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.