How to apply for Volunteer Opportunities

About PauseAI

PauseAI is a global advocacy group that wants governments to pause the development of superhuman AI. It works by informing the public, talking to decision-makers, and organizing protests. This is a chance to work directly on AI policy and public pressure, not on commercial AI products.

About the role

This is a set of volunteer roles, not a single job. You can apply for social media director, petition campaign organizer, Discord team member, onboarding team member, recruitment team member, or software team member. Each role supports PauseAI's core work of public outreach and political pressure. The impact depends on the role: social media and recruitment grow the movement, petition organizing pushes decision-makers, and software support keeps the team running.

A typical day

A typical day depends on the role. A social media director might draft posts and coordinate the communications team. A Discord team member might moderate channels and update server guides. A petition campaign organizer might set up petition pages and plan outreach. Since this is a remote volunteer role, most work happens online and on your own schedule, with coordination through PauseAI's channels.

Who PauseAI is looking for

• You agree with PauseAI's goal of pausing superhuman AI development and can state why clearly.
• You have direct experience in the specific volunteer area you are applying for, such as running social accounts, moderating Discord, organizing petitions, onboarding new members, recruiting, or providing software support.
• You can work with a remote, global volunteer team and communicate reliably without daily supervision.
• For community-facing roles, you can write and speak clearly to new members, the public, or decision-makers.

Tips for this application

• Apply for one specific role from the list, not all of them. State the exact role title in the first line of your application.
• Give one concrete example of relevant work for that role. For social media director, name the accounts you managed and the results. For Discord team member, describe the servers you moderated and the guides you wrote. For petition campaign organizer, describe a petition you set up and how many signatures it got.
• Explain why you support PauseAI's mission in two or three sentences. Do not just say you care about AI safety. Say what you think a pause would achieve and why governments should act.
• State your weekly time commitment and time zone. PauseAI is remote and global, so they need to know when you can work with the rest of the team.
• If you have any connection to PauseAI already, such as being in the Discord or attending a protest, mention it. If not, join the Discord before applying and say what you observed.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Which specific volunteer role you are applying for and why you are a fit for that role.', 'One or two concrete examples of past work in social media, organizing, community management, recruitment, or software, depending on the role.', "Your position on pausing superhuman AI development and why PauseAI's approach of public information, decision-maker talks, and protests makes sense to you.", 'Your availability, time zone, and how you will coordinate with a remote volunteer team.']

Research before applying

• Read the PauseAI website, especially the pages on their goals, protests, and current campaigns.
• Join the PauseAI Discord server and observe how the channels are run and how members interact.
• Look up recent PauseAI actions or statements in the news or on social media to understand their public messaging.
• Check who else is involved in PauseAI and what other volunteer roles exist, so you understand how your role fits into the wider team.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• What does pausing superhuman AI development mean to you, and why should governments do it?
• Walk us through a specific project you ran in social media, organizing, community management, recruitment, or software. What was your role and what was the result?
• How would you handle a conflict or spam problem in the PauseAI Discord server?
• How would you recruit new members from communities that are not already focused on AI risk?
• How do you manage your time as a volunteer when you have other work or study commitments?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying for every listed volunteer role at once. This shows you have not thought about where you can actually contribute.
• Writing only about general AI safety interest without giving a concrete example of relevant experience for the specific role.
• Ignoring the remote and global nature of the team. Not stating your time zone or availability makes it hard for them to place you.