Application Guide

How to Apply for Director AGI Economics

at Google DeepMind

🏢 About Google DeepMind

Google DeepMind is uniquely positioned at the intersection of cutting-edge AI research and real-world impact, with a mission-driven focus on safety, ethics, and public benefit. Unlike purely commercial AI labs, it combines Google's resources with DeepMind's pioneering research culture, making it the ideal environment for tackling humanity-scale challenges like AGI economics.

About This Role

This role involves establishing and leading a completely new research stream on post-AGI economics at Google DeepMind, moving beyond near-term impacts to explore fundamental questions about scarcity, resource distribution, and economic systems in a world transformed by AGI/ASI. You'll be responsible for developing the research agenda, informing company strategy, and shaping the global conversation on building a prosperous post-AGI future.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve morning meetings with AI safety researchers to understand latest technical developments, followed by focused time developing economic models for post-scarcity scenarios, then collaborating with policy teams to draft white papers, and ending with reviewing agent-based simulations of resource distribution under different AGI governance frameworks.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who Google DeepMind Is Looking For

  • Holds a PhD in Economics with deep expertise in economic modeling, agent-based simulation, or institutional economics, combined with genuine understanding of AI's long-term societal implications
  • Has proven ability to pioneer independent research in emerging, complex fields—not just applying existing economic frameworks but developing new ones for unprecedented scenarios
  • Demonstrates exceptional communication skills to translate highly technical economic concepts about post-scarcity futures for both technical AI researchers and policy stakeholders
  • Shows genuine alignment with DeepMind's dual focus on groundbreaking research and ethical responsibility, particularly regarding AI's distributional impacts

📝 Tips for Applying to Google DeepMind

1

Explicitly connect your economic research background to AGI scenarios—don't just list your PhD topics; explain how your modeling approaches could adapt to post-scarcity or superintelligence contexts

2

Reference specific DeepMind research papers or blog posts about AI safety, governance, or long-term impacts to show you understand their existing work and where economics fits in

3

Prepare a 1-page research proposal outline for your first 6 months in the role, showing how you'd establish this new workstream at the intersection of economics and AGI

4

Highlight any interdisciplinary collaboration experience, as you'll need to work closely with AI researchers who may have limited economics background

5

Demonstrate awareness of both optimistic and catastrophic economic scenarios for AGI, showing balanced, evidence-based thinking about uncertainty

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Your vision for what 'AGI economics' as a field should encompass and how you'd build it from the ground up at DeepMind", "Specific examples where you've pioneered research in emerging areas, not just applied existing frameworks", "How your economic expertise complements DeepMind's existing technical AI safety and governance work", "Why DeepMind's mission-driven approach (vs. purely commercial labs) is essential for this research area"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → DeepMind's published work on AI governance, safety, and societal impact (especially papers from their governance team)
  • → The career backgrounds of current DeepMind leadership to understand their interdisciplinary research culture
  • → Google's and DeepMind's public positions on AI ethics and responsible development
  • → Previous economic-adjacent work at AI labs (like OpenAI's economic impacts research) to identify gaps DeepMind might fill

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you design an economic model to explore distributional impacts of AGI-driven productivity shocks?
2 What existing economic theories become most relevant/irrelevant in a post-scarcity scenario, and what new theories need development?
3 How would you collaborate with DeepMind's AI safety teams to ensure economic research informs technical development?
4 What metrics would you propose for measuring economic well-being in a world where traditional GDP may become meaningless?
5 How would you approach the tension between open academic publication and responsible disclosure of sensitive AGI economic findings?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on near-term AI economic impacts (automation, labor markets) without demonstrating serious engagement with post-AGI/ASI scenarios
  • Treating economics as purely technical modeling without connecting to DeepMind's mission of public benefit and ethical responsibility
  • Showing more interest in traditional academic economics prestige than in building a new interdisciplinary field within an AI research lab

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Google DeepMind!

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