Project summary

I'm planning to present technical research in AI safety, alignment, and control at venues in Japan, Singapore, and Abu Dhabi next month. I only need funding to cover travel related costs.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

• Japan:

  • I will be attending https://www.tais2025.cc/. I had an accepted poster at the conference last year, which was the output of my stream at SPAR, but was unable to attend due to visa issues.

  • This year, my registration is confirmed for both the main event and smaller networking afterparty, however the conference is unable to provide travel support and the organizers referred me to manifund since I am not currently affiliated with any institution/organization.

• Singapore:

  • I will be attending https://iclr.cc/. I have an accepted poster at the conference (openreview), which is the output of my independent research with collaborators at Georgia Tech.

  • Two out of the three workshops we are presenting at provide travel grants to authors, however this is conditional on available budget and we have yet to receive a decision on our application.

  • I will arrive a few days before the conference and work out of https://www.aisafety.sg/.

• Abu Dhabi:

  • I will be attending https://govaisummitmea.com/. I am coauthor on a paper undergoing blinded reviews, to be published with the Mohammad Bin Rashid School of Government.

  • I am from the UAE and did an AI Security research internship at the Dubai Electronic Security Center in 2020, before being recruited by a unicorn startup and then Microsoft Security. In the past, I also lead a team which won a $35000 prize in a hackathon for AI + Cybersecurity.

  • I'll return to Canada after making personal visits to close friends and family in the Emirates.

How will this funding be used?

• Flying from Toronto to Japan costs $900 (after a 10% discount voucher thanks to a friend that works at Air Canada).

• I will be staying in Japan from April 11 to April 22.

• Accomodation cost in Japan is $200 for the duration of the conference.

  • After the conference I'm planning to engage in tourism and sightseeing, but that leg of the trip would be funded out of pocket since those expenses are not work-related.

• Flying from Japan to Singapore costs $300.

• I will be staying in Singapore for 6 nights from April 23 to April 29. The hotel costs for this period range between $800-1,300 + tax. So I have taken a budget of $1,000.

• The cost of a ticket from Japan to Dubai is $500.

• Accomodation cost in Dubai is $700.

• Flying from Dubai to Toronto costs $1000.

• I have put a budget of $200 for local travel costs (ubering to and from the airport, to and from the conference) and another $200 as miscellaneous.

The total expenses come to $5000.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am only seeking funding for travel costs, not research related costs, and I am traveling alone.

I have been to NeurIPs 2024. More information is available on my website: https://abdur-raheem.com/

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

I would not be able to attend in person, which would impact my ability to get detailed feedback from other researchers and produce high quality safety research.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

I have not raised money in the last 12 months.