Vancouver AI Safety Mixer
Vancouver AI Safety Mixer by VASH
[Sponsored by BlueDot Impact]
Join us for an afternoon of thoughtful discussion and new connections with people working on AI safety in Vancouver!
The Vancouver AI Safety Mixer will bring together researchers, organizers, professionals, and independent contributors from across technical AI safety, AI governance, and fieldbuilding efforts.
Who We Are
Vancouver AI Safety Hub (VASH) is a new nonprofit organization working to identify, connect, and support people contributing to AI safety across British Columbia. We aim to build a more cohesive local community and help promising ideas, projects, and contributors develop into useful work.
Who Should Attend
This event may be especially relevant for:
Researchers working on technical AI safety, or AI governance
Representatives from local organizations and adjacent communities
Entrepreneurs and independent contributors developing AI safety projects
People actively transitioning into or upskilling for AI safety work
Professionals interested in contributing their expertise to the local ecosystem
When and Where
Sunday, August 16
2:00–4:00 p.m.
Doors open at 1:50 p.m.
Location: UBC Robson Square
Coffee and pastries will be provided.
Agenda
1:50–2:00 p.m. — Arrival and registration
Check in, grab a name tag, and meet other participants.
2:00–2:25 p.m. — Welcome, orientation, and community map
We will begin with a short introduction to VASH, followed by an interactive positioning activity aiming to make introductions more concrete and helping everyone see the range of perspectives in the room.
2:25–2:55 p.m. — Lightning talks
Selected participants will give brief talks introducing projects, ideas, or questions from different areas of AI safety.
2:55–3:10 p.m. — Coffee and pastry break
3:10–3:40 p.m. — Breakout discussions
Participants will join facilitated small-group discussions organized around selected topics and prompts. Groups will be designed to encourage people from different backgrounds and areas of the ecosystem to meet one another.
3:40–4:00 p.m. — Group reflections and closing
We will reconvene to share key observations, potential collaborations, and ideas to strengthen Vancouver’s AI safety community.
Share something with the community
Interested in sharing a project, idea, resource, opportunity, or question? We’re inviting expressions of interest for a small number of five-minute lightning talks.
Talks will be selected to create a balanced and useful program. We’ll also use submissions to identify work we may highlight through VASH channels or prioritize for future talks, workshops, and events.
Submit a lightning talk expression of interest: [LINK].
Space is limited. Please register only if you expect to attend, and let us know if your plans change so we can offer your place to someone else.
If you have any questions, reach out to us at info@vancouveraisafety.org