The AISO Fellowship
An 8-week, 90-minute-per-week introductory fellowship in AI safety and governance — adapted from BlueDot Impact's open course materials and rebranded as AISO's own. No technical background required.
8 weekly sessions
90 minutes each
1–2 hours reading
per week
8–14 fellows
per discussion room
No prerequisites
no technical background required
What this is
The Fellowship is an accessible, discussion-based introduction to the biggest questions in AI safety and governance. Over eight weeks you'll read one to two hours of curated material each week and meet for a 90-minute guided discussion in a small cohort. Week 8 runs a little longer — two hours — to make room for our closing speaker.
The curriculum is adapted from BlueDot Impact's AGI Strategy, Technical AI Safety, and AI Governance courses, reworked into a single cohesive AISO program. You'll also complete a capstone project that lets you apply what you've learned to a question you care about.
Who it's for
Students at campuses across Ontario — with a founding core at Wilfrid Laurier, the University of Waterloo, and Conestoga — plus local non-student professionals. If you're curious about the future of AI and want a structured, welcoming place to think it through, this is for you.
Curriculum
From where AI is today to taking a concrete step of your own — each week builds on the last.
Capabilities today
Ground ourselves in what today's AI systems can actually do — and how quickly those capabilities are changing.
Futures worth wanting
Imagine the futures advanced AI could unlock, and clarify which outcomes are actually worth steering toward.
Why alignment is hard
Explore the core technical and conceptual reasons that making AI reliably do what we intend is a genuinely difficult problem.
Misuse and power concentration
Examine how powerful AI could be misused, and how it might concentrate power in the hands of a few actors.
Gradual disempowerment
Consider the subtler risk of humanity slowly losing meaningful control as we hand more and more decisions to AI systems.
Technical defences
Survey the technical approaches researchers are developing to make AI systems safer, more interpretable, and more controllable.
Governance defences
Look at the policy, regulation, and institutional tools that can help steer AI development responsibly.
Take a side and take a step
Synthesize the course, form your own view, and commit to a concrete next step. This session runs two hours and closes with a fireside chat with Tzu Kit Chan.
Closing Fireside Chat
The Fellowship wraps up with a two-hour Week 8 session featuring a fireside chat with Tzu Kit Chan — a chance to bring your questions and reflect on where you'll go next.
Ready to join the next cohort?
Applications are open to students and professionals across Ontario. No technical background needed — just curiosity and a willingness to engage.