Giving Compass' Take:

• Benjamin Todd and Brian Tse argue that technological and social advancements in China make it an especially attractive venue for people who want to advance the effective altruism movement since there aren't many people who have deep knowledge of EA focusing on relations with the country.

• The primary recommendation is for EA experts to help Western orgs coordinate with Chinese AI safety and strategy initiatives.

• Looking to do some more research before you send in that CV? Here's a little more background on China's AI development.

Last summer, China unveiled a plan to become the world leader in artificial intelligence, aiming to create a $150 billion industry by 2030.

And it’s not just AI. China is becoming increasingly important in the solution of other global problems prioritized by the effective altruism community, including biosecurity, factory farming and nuclear security. But few in the community know much about the country, and coordination between Chinese and Western organizations seems like it could be improved a great deal.

This suggests that a high-impact career path could be to develop expertise in the intersection between China, effective altruism and pressing global issues. Once you’ve attained this expertise, you can use it to carry out research into global priorities or AI strategy; work in governments setting relevant areas of China-West policy, advise Western groups on how to work together with their Chinese counterparts, and other projects.

For instance, the Open Philanthropy Project has recently funded several organizations doing work in China, and representatives of many of the AI risk research organizations have attended conferences in China.

However, these organizations struggle to find people who combine an in-depth knowledge of effective altruism with knowledge of China’s culture and role in key global problems. They also struggle to find people connected to relevant Chinese experts. This suggests that people who want to coordinate with the community could play a valuable role by providing these kinds of expertise and connections.

Read the full article about the importance of China experts in effective altruism by Benjamin Todd and Brian Tse at 80000 Hours.