My Week in DC

DC is arguably the second most important city in the world for AI safety. There are many impactful roles there. A large uncertainty in my career is if I live and work in DC. I visited DC from Oct 11-16th to test that.{>>Aris Richardson: How did that test go? :)<<}

What I actually did

The highlights of my trip were:

Running through The Mall to visit the White House, Washington Monument, and the Capitol
Hanging out with the Longitude DC Intensive fellows during the last two days of their program.
Going to the BlueDot Happy Hour and DC Abundance Happy Hour
Meeting with people from GovAI, FAI, ARI, and RAND.

Where I was pleasantly surprised

A lot of the value of traveling is having your expectations shattered. Here are some things that were pleasantly surprising:

Meeting people from a variety of backgrounds. In the Bay, most of the people I meet come from the EA community or from a moderately prestigious university before working in AI safety. It was refreshing to meet people working on nuclear policy, communications, and AI policy research. People coming to AI safety because they heard about it on the news, instead of by reading HPMOR.
DC has great vibes! I enjoy feeling the weather and feeling rain for the first time in months. I enjoy the architecture of the buildings, the mix of modern and historic buildings. The vibe of the city having a history.
I really enjoy happy hours! I went to the BlueDot and DC Abundance Happy Hours. I got a lot of happiness by meeting and talking to new people.

Where I was negatively surprised

A stark difference between DC and the Bay that I noticed and further corroborated by talking with people is the treatment of their job as just another job. There is some comfort in this, but I much prefer the intensity of the Bay Area AI safety scene. I want to work with people who recognize that work is the most important thing they can with their lives.

Misc things I learned

Previously, when I would think about an entity such as Congress, an agency, a company, etc. I would think at the abstraction of the company. In DC, I learned to view these entities at the level of the individuals who make up these organizations. It is less useful to say "how can we get Congress to pass this bill?" compared to "how can we convince persons A, B, and C to want to pass this bill".
Wearing a suit definitely influences how I showed up. I had better conversations. I felt better. I noticed less anxiety.

Misc tips

Whenever you visit an office or are invited to happy hour, ask your connection there who you should meet (based on your interests, vibes, etc). Saying "X said we should meet" is an easy way to break the ice.
Meeting preparation is extremely useful. Knowing and saying what you want allows you to get much more value from conversations.
When you meet people, ask them what events are happening this week, so you can get in the know.
DC Linktank is a good resource to find events.

{>>Aris Richardson: One quick note here is that someone thinking you'd benefit from meeting a new person is different from them making the bid that that person should spend time with you. Saying "x said we should meet" indicates that x thinks it's useful for both people. I'd just be cautious with this to make sure you only say that when people would want you to!<<}