Emilio Barkett

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Hello! I’m an Independent AI Safety Researcher. I’m particularly interested in two key topics: (1) how AI systems, like language models, replicate human behavior and their attendant consequences for society, and (2) how organizations approach and adopt AI systems while managing risks of an emerging technology.

I’m currently a Research Mentor at SPAR, where I led projects investigating the above topics. Previously, I earned an MA in Media Studies / Sociology from Columbia University under the advisement of Diane Vaughan and James Chu. Before that, I studied Communication and Political Science at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, where I got my start in research with Mason Allred and read a lot of dead philosophers. I also spent a summer as a graduate researcher in the Management Division at Columbia Business School with Alan Zhang.

During my time at Columbia, I served as a Research Manager and AI Governance Fellowship Facilitator with the Columbia AI Alignment Club (CAIAC). In the former, my research group investigated how language models exhibited human behaviors, including truth-bias, ideological bias, and escalation of commitment. In the latter, I led ~25 students through the fundamentals of the field and guided them in generating new research ideas in AI Safety.

In terms of personal interests, I spend lots of time and energy on running, swimming, reading, music (jazz, classical, indie), philosophy, photography, and many other things. Previously, I volunteered in the Republic of Kiribati for nine months; paced 45 miles of the HURT 100; and backpacked through Switzerland, Austria, and Italy with my wife.

Feel free to reach out for any reason; I’m always happy to chat with new people.

Publications

Preprints

Works in Progress

Contributions as an RA