Role Overview
The AI Safety Argumentation Platform Research Engineer position at the Future of Life Institute is a full-time, contract role operating 100% globally remote with occasional travel required. This professional will develop and operate an evidentiary infrastructure that combines ontologies, knowledge graphs, and LLM-assisted pipelines to systematize AI catastrophic risks for various audiences.
Key Responsibilities
Extend ontologies and knowledge graph schemas to represent claims, evidence, argument structures, defeaters, and confidence levels.
Implement defeasible argumentation frameworks like ASPIC+ or Dung-style models that capture logical structure and vulnerability to rebuttal.
Operate and quality-control LLM-driven population pipelines featuring cross-check scaffolds, provenance tracking, and human-in-the-loop curation.
Architect agent coordination patterns for multi-step research and population tasks with error handling and graceful degradation.
Pre-harden argument structures by mapping the strongest counterarguments, steel-manned objections, and known defeaters.
Build export pipelines translating structured argumentation into diverse communications formats for policymakers, journalists, technical audiences, and the public.
Maintain current awareness across AI safety, capabilities, and governance to determine when graph updates are required.
Collaborate with communications staff and researchers to ensure outputs meet real persuasive needs.
Requirements
Working familiarity with formal or semi-formal argumentation theory such as abstract or structured argumentation, defeasible reasoning, or dialectical models.
Experience with ontology engineering or knowledge graph development including OWL/RDF or property graphs.
Operational experience with LLM agent systems, agent coordination platforms, prompt engineering at scale, and quality control regimes for LLM outputs.
Fluent vibecoding practice involving rapid prototyping and shipping with LLM-assisted development in production-adjacent contexts.
Substantive grounding in AI safety, AI governance, and current frontier-AI dynamics with the literacy to locate authoritative sources and human expertise.
Familiarity with philosophy of science concepts bearing on evidence like defeaters, burden of proof, and inference to the best explanation.
Good coding skills with comfort utilizing graph databases or query languages.
Experience designing cross-check and verification scaffolds for unreliable automated processes.
Sound judgment regarding claim support, hedging, substantiation, or withdrawal alongside self-direction and strong written communication.
Nice to Have
Graduate work or equivalent depth in argumentation theory, computational argumentation, epistemology, or philosophy of science.
Familiarity with AIF, Carneades, or comparable computational argumentation tools.
Track record in AI safety or governance through publications, policy work, or substantive community contributions.
Background in argument mining, claim extraction, or stance detection.
Experience with debate formats or structured deliberation methods.
Understanding of motivated reasoning, belief change, and cognitive biases related to communications strategy.
Open-source contributions in any relevant area.
Skills and Tools
Large Language Models (LLMs)
Knowledge Graphs and Ontologies (OWL/RDF)
Defeasible Argumentation Frameworks (ASPIC+, Dung-style)
LLM Agent Systems and Coordination Platforms
Graph Databases and Query Languages
Salary and Benefits
Annual Salary: USD 160,000 - 210,000
Employment Type: Full-Time, Contract
Location: Anywhere (Open Globally)
Note: Candidates outside the U.S. will be engaged as independent contractors due to fiscal sponsor limitations, and visa sponsorship is not available.
About the Company
The Center for AI Risk Management & Alignment (CARMA) is a project of the Future of Life Institute, working to help society navigate complex and potentially catastrophic risks from increasingly powerful AI systems. CARMA focuses on grounding AI risk management in rigorous analysis, developing AGI-appropriate policy frameworks, advancing technical safety approaches, and fostering global perspectives. CARMA is fiscally sponsored by Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation, and is an equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should apply directly on the official company careers page.
