About us

1. Our mission

   SIRA builds pathways for social scientists into AI safety. Our flagship project is a 12-week research fellowship, where fellows do mentored, empirical research on how people and institutions reason about AI, trust it, use it, and are changed by it. We are also developing a weekend workshop for social science faculty and a self-guided online course.

2. Why now

   The social sciences emerged to make sense of the Industrial Revolution, but only after the fact. AI is reshaping work, institutions, and social life on a much faster timeline. Social scientists are one of the most underused sources of talent in AI safety, and right now there is no clear way for them to get into the field.

3. How we work

   Mentors who already work where the social sciences and AI safety meet are confirmed first. Fellows are then matched to a scoped project or a research direction, supported by a research manager, and work together in person. Each fellow presents their work at a closing symposium. The full proposal on LessWrong lays out the plan in detail.

Our team

• Emilio Barkett Founder
  ×

  Emilio Barkett

  Founder

  Emilio is the Founder of SIRA.

  He is an AI safety researcher and fieldbuilder working at the intersection of AI safety and the social sciences, with a focus on technical AI governance, empirical model behavior, and institutional risk management. Alongside SIRA, he is building the Utah AI Safety Hub, mentors researchers at SPAR, and facilitates courses with BlueDot Impact. Previously, he was a Research Manager and Fellowship Facilitator with the Columbia AI Alignment Club. He holds a Master’s in Sociology from Columbia University and a Bachelor’s in Communication and Political Science from Brigham Young University–Hawaii.

  Website LinkedIn Email