AI Policy
Accelerator
The Programme
Participants will build a foundational understanding of AI, approaches to AI policy, and how to launch a career in the field to positively shape the future of AI.​​​​​​​
-
Dates: 14th February – 17th April 2026​
-
​Location: London
-
Stipend: £600 total to support living and study costs
-
Travel reimbursements available​​
​
Eligibility
We are looking for people with motivation and interest in contributing to AI governance through their career. There's no specific eligibility requirements for participating.
Relevant background include (but are not limited to):
-
Public policy/politics
-
Economics
-
Law
-
International relations/security
-
Computer science, AI, ML, cybersecurity, or related fields
-
Corporate governance/regulation
​
You should be able to attend all in-person components in central London, we will confirm the exact locations and timings on acceptance. The expected time commitment is 4 hours per week during the course, and 10 hours per week during the research projects.
​​​
The programme is designed primarily for students graduating in 2026 including Masters and final year undergraduates, but we encourage anyone to apply that might benefit from the programme. We highly encourage applications from underrepresented backgrounds. If you require any support or accommodations, please get in touch.​​
Timeline
Applications Open
Deadline: 6th January 2026 (11:59 GMT)
Selection Process
7th - 30th January
If successful, we will invite you to complete a short interview with our team before sending final decisions.
​Accelerator Course
14th February - 22nd March
The programme begins with a 5-week training course with weekly sessions, held outside of working hours (most likely on weekends).
Research projects
23rd March - 17th April
Work in small teams with an experienced supervisor on a policy question. You are expected to spend 10 hours per week working on the 4 week project.
Course Curriculum
The course will include weekly 4 hour sessions with lectures, workshops, exercises, and guest speakers. ​The final curriculum is subject to change but cover the following topics.
​
Week 1 – Understanding AI
-
​The first week will cover what's driving progress in AI and what AI is capable of today.
Week 2 – Navigating advanced AI
-
This week will cover the benefits and risks of AI and the importance of work in AI policy.​
Week 3 – Policy levers
-
​We'll cover potential policy levers for AI, including compute governance, model evaluations, international AI governance, and policy development.
Week 4 – Current AI governance landscape
-
This week looks at current work in AI governance including how governments and frontier AI companies are currently approaching AI policy, focussing particularly on work in the UK.​
Week 5 – Careers and skills for policymaking
-
​In the final week we'll cover careers and skills needed to succeed in AI policy. We'll help you think through your next steps and start to create a career plan.
Research Project
The research project phase aims to prepare you for work in AI Policy by providing you with relevant experience, connections, and expertise. Participants will work in small teams of 3-4 for 10 hours per week to produce a project in a current area of frontier AI governance, directed by an experienced supervisor.
​​
After the programme
After the AI Policy Accelerator you'll join our alumni network and receive continued support with your next steps.
We offer support through two primary opportunities:
-
Mentorship scheme
Participants will have the opportunity to join our mentorship scheme to be paired with someone working in AI governance. Previously our mentors worked at think tanks including Center for the Governance of AI, RAND, Ada Lovelace Institute, and policy teams at frontier AI Labs. Note that participation in the mentorship scheme depends on mentors available and isn't guaranteed on acceptance to the Accelerator. -
Internship placements
We expect to organise internship placements for a small number of participants allowing them to build experience working in a think tank or AI governance organisation. Last we organised placements at Safe AI Forum and Social Market Foundation. You can read more about the internship placements here.
​​
​
Further questions about the programme?
We’re happy to chat – feel free to contact us directly.
Further Reading & Resources
To better understand what a career in AI governance looks like, we encourage you to explore resources featured on our blog.
What our past participants say
The programme really exceeded my expectations, and I feel I have much better technical and policy understanding.
AI Policy Accelerator Participant 2025