Field Building
Unconference 2026
An online coordination unconference for AI safety field-builders — map bottlenecks, share playbooks, identify missing infrastructure, and launch concrete follow-up projects.
The next 12–18 months are consequential
We're on track for ~$30bn/year of philanthropic funding from the Anthropic and OpenAI foundations — enough to pay 150,000 salaries. The opportunity for good created by this new wave of wealth is enormous. So is the gap in talent and institutional capacity needed to realize that opportunity.
What we do in the next 12–18 months will be tremendously consequential in determining what does or does not come from this new wave.
Why attend
Where evidence meets ambition. And reason drives action.
Build your network across 75+ countries. Find collaborators, mentors, and allies who share your drive to solve big problems. Get the information and encouragement you need to apply for opportunities that propel your career and boost your impact. Connect with those turning research into action and ambition into measurable impact.
Connect
Meet like-minded people passionate about making a positive impact worldwide.
Learn
Engage with groundbreaking ideas through talks, and workshops.
Grow
Identify your next move: the right role, program, or project that multiplies your impact.
Find Meaningful Work
Introduce yourself to impactful organizations looking for new hires.
New to field building or AI safety?
This is your place to start.
Familiar with field building or AI safety?
This is a chance to dive deeper.
Can't attend all three days?
Not a problem. Build a schedule to suit you.
Special activities
Mentorship Program
A robust mentorship program designed for connecting newcomers with experienced community members for structured guidance.
Want to share your expertise and help shape the future of the AI safety community?
Register to be a mentor →Organization Fair
Last year's most-attended event returns. Meet organizations building teams for global impact. Explore opportunities. Start conversations. Find where you fit.
Building a team? Connect directly with people ready to create meaningful change.
Register your organization →Supported by
Want to support FBU 2026? Become a partner →
Submit a session
FBU is an unconference. That means the schedule is open — anyone can add a session on any AI safety field-building relevant topic.
If you can think of it and it's relevant, you can put it on the schedule.
Submit Your Session →- ✦ Give a talk
- ✦ Host a discussion
- ✦ Run a workshop
- ✦ Share your hot takes & invite debate
- ✦ Pitch your project
- ✦ …or do something else entirely
FAQ
What is AI safety?+
AI safety is the field working to make sure increasingly capable AI systems remain safe and beneficial. It spans technical research — like alignment, interpretability, and robustness — as well as governance and policy work shaping how these systems are built and deployed.
What is field building?+
Field building is the work of growing a field's capacity to deliver on its mission: attracting and developing talent, creating institutions and infrastructure, directing funding where it's needed, and connecting people so research turns into results. FBU is about doing exactly that for AI safety.
Who should attend?+
Anyone building the AI safety field — funders, founders, researchers, community organizers, and people who want to become one of them.
How does virtual networking work?+
WIP (work in progress)
Have you organized virtual conferences before?+
WIP (work in progress)
What is an unconference, and how does it work?+
An unconference flips the usual format: instead of a fixed programme, the schedule starts open and the participants fill it. Anyone can propose a talk, discussion, or workshop, and attendees simply join the sessions they care about. We believe this is the best way to release the latent creative energies in everyone attending.
Why does FBU focus on field building?+
There are already strong venues for AI safety research itself. What's missing is a place for the layer around the research — talent pipelines, funding, community infrastructure, and coordination. FBU focuses narrowly on that layer, because that's where a few days of the right conversations can move the whole field.
How does being online make FBU more accessible?+
Field-builders are spread across the globe. Being online removes travel costs, visas, and time-zone lock-in — anyone doing this work can attend from anywhere, at no cost, and join exactly the sessions that matter to them.
Help shape what comes next
Join AI safety field-builders from around the world to map bottlenecks, share playbooks, and launch what's missing.