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Top areas to work on

Power-seeking AI systems

AI-enabled power grabs

Engineered pandemics

Great power conflict

Factory farming

Wild animal suffering

Global health

Climate change

Emerging challenges

Moral status of digital minds

Gradual disempowerment

'S-risks'

Space governance

Catastrophic AI misuse

More problem profiles →
See all →
AI-focused career paths

AI governance and policy

AI safety technical research

Information security in high-impact areas

Expert in AI hardware

China-related AI safety and governance

Other top paths

Journalism

Biorisk research, strategy, and policy

Be a founder

Earn to give

Help build the effective altruism community

Research into global priorities

Nuclear weapons safety and security

Operations in high-impact organisations

More career reviews →
Key topics

Your career is your most important decision

A definition of impact

On problem selection

Why prioritise existential risks

Effective solutions

Making a big contribution

Differences in productivity

Comparative advantage

Being ambitious

Coordination

Exploration

Harmful jobs

Fundamentals of career planning

See the full series →
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Home Career guide Part 5: The world’s biggest problems and why they’re not what first comes to mind

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Part 5: The world’s biggest problems and why they’re not what first comes to mind

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