Applications for Cohort 1 of the KAISH Introduction Program close 15/10/2026, 23:59 Erbil time.
ApplyKurdistan AI Safety Hub · Erbil
We introduce students and young professionals to AI safety: how modern AI is changing the world, what can go wrong, and how they can build careers that help. Small cohorts, open discussion, and a direct line to the global AI safety community.
Cohort 112 weeksstarts at 13/10/2026Freeends at 16/10/2026
Why the Hub exists
Work on making AI systems safe is concentrated in a handful of cities. Students in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok and Halabja have the talent to take part, but few structured routes in: no local community, no mentors, and no one to ask where to start.
The Hub is that route, built to the standard of established international programs and grounded in our own context.
Flagship program
Applications open
Twelve weeks of guided discussions: what AI safety is and why it matters, and how to grow as a professional and build a successful career.
What we do
Education and cohorts
Weekly facilitated discussions in small groups. Our first is the 12-week KAISH Introduction Program, and every program we design is published openly.
See the programTechnical reading groups
Small groups in interpretability, evaluations, scalable oversight and governance, each led by someone who knows the paper well. The first groups open to Cohort 1 participants and invited researchers in Oct-2026.
Browse the reading libraryField building
Introductions to mentors, guidance on applying to international fellowships and research programs, and talks from researchers working on these problems. We also train local facilitators so the Hub can grow beyond one cohort.
Join our teamAfter 12 weeks
Explain in plain words how today’s AI systems are made, what they do well, and where they fail.
Weigh the main arguments about AI risk, and say which you find convincing and why.
Speak and write clearly, work well in a team, and have a CV and profile ready for opportunities.
Leave with a personal plan for your next six months: a program to apply to, a skill to build, or a person to learn from.
Our program draws on openly published material from established AI safety programs. We are not formally affiliated with those organizations.
News and events
NewsEvent24 October 2026
We have officially kicked off our introduction program cohorts, bringing together Kurdish students from Kurdistan.
Read moreNews and photos from our sessions, talks and events will appear here.
Cohort 1
Applications close 15/10/2026 at 23:59 Erbil time. The form takes about 20 minutes, and every application is read by at least two members of our team.
Occasional emails about application rounds, reading groups and public talks. A few messages a term. We never share your address.
