6 ms·

Is there any solid evidence of this being legit? The web sites [1][2]seem kind of thin, and maybe the whole game is to collect a bunch of contact info for AI re

Is there any solid evidence of this being legit? The web sites [1][2]seem kind of thin, and maybe the whole game is to collect a bunch of contact info for AI researchers. I imagine one could sell that list to recruiters. [1]http://www.cyc.com/ http://www.cyc.com/ [2]http://aigrant.org/ http://aigrant.org/

danicgross 9y ago
No! I don't know anything about Cyc, but AI Grant is very real. I run YC AI (http://ycombinator.com/ai http://ycombinator.com/ai). Nat is the VP of Developer Services at Microsoft. We're not doing this to sell info to recruiters. We're doing this because we're passionate about AI research. And because we think the best ideas often come from the fringe. We want to encourage others to take their side projects more seriously. Feel free to message any of our existing Fellows and ask about their experience.
- bittercynic 9y ago
  Sorry I voiced that musing. Guess I was just being true to my username.
  - crankylinuxuser 9y ago
    Nah, these days, you can't always be sure that someone's running a grift. The internet sure as hell makes it easy and approaching $0 to scam. And being cranky as well, I get it. But this is legit.
- tomkinson 9y ago
  Pls consider changing the 'grant in minutes'. I am busy so I read the headline and jumped right to the page URL. It said nothing of the substantial requirements and commitments both data and time. That should be spelled out up front. This felt very un-comfortable, to keep being asked for more. If nothing else, spell out what you want upfront. - Application form - 100 question personality test - 10 question spatial test prelim - 20 min spatial test - who knows
- icc97 9y ago
  The website is very light on contact details. Specifying things like physical addresses of where you're registered/located are fairly simple things to differentiate yourselves from scam artists.
crankylinuxuser 9y ago
Yep, I vouch for Nat Friedman. I applied last time it came up, and had a good discussion that how I wanted to approach wouldn't quite have worked within the scope of the grant. Certainly no hard feelings at all (it was an oddball 3d scanner, like really weird). I felt that Nat was respectful and sincere. I never got even an inkling that this was some scraping scam or something. Tl;Dr. I've seen a lot of scams through the years. This certainly wasn't (and isn't) one.
dubious99 9y ago
Wouldn't the data be covered under HIPPA (the data regarding personality could be construed as medical information, therefore opening this up to federal criminal charges?

danicgross 9y ago

No! I don't know anything about Cyc, but AI Grant is very real. I run YC AI (http://ycombinator.com/ai http://ycombinator.com/ai). Nat is the VP of Developer Services at Microsoft. We're not doing this to sell info to recruiters. We're doing this because we're passionate about AI research. And because we think the best ideas often come from the fringe. We want to encourage others to take their side projects more seriously. Feel free to message any of our existing Fellows and ask about their experience.

bittercynic 9y ago
Sorry I voiced that musing. Guess I was just being true to my username.
- crankylinuxuser 9y ago
  Nah, these days, you can't always be sure that someone's running a grift. The internet sure as hell makes it easy and approaching $0 to scam. And being cranky as well, I get it. But this is legit.
tomkinson 9y ago
Pls consider changing the 'grant in minutes'. I am busy so I read the headline and jumped right to the page URL. It said nothing of the substantial requirements and commitments both data and time. That should be spelled out up front. This felt very un-comfortable, to keep being asked for more. If nothing else, spell out what you want upfront. - Application form - 100 question personality test - 10 question spatial test prelim - 20 min spatial test - who knows
icc97 9y ago
The website is very light on contact details. Specifying things like physical addresses of where you're registered/located are fairly simple things to differentiate yourselves from scam artists.

crankylinuxuser 9y ago

Yep, I vouch for Nat Friedman. I applied last time it came up, and had a good discussion that how I wanted to approach wouldn't quite have worked within the scope of the grant. Certainly no hard feelings at all (it was an oddball 3d scanner, like really weird). I felt that Nat was respectful and sincere. I never got even an inkling that this was some scraping scam or something. Tl;Dr. I've seen a lot of scams through the years. This certainly wasn't (and isn't) one.

dubious99 9y ago

Wouldn't the data be covered under HIPPA (the data regarding personality could be construed as medical information, therefore opening this up to federal criminal charges?