Faculty of Environment
Photo credit: Pavel Danilyuk, www.pexels.com/@pavel-danilyuk/
Research project description
Climate experts have spent years developing methods and strategies for better communication with the public on climate risks. While timelines for climate risks are long, AI is progressing rapidly but without the large institutions (like the IPCC) that climate experts have carefully constructed over decades. This project aims to take some of the learning from climate communication (e.g. focus on salient risks, identifying trustworthy messengers etc.) and apply it to the existential risks posed by AI.
AI safety is a fast moving field, so I aim to remain flexible in the exact methods and hypotheses we might test. That being said, approaches could include:
- Surveys of members of the public
- Testing interventions that use LLMs in conversation with humans
- Educational efforts
- Interventions that aim to persuade elected officials
- Investigating AI safety governance mechanisms
- Partnerships that bring together climate and AI experts
Fields of research
-
Artificial Intelligence
-
Climate Change
-
Quantitative social science
This research project is eligible for funding through the Canada Impact+ Research Training Awards (CIRTA) program
Qualifications and ideal student profile
Prospective graduate student researchers must meet or exceed the minimum admission requirements for the programs connected to this opportunity. Visit the program pages using the links on this page to learn more about minimum admission requirements. In addition to minimum requirements, the research supervisor is looking for the following qualifications and student profile.
-
Quantitative skills
-
Ideally, some familiarity with AI systems, especially using LLM APIs
-
Interest in AI safety
-
A background in psychology, communications, computer science, or political science might work especially well, but skillset and ability to work independently are probably more important
-
I'm looking for a candidate who cares about big picture issues and wants to have a positive impact on the world through their research.
Faculty researcher and supervisor
- Seth Wynes
Associate Professor, Geography and Environmental Management
View faculty profile →
Graduate programs connected to this project
Important dates
Applying lessons in climate communication to AI safety is accepting expressions of interest for the fall 2026, winter 2027, spring 2027 terms.