About this course
If the world ever agrees to limit dangerous AI development, someone has to be able to check that the agreement is kept, by verifying claims about what computations are actually happening on the servers in AI data centres. That verification problem sits at the intersection of hardware, cryptography, and international policy, and it’s one of the most neglected, concrete places to contribute to AI safety.
Unit by unit, you’ll work through the AI 2040 reading list with your group, test the proposals in small breakout discussions, and map where the open problems are, with Lens Coach alongside whenever you want to dig deeper.
No application, no selection process. You don’t need to prove yourself to us. We’ll help you prove yourself to the world.
What you’ll walk away with
A map of the verification problem
What's solved, what's stuck, and why it matters for AI agreements.
Technical-policy fluency
Speak both languages, mechanisms and agreements, credibly.
Ground floor of a young field
Few people work on this, so serious early engagement counts for a lot.
A peer network in AI safety
The people you spent the course thinking alongside.
A certificate you can verify
Tiered (Associate, Professional, Expert) with a public link for your LinkedIn.
A clear next step
Whether that's a deeper course, a project, or a career move.
This course is for you, if:
ENGINEER
You build systems
Hardware/security skills, real problem.
You build systems
You work in hardware, security, or infrastructure and want to point those skills at a problem that matters.
POLICY
You work on governance
You want to know what's enforceable.
You work on governance
You think about AI agreements or arms control and want the technical grounding to know what's actually enforceable.
RESEARCHER
You want a neglected niche
A concrete, under-explored corner.
You want a neglected niche
You're looking for a concrete, under-explored corner of AI safety where new people can still move the frontier.
SKEPTIC
You doubt treaties can work
Could verification make deals real?
You doubt treaties can work
You suspect 'just agree to stop' is naive, and want to examine whether verification could change that.
What you’ll explore
6 UNITS · ~5H6 UNITS · ~5H EACHAll readings are provided online; nothing to buy. Draft outline: final unit titles may shift as the course team polishes the curriculum.
Why compute is the lever
Frontier AI needs extraordinary amounts of specialized hardware. Why that makes compute the most governable input, and the foundation any serious agreement would build on.
What would need verifying
From chip counts to training-run properties: the specific claims about data-centre computations that an agreement would have to check.
Hardware mechanisms
On-chip and on-site approaches such as secure elements, attestation, and monitoring, and what they can and can't prove about a running workload.
Verification without trust
How adversarial parties could check each other's claims: the cryptographic and institutional designs that don't require anyone to take anyone's word.
The international picture
Precedents from arms control and export regimes, what's different about compute, and how verification could anchor real agreements between rivals.
Open problems and your role
Where the field is stuck, what would unstick it, and how your skills map onto the work that needs doing now.
INCLUDED · FOR A LIMITED TIME
A 1-on-1 call with someone working on AI safety full-time
This is a coaching call, not a sales call. Bring your questions, your doubts, and your situation. You'll leave with a personalized AI safety action plan you're genuinely excited to pursue.
Enroll for freeYou could read the list alone.You could read the list alone. Here's what taking the course changes.
Here's what taking the course changes.
Common questions
Is it really free?+
Yes. We're a nonprofit built to help people understand the risks of AI and decide how to respond. There's no paid tier and no upsell. The course, the coaching call, and the certificate are all free.
How much time does it take?+
About 5 hours per unit: around three hours of self-study spread out however you like (readings, Lens Coach, a short exercise), plus one 90-minute group session.
Intensive or part-time: which should I pick?+
Intensive packs all six units into one full-time week, Monday to Friday, so expect a full working day of focus each day. It suits full immersion: between jobs, on a break, or when you don't want to wait. Part-time is a unit a week for six weeks and fits around work and life. Same readings, same discussions, same coaching either way.
Do I need a hardware or policy background?+
No. The course builds up both sides. Engineers pick up the policy context, policy people pick up the technical mechanisms, and the discussions are richer for having both in the room.
What materials do I need?+
Nothing to buy. The course is built on the AI 2040 reading list, and every reading is provided online.
What if I can't make one of my sessions?+
Life happens. Message Lens Coach and you can swap into another group's session for that unit, or reschedule. We'll help you find a time that works.
What happens after the course?+
You keep your peer network and the community Discord, Lens Coach stays available, and if you want to keep going, our Forecasting, Modeling, and Shaping AI Futures course or a project of your own are natural next steps.
Not sure it’s for you? Come to the first session. If it’s not the right fit, we’ll help you find something that is.