Kairos (officially Kairos AI Project, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on strengthening the early-career talent pipeline for AI safety and AI policy. The organization runs two flagship programs: Pathfinder, which provides funding and mentorship to university AI safety group organizers worldwide, and SPAR (Supervised Program for Alignment Research), which connects aspiring researchers with experienced AI safety mentors on part-time 3-month projects. Founded in late 2024 by former CEA and SPAR leaders, Kairos serves as the institutional home for these previously separate programs and is primarily funded by Open Philanthropy and Coefficient Giving.
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Theory of Change
Kairos believes that the development of transformative AI will be among the most consequential events in history, and that the field currently lacks enough well-trained researchers, policymakers, and technical operators to navigate it safely. By investing in the early-career talent pipeline — supporting university AI safety groups through Pathfinder and connecting aspiring researchers with mentors through SPAR — Kairos aims to substantially increase the number of people who enter AI safety research, technical governance, and policy roles at organizations like Anthropic, DeepMind, OpenAI, METR, and government AI institutes. The causal chain is: more capable university groups recruit and train more students, SPAR produces research experience and published work that helps people land safety-relevant roles, and a larger and more skilled workforce improves society's collective ability to steer AI development toward safe outcomes.
Grants Received
from Open Philanthropy
from Open Philanthropy
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The Pathfinder Fellowship is a selective fellowship run by Kairos that provides funding, mentorship, and resources to students organizing AI safety and policy university groups worldwide.
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Details
- Last Updated
- Apr 2, 2026, 9:59 PM UTC
- Created
- Mar 20, 2026, 2:34 AM UTC