AI policy needs technical experts.
A fully funded eight-day program for people with a technical AI safety background who want to put their expertise to work in policy. No policy experience required.
Applications for the October cohort are open. Deadline: Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT.
The US government will react to transformative AI, and how well that goes depends on who is in the room; right now, those rooms are short of people who deeply understand the technology. The Longitude DC Intensive gives you eight days in Washington, DC to see where your expertise fits and take your first step into the room.
In eight days you get the foundations of US AI policy, hands-on experiences of different policy roles, communications training, and a DC network to help with your next steps.
The first days build and refresh your foundations: how the US government works, where AI policy stands right now, and how to talk about AI safety in DC.
Next, you explore the breadth of policy careers through realistic exercises and hands-on workshops, built with the organizations that hire for these roles. This deepens your understanding of both AI policy and the job landscape itself.
Along the way, you meet people from a variety of policy organizations in talks, lunch discussions and evening socials. You also have your cohort and our team to support you on your next steps.
After the Intensive, we support you to make your move into policy as smooth and quick as possible by connecting you to organizations, fellowships and openings – provided AI policy is where you want to go next.
Capitol Hill
Think tank
Advocacy org
Frontier AI lab
First speakers will be announced soon.
We are looking for impact-driven people with a technical background and AI safety context, curious where their expertise could matter in policy.
You understand how frontier AI systems are built and trained, whether from AI safety work, a technical degree, or research.
You have engaged with AI safety and can reason about why frontier AI risks matter.
You do not need policy experience, but if you find a role here that you want, you would go for it.
You want to reduce catastrophic risk from AI and think that through policy work you could contribute to this.
You hold at least an undergraduate degree, and ideally bring some years of work or research experience, inside AI safety or not.
You enjoy sharing and explaining your ideas, and much of this work runs on clear writing and conversation.
These are no hard criteria and we would much rather get your application than have you rule yourself out. If in doubt, apply.
Applications for the October cohort close on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT.
Participation is free. We cover the program itself, housing in DC, meals on program days, and travel from within the US. If you join from abroad, we ask you to contribute to your flight, with the details agreed before you accept your spot.
You should have a genuine technical background, from a degree, research, or hands-on work, and be able to explain how frontier AI systems are built and trained. A PhD or research experience is a plus, not a requirement.
An undergraduate degree is the minimum. Beyond that, some years of work or research experience make the move into government easier and we weigh them positively, but they are not a hard requirement.
No. DC has policy experts; what it lacks are people who understand the technology. The first days cover the policy foundations, and the rest of the program shows you what the roles look like in practice.
It depends on how concrete your picture is. If you are already in a policy role or a fellowship like Horizon or TechCongress, this program will not add much for you. But if you are fairly sure you want policy and just do not know what the roles actually look like or how to get into them, the eight days can give you exactly that overview and network.
That is a great outcome too. You go back to technical or generalist work with a much better model of how DC thinks, how to communicate your work there, and people to call when policy questions reach you.
The last day is dedicated to next steps: career mapping, 1:1s, application planning, and warm intros. If you decide to pursue policy, we will support you in taking the next concrete step.
A short written application and one interview. Applications for the October cohort are open until Wednesday, August 12, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT, and you can apply here.
If you know someone who'd be a great fit for the Longitude DC Intensive, send us a referral through this short form. We follow up on every referral.
Yes, as long as you are currently based in the US. Many DC policy roles at think tanks and nonprofits do not require citizenship, while most government positions do, and we will map what is open to you during the program. US citizens who are temporarily living abroad can also apply. What we cannot accept in this cohort are people who are neither US citizens nor based in the US.
In 1714, the British Parliament passed the Longitude Act. Ships and crews were being lost because nobody could measure longitude at sea, a problem the government knew mattered but could not solve from within. The answer came from technical talent: John Harrison, a self-taught clockmaker, built a clock precise enough to keep London time on a rolling ship. AI policy is at a similar moment, and the hardest problems will not be solved without people who understand the technology in the room. The fine vertical lines across this site are lines of longitude. The red ones are the red lines AI development should not cross.