Lead Counter-AI, Center Geopolitics of AGI

Job Type: Term (Fixed Term) Overview RAND’s Center for the Geopolitics of AGI, part of the Global and Emerging Risks (GER) Division, is seeking a technical and strategic leader to serve as Lead for Counter-AI. RAND Global and Emerging Risks delivers rigorous and objective analysis and innovative ideas to help decision makers understand, prepare for, and address consequential challenges to civilization and global security.

The division brings together scholars, strategists, technologists, and practitioners to address challenges including the rapid advance of artificial intelligence, growing biological threats, a transforming climate, and intensified strategic competition. The Center for the Geopolitics of AGI helps decision makers understand, anticipate, and navigate the national security and geopolitical implications of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Through multidisciplinary research, gaming, and convenings, the center examines prospective AGI-enabled capabilities, the implications of their use, and the strategies and policies available to government and private sector leaders.

In this senior role, you will provide technical leadership for the center’s Counter-AI portfolio, connect emerging technical capabilities with strategic analysis, and help develop research initiatives and government partnerships. This position calls for a leader who combines deep AI expertise with experience directing complex research programs and translating technical developments into actionable insights for national security decision makers.

• Research and analysis:
  Lead and contribute to research on the geopolitical and national security implications of AGI, translating technical concepts and capabilities to scenarios for strategic analysis, and translating strategic analysis into requirements for technical capabilities.
• Written products and briefings:
  Draft and/or oversee the writing of policy briefs, research reports, options papers, memos, and other written products and briefings aimed at technical and senior policy audiences, including short-turnaround products in response to fast-moving events.
• Sponsor and stakeholder engagement. Serve as the interface between technical communities, policy and decision makers, and RAND strategic analysis teams for all counter-AI projects. Partner with Director and Associate Director in business development to advance those projects, and represent RAND in meetings with a range of sponsors.
• Secondary Roles Program and agenda development. Participate as an intellectual partner and research collaborator with RAND researchers and consultants. Day-to-day, participate in Geopol meetings with RAND leadership and external partners, review and inform other projects and assist with strategic planning, and recruit talent from across RAND and externally as appropriate.
• Technical communicator. Maintain general technical awareness of events in the AI space and lead internal and external discussions, formally or informally, on the implications of such events for U.S. national security and geopolitics. Contribute technical expertise to Geopol game design and game runs.

All research leadership positions at RAND require excellent analytic skills; the ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both orally and in writing; the ability to work effectively as a member of a multi-disciplinary team; and a strong commitment to RAND’s core values of quality and objectivity.

• At least 10 years of significant leadership experience in government research organizations, industry research and development, or major interdisciplinary research programs.
• Deep technical expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning, with experience applying…