Pooja CHANDWANI

Cause Areas of Interest in EA:

• AI strategy & policy

• Building EA communities

• Improving institutional decision making

• Long-term future

How did you first get involved with the EA community?

In late 2015, Wanyi, Jeff and Kyle had set up a meetup for anyone keen on EA principles. I had read a little about EA by then and had seen Peter Singer’s Ted talk. I had also had a chance to attend a lesswrong meetup in Singapore at the time. All of these things culminated into me joining the group and wanting to do something tangible. That is also how the chapter was created, Wanyi put everything on hold to start doing this work full time. She inspired me to do more by leading by example.

How has Effective Altruism influenced you in your journey of trying to do the most good?

The tenets of EA appeal to me on a broader range. So most of its philosophy was aligned to my thinking and my personal quest to do things in the most efficient way possible. That said, being part of EA has changed my career trajectory, it has led me to working with the AI product team and my pursuit of AI ethics within this team.

What interests you the most about being a part of the EA community?

I am one of the fortunate few who have the means to help and do more, the community keeps me honest and accountable to that goal and allows me opportunities to assess my thinking on a regular basis. I get a chance to interact with very impressive people who inspire me and instill the need to be the best version of me. I am still striving to get there, but it helps that I have live examples for inspiration and a great support system to work with myriad of doubts and issues.

What would you like to see more in your EA community?

I love how diverse EA SG is, I would love to see similar diversity in EA overall. I would be psyched to see more meaningful work in areas of AI Ethics, safety and alignment in Singapore. I am also looking forward to seeing all the strides being made in farm animal welfare and the work Wanyi and Divya are undertaking.

What advice would you give to someone who is considering a career change into an EA aligned one?

Be ready for iterations / changes. I have seen EA charter change priorities and so anyone who is taking this up ought to be mindful of that, have a growth mindset and adapt to changes effectively.

Can you share your own giving journey with us?

I have taken GWWC pledge: - I come from a lower middle income family in India. My home where I spent most of my formative years wasn’t too far from the slums of Pune and so I grew up with the realization that I was among the privileged few who had a better life in comparison to many. That and my dad's generous nature instilled the value of giving from a very young age.  

That coupled with structure and community a formal pledge provides makes it a no brainer for someone like me. Despite that, it took me a couple of years to actually take the pledge. I had help from Arvind who made some great arguments, one being "Inspiration". Pre-commitment helps me stick to my goals, community gives me a chance to learn more and feel more supported and writing about this will hopefully inspire someone else to consider it, all these together make it rather a compelling reason to want to commit to GWWC.

What would you advise someone who is keen on giving more effectively?

I would just give them the resources to read so they could take the tenets of EA up independently. I have realised, you commit to things when you are convinced of something and personally that has always been by researching and finding evidence for something.

Can you share one (random) fact which you think most people would not know about?

You can’t smell anything while you are asleep (REM sleep).