Project summary

I am currently testing my fit for the 'communicator' aptitude in AI Governance. There are very few videos explaining the different ideas and theories of change in AI governance, and I'd like to address this gap. I plan to cover topics such as compute governance, the EU AI Act, and other legislative updates as they occur. I expect to try doing this part-time (25-30 hours of my week) for the next 1-2 months - with the expectation that I release one video every week or, if my life gets busy/I am unhappy with the scripts I write, fortnightly. Metrics here are hard to judge, but I'd likely continue keeping that up if I can get over 100-200 subscribers, or if I get over 5-10 people giving me feedback that videos are useful. I also expect to keep it up (perhaps at an irregular interval) if none of the above happen. I feel a bunch of intrinsic motivation to do this, and funding would be helpful to make doing these videos easier.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

a) Develop my own intuitions: Creating these videos will require spending 10-15 hours researching each topic and distilling my thoughts into content that is easily understandable for the general public. This process should help me gain a deeper understanding of various AI governance ideas.

b) Positively shape the discourse around AI governance: While there are several podcasts addressing this at the moment, there's a lack of short, explanatory videos that clearly illustrate why certain AI governance proposals could work or what they entail. My goal is to fill this gap.

How will this funding be used?

a) Time spent: I intend to take this on part-time for the next month. Given some people have expressed that they'd rather pay for the time I spend rather than equipment, I will allocate 50/60% of the funding here to pay for my time.

b) Editing Software: I am currently using a trial of Final Cut Pro. I think having good editing software is really useful. It helps me adjust useful things like the lighting of a video or the audio. I would prioritize paying for this versus equipment. A full version of Final Cut Pro costs £300, which is steep. I would likely move over to Premiere Pro once the trial is up, which costs about £18/month.

c) Equipment: I think I have everything I need for an MVP setup. I could spend money on fancier equipment, such as a nicer camera, audio setup, etc. For example, I may spend £60 on a RODE microphone and a mic stand. From the feedback I've got, it seems that my audio is weak. I think my camera seems viable for starting out.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I have invested significant time formulating ideas in AI governance and documenting my thoughts. My recent work includes:

• A final year thesis on how legislative efforts in the UK can be modelled after responsible scaling policies (Currently private but happy to share please reach out to - gauraventh (at) gmail dot com)

• An analysis of Taiwanese and Chinese semiconductor industries

• Exploration of the Brussels Effect and its implications

You can view my initial two videos here (1)(2). Whether or not you choose to fund this project, I would appreciate your feedback on these efforts. Here is a feedback form.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

I acknowledge there is a potential risk that I may inadvertently communicate ideas in a way that could negatively impact perceptions of AI governance efforts. While I am hoping to avoiding this outcome, I recognise that there is a non-zero chance of such an occurrence.