exist in AI safety? +

The field includes roles such as research scientist at AI labs, policy analyst, academic researcher, governance consultant, and foundation program officer, among others.

Does uOttawa have relevant faculty or resources? +

Yes. The university has faculty researching machine learning and ethics, and the club serves as a bridge connecting students with these researchers.

What external opportunities does the club share? +

We share information about programs including MATS, ARENA, BlueDot's AI Safety Fundamentals course, and various lab internships. Join the club to stay in the loop.