Job Vacancy: Research Assistant
I'm hiring a research assistant to help with my forthcoming book!
Update: We are no longer receiving applications for this job posting. Thank you.
Overview
What: Support the completion of a forthcoming general-audience nonfiction book on AI. You'll conduct research, draft chapters, edit existing content, and help transform an incomplete manuscript into a polished final product for publication by OR Books and The Nation Magazine.
Why: The project, Obsolete: Power, Profit, and the Race to Build Machine Superintelligence, has the potential to be the go-to AI risk book in the post-ChatGPT era. You’ll also get the opportunity to work closely with an experienced journalist and writer who has a track record of publishing work in leading outlets (NYT, Nature, BBC, TIME, Foreign Policy, etc.).
Start Date: As soon as possible
Employment Type: Fixed term (6 months, with possibility of extension); full time
Location: Remote, provided at least three hours overlap between 10am-6pm ET.
Compensation: $37,485-$65,442 total compensation for the 6-month period, depending on experience and location
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, but please apply as soon as you can. Priority may be given to applicants who can move through the process sooner.
Details
About the Role
I'm seeking a full-time Research Assistant to work with me on my forthcoming nonfiction book on AI, titled Obsolete: Power, Profit, and the Race to Build Machine Superintelligence. The book will be published by a new joint imprint of OR Books and The Nation magazine. The manuscript is due mid-September 2025 and publication expected in Spring 2026. Accordingly, this is intended as a 6-month fixed term position (with some possibility of extension). Hours should average 40/week, but may increase with proximity to the due date.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to contribute to a timely examination of the powerful forces shaping AI development. Additionally, you will work closely with an experienced journalist whose work has been featured in leading publications and recognized by experts in the field.
The Book Project
The book (currently ~60% complete) focuses on how commercial and great power competition shape the race to build increasingly powerful and autonomous AI systems. You can find a full description of the book at the end of this document.
I aim for this to be the definitive book on AI risk in the post-ChatGPT era. Given the subject matter, timing, and the support of a major publication (The Nation), Obsolete has the potential to reach large and influential audiences.
Who I Am
I'm Garrison Lovely, a freelance journalist reporting on the intersection of economics, geopolitics, and artificial intelligence. My writing has appeared in The New York Times, Nature, BBC, TIME, The Thomson Reuters Foundation, Foreign Policy, The Verge, The Guardian US, Vox, and many other outlets. I've written cover stories for The Nation and Jacobin, with my piece "Can Humanity Survive AI" leading to my current book deal. I'm also a Reporter in Residence at the Omidyar Network and publisher of Obsolete, a fast-growing Substack on AI.
My reporting and commentary on AI has been shared by the three “godfathers” of deep learning (Yoshua Bengio, Yann LeCun, and Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton), noted AI critic Gary Marcus, Life 3.0 author Max Tegmark, and many others. I've spoken on AI at Harvard, the Federation of American Scientists, and the Fund for Alignment Research (FAR Labs).
My writing has been translated into 5 languages and cited dozens of times by mainstream outlets (including the New Yorker, NYT, The Atlantic, ProPublica, The Brookings Institution, The Guardian, Axios, and NY Magazine). My media appearances have received over 8 million combined views/listens, and my social media posts have gained over 18 million impressions.
Key Responsibilities
As Research Assistant, your responsibilities will include:
Conducting in-depth research on assigned topics, synthesizing findings into clear, well-organized reports
Writing first drafts of book chapters based on detailed outlines I provide
Editing and refining existing drafts for clarity, flow, and accuracy
Supplying and formatting references
Tracking developments in AI news, research, and policy relevant to the book's themes
Assisting with fact-checking and source verification
Meeting regular deadlines and communicating proactively about progress
Depending on the candidate chosen, there may also be opportunities to:
Help write excerpts of the book for leading publications
Continue research and writing work for future multimedia AI-related projects
Qualifications
The ideal candidate is likely to have:
Research and/or writing experience, as evidenced by an extensive portfolio (which can include blog posts as well as other publications)
Excellent research skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information from diverse sources
Strong writing skills, especially in nonfiction, journalistic, or academic writing
Ability to produce clear, explanatory, fun, and engaging material, without compromising accuracy. See my Jacobin story for what I aim for.
Self-motivation and ability to work independently while meeting deadlines
Attention to detail, particularly in fact-checking and citation management
Extensive familiarity with the frontier AI industry, AI policy, and/or AI safety literature (strongly preferred)
A background in economics and/or international relations is a plus
Location
This is a full-time, remote-friendly job, with slight preference for those based in or willing to visit NYC. Work hours are flexible, provided at least 3 hours of overlap between 10am and 6pm ET daily.
I am happy to consider candidates based outside of the US, but will not be able to provide visa sponsorship at this time.
Compensation & Benefits
Salary: $30,000-$50,000 for the 6-month period, depending on experience and location ($60,000-$100,000 annualized)
Payroll tax reimbursement: $2,485-$4,142
Health insurance stipend: $3,000-$4,800
Additional perks: $2,000-$6,500
Total compensation package: $37,485-$65,442
Other Benefits:
Mentorship from an established journalist and writer
Potential for continued collaboration beyond the initial 6-month period
Opportunity to be extensively credited in acknowledgements in a published book
Application Process
After considering written applications, promising candidates may be invited to complete a short work trial followed by interviews.
I’ll ask finalists to provide references and participate in a longer paid work trial.
I am committed to fostering a culture of inclusion, and I encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact me at tgarrisonlovely@gmail.com.
More on the Book
Depending on who you ask, artificial intelligence is our salvation or our doom; an overhyped, bigoted bullshit artist or the ticket to immortality and utopian abundance; just another tech fad or the last invention we need ever make. The AI discourse is confusing, messy, and frustrating. But the technology — and our response to it — will shape the future, whether or not we're part of the conversation.
Obsolete is for those who are interested in learning more about AI, but are unsure of where to start and who to believe. They may feel intimidated by the technical jargon, put off by dry and abstract prose, or skeptical of the loudest voices on the issue (like Elon Musk and Sam Altman). Obsolete will introduce readers to the basics of AI, the idea that it could lead to human extinction, the roiling three-sided debate surrounding extinction fears, and the people and companies trying to build artificial general intelligence (AGI) — that which can outwit humans across the board. The book will grapple with the core arguments animating the AI debates, which are, by turns, uncritically parroted and unduly dismissed. It will also cut through industry hype while seriously entertaining the implications of AGI.
The risk that AGI could result in our extinction is being recognized by a significant and growing number of leading AI researchers, industrialists, and policymakers, along with the wider public. Existential risk from AI has been explored in other books, but Obsolete will be the first to center its analysis on how both capitalist and great power competition make AI more dangerous.
Obsolete will also tackle questions like: Can machines actually outsmart humanity? If so, when could that happen? If AGI is possible, is it inevitable? Why are people trying to build a technology they claim could end the world? Is the idea of AI-driven extinction the product of a big tech conspiracy aiming to hype the technology and control its regulation? Why has the left mostly ignored or dismissed existential risk from AI? Why do some powerful techies welcome human extinction? How could AI enable stable authoritarian regimes? How could killer robots reshape war and the balance of power? What do China and the US want from AI? And why has it become the front line of their brewing Cold War? And finally: What can and should we do about it?