Frequently Asked Questions

AI safety is the field of research and practice focused on ensuring that artificial intelligence systems behave in ways that are beneficial to humanity. This includes preventing unintended consequences, ensuring AI systems remain under meaningful human control, and aligning AI goals with human values.

AI systems are rapidly becoming more capable. Experts broadly expect significant progress during our lifetimes, potentially reaching human-level intelligence across a wide range of tasks. Digital systems with such capabilities would revolutionize every aspect of society, making their safe development one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

AI ethics focuses on the moral implications and societal impacts of AI systems — fairness, accountability, privacy, and discrimination. AI safety is more concerned with technical and governance methods to ensure AI systems behave as intended, including the long-term risk of advanced AI systems that could act in ways harmful to humanity. The two fields overlap significantly and are complementary.

AI Safety Italia is a grassroots community that works to reduce risks from advanced AI in Italy. We organize seminars, study groups, and networking events; we run mentorship and education programs; and we connect members with opportunities in the AI safety field. Our working groups cover mentorship, governance, communication, technical infrastructure, events, seminars, education, and more.

Anyone interested in AI safety is welcome — researchers, students, professionals from any field, policymakers, science communicators, and curious minds. We believe diverse perspectives are essential for addressing AI safety challenges. You can join at any level of technical knowledge.

AI Safety Italia is an independent grassroots organization. We collaborate with universities, research groups, and international AI safety organizations, but operate independently to serve the Italian community. We are part of the broader global AI safety movement.

We have a small core team and a board, supported by working groups focused on specific areas: mentorship, governance & fundraising, finance, communication, technical infrastructure, community & networking, events, seminars, and education & outreach. Members can participate in one or more groups based on their interests and availability.

Fill in our interest form — it takes about 5 minutes. You can indicate which working groups you'd like to join and how many hours per month you can commit. We'll reach out to welcome you and connect you with the relevant groups.

Current working groups are: Mentorship, Governance & Fundraising, Finance, Communication, Technical Infrastructure, Community & Networking, Events, Seminars, Education & Outreach, and Board. You can join multiple groups and adjust your involvement over time.

Join our Discord server and follow us on LinkedIn. You can also subscribe to the AISafety.com newsletter for the broader AI safety ecosystem.