Ben studies the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) to trigger a world war and how to prevent that from happening.
In particular, he studies AI-triggered military power shifts, the causes of war, and the international governance of AI (e.g., institutions to enable a global AI market)—with a particular focus on verification.
His prior specializations include semiconductor physics and full-stack software engineering.
As a social scientist, his strongest methodological areas are formal theory, quantitative analysis, and process tracing. Ben also tends to draw heavily on his background in the natural and formal sciences, with a particular emphasis on machine learning, semiconductors, cryptography, and nuclear science. Previously, he spent a decade working for Silicon Valley startups as a software engineer and manager.
He is a DPhil Affiliate at the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, a research group examining the risks of AI and how those risks can be addressed through governance.
Areas of expertise
Artificial intelligence
Semiconductors
Cryptography
Nuclear science
Formal theory
Quantitative analysis
Publications
Robert Trager, Ben Harack, Anka Reuel, et al. International Governance of Civilian AI: A Jurisdictional Certification Approach.