Volunteer 💁

AIAAIC welcomes volunteers across the world passionate about the risks and harms of AI, algorithmic and automation systems, and willing and able to advance the cause of making these systems more transparent, open and accountable.

Coming from diverse backgrounds across the world, our volunteers contribute their expertise and time in a personal capacity, drawing on experience at organisations such as Google, Meta, the European Commission, the United Nations, Government of India, Agence-France Presse, Reuters, Sciences Po, Trinity College Dublin, University of Thessaloniki, University of Pavia, Parsons School of Design and VW Group.

All volunteers must subscribe to our values and Code of Conduct.

Volunteer opportunities

AIAAIC currently has no openings for volunteers, but please feel free to submit an application and we will revert as and when opportunities arise. Thank you. 

Frequently asked questions

We understand you are likely to have questions about how you can get involved with AIAAIC, and about what volunteering entails. 

Please read the frequently asked questions below before submitting an application.

Who can volunteer?

Anyone can volunteer at AIAAIC. 

That said, you should have a passion for making AI, algorithmic and related technology systems transparent, open and accountable. We also prefer that you have a university degree and, ideally, a few years’ work experience - be it in government, civil society or commerce - under your belt. 

Given AIAAIC takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the job of examining and making the case for transparency, openness and accountability, we particularly welcome volunteers willing and able to draw on experience in computer science, data analytics, statistics, public or corporate governance, risk management, psychology and sociology, marketing communications, politics, law, and journalism.

Can groups get involved?

Yes. Please contact us if you are a teacher, academic, NGO leader or community organiser looking to find out how your students, researchers, or team can get involved with AIAAIC.

Unfortunately, we are not able to organise staff volunteering for companies where we don’t have an existing corporate partnership. Get in touch if you would like to become a corporate partner.

What does volunteering entail? 

This will depend on your interests, experience and what you want to get out of volunteering at AIAAIC. 

It could include helping identify and classify tech-driven incidents and issues, annotating risks and harms data for our new taxonomy, or writing our newsletter and updating our social media channels. 

See above current for current opportunities.

What are the benefits of volunteering?

Everyone gets something different out of volunteering, and much of it will depend on how you approach your time at AIAAIC.

For some people, it is primarily about holding the individuals and organisations developing and deploying technology systems to account, for others it is an opportunity to use existing skills in the public interest, or to learn more about the risks and harms of AI and related technologies.

Whatever your purpose for volunteering at AIAAIC, you should also expect to meet new people and feel part of a community.

How much time am I expected to commit?

Volunteers are encouraged to commit to one or two hours a week at a minimum. However, we appreciate that the amount of time needed is different for each opportunity - be it one-off, short or longer-term.

Does AIAAIC provide training? 

This depends on the kind of role you are interested in. 

Members of our editorial team are trained how to detect, assess, classify, summarise and publish incident summaries. 

How will I be updated on what’s going on? 

AIAAIC communicates regularly with its volunteers about what we are up to via email and through our Slack channel, and organises monthly virtual meetings open to all volunteers.

How does the volunteer application process work? 

In most instances, we like to have an informal 30-minute chat with you - in person or virtually - in order for both parties to find out more about each other, and ask questions. 

We may also talk about specific opportunities, which may then be discussed during a follow-up discussion.

Can I leave if I don’t like it?

Of course you can. We want all our volunteers to have a positive experience and we welcome feedback on how we could make improvements. We encourage volunteers to talk to us before making the decision to leave.

Are you using volunteer roles to replace paid members of staff?

AIAAIC is a public interest initiative and does not employ staff. Rather, we rely on the goodwill of volunteers and others to help us continue our work. Please note this may change in due course.