Application Guide

How to Apply for Software Engineer - Core Technology

at AI Security Institute (AISI)

🏢 About AI Security Institute (AISI)

The AI Security Institute (AISI) is a leading organization focused on AI safety and security research, making it unique for engineers who want to work at the intersection of cutting-edge AI and critical security challenges. Working at AISI means contributing to open-source tools like Inspect that shape industry standards for AI evaluation, offering the chance to impact global AI safety practices directly.

About This Role

This Software Engineer role involves building and maintaining core infrastructure for AI security evaluations, including the open-source Inspect framework and model hosting platforms. You'll directly support research teams with custom infrastructure design, making this role impactful by enabling critical AI safety research that could influence policy and industry standards.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve collaborating with research teams to design custom infrastructure for new AI evaluation projects, then implementing features in Python for the Inspect framework. You could spend time reviewing open-source contributions, deploying updates via AWS with Terraform, and documenting tools to support both internal and external users.

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Interview Prep

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🎯 Who AI Security Institute (AISI) Is Looking For

  • A Python expert who writes production-quality code quickly and understands Pythonic practices and ecosystem tools (e.g., type hints, async, popular libraries)
  • Has hands-on experience with AWS or similar cloud providers using infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation
  • Demonstrates strong written communication through documentation, GitHub contributions, or technical writing, plus verbal skills for collaborating with research teams
  • Has prior experience or strong interest in working with AI/ML research teams, understanding their workflow and infrastructure needs

📝 Tips for Applying to AI Security Institute (AISI)

1

Highlight specific Python projects where you wrote production-quality code at pace, mentioning libraries/frameworks used and deployment processes

2

Showcase open-source contributions or experience collaborating with open-source communities, as AISI values this for tools like Inspect

3

Detail your infrastructure-as-code experience with AWS, including specific services (e.g., EC2, S3, Lambda) and tools (Terraform/CDK)

4

Provide examples of supporting research teams or working in research-oriented environments, even if not AI-specific

5

Tailor your resume to mention 'AI security', 'evaluation frameworks', or 'model hosting' to show domain relevance

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

["Express specific interest in AI security and safety, referencing AISI's mission or projects like Inspect", "Detail your Python and cloud infrastructure experience with metrics or outcomes (e.g., 'improved deployment speed by X% using Terraform')", "Explain how you've supported research teams or worked in fast-paced, research-driven environments", "Mention any open-source contributions or collaboration experience relevant to AISI's community work"]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Explore AISI's open-source projects on GitHub, especially Inspect, to understand their tech stack and contribution guidelines
  • → Review AISI's published research or blog posts on AI security to grasp their focus areas and terminology
  • → Learn about key AI security challenges (e.g., model robustness, adversarial attacks) to discuss domain knowledge
  • → Investigate AISI's team structure and recent projects to tailor your application to their current needs

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Deep dive into your Python experience: questions on Pythonic practices, concurrency, testing, and maintaining large codebases
2 Scenario-based questions on designing scalable infrastructure for AI model evaluations using AWS/IaC
3 Discussion of your experience with open-source projects or collaborating with external communities
4 Questions about working with research teams: how you prioritize, communicate, and adapt to changing requirements
5 Technical problem-solving related to AI security tools, e.g., 'How would you improve the Inspect framework?'
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic application without mentioning AI security, open-source, or research collaboration
  • Overemphasizing AI/ML modeling experience without showing strong software engineering or infrastructure skills
  • Failing to provide concrete examples of fast-paced, production-quality coding or IaC experience in past roles

📅 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 AI Security Institute (AISI)!

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