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About the Hub
We bridge talented students and engineers in the Kurdistan Region with the global AI safety research community, by training them in the field’s technical foundations and connecting them to the people and programs doing the work.
Why we exist
AI systems are becoming more capable every year, and they are being deployed everywhere, including here. The research that aims to make them reliable, interpretable and controllable is concentrated in a small number of cities, and so are the reading groups, mentors and programs that train new researchers.
Talent is not concentrated in the same way. Universities in Erbil, Sulaimani, Duhok and beyond produce strong programmers and mathematicians, but few of them have a structured route into this field. Most never meet anyone working on it.
The Hub is that route. We started with one program, built to the standard of established international courses, and we intend to do it well before doing more.
Vision
Within a decade, people from the Kurdistan Region contribute directly to making advanced AI safe: as researchers and engineers on international teams, as founders of local research groups, and as informed voices in how AI is governed in Kurdistan Region and the wider region.
How we work
- Depth over reachSmall cohorts and real conversations. We would rather train 20 people well than 200 superficially.
- Open by defaultOur programs and session guides are published for anyone to use.
- Honest about where we areWe are new. We report what we run, what we learn and what didn’t work, and we don’t claim results we haven’t produced.
- Global standards, local rootsOur curriculum is benchmarked against established international programs, while discussions draw on our own languages, infrastructure and policy context.
- Serious about disagreementAI risk is contested. We teach the strongest arguments on every side and expect participants to reach their own conclusions.
What we do
Education and cohorts
The 12-week KAISH Introduction Program, with Cohort 1 starting 16/10/2026.
Technical reading groups
Paper-by-paper groups in interpretability, evaluations, oversight and governance, starting 16/10/2026.
Field building
Introductions to mentors and international programs, public talks, and training local facilitators.
AI Kurd
The Hub and AI Kurd
The Kurdistan AI Safety Hub is an academic initiative affiliated with AI Kurd. The two have different purposes, and we keep them distinct.
| Aspect | AI Kurd | Kurdistan AI Safety Hub |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | AI education in Kurdish and English: articles, tutorials and AI tools | Education and research training in AI safety |
| Main audience | Kurdish speakers who want to learn about and use AI | Students, engineers and researchers |
| What it produces | Content, news and AI tools | Courses, reading groups, research projects and open syllabi |
| Website | aikurd.org | This site |
How the affiliation works
- The Hub’s team makes all decisions about curriculum, admissions and staff.
- AI Kurd provides {{aikurd.org}}.
- Applicant and participant data collected by the Hub is used only for the Hub’s programs. It is not used for AI Kurd’s marketing.
- Hub programs do not promote AI Kurd’s products, and AI Kurd content does not speak for the Hub.
Looking for AI Kurd’s news, tools or content? Visit {{aikurd.org}}.
Team
Who runs the Hub
The Hub is run by a small founding team, and we are recruiting facilitators, reading group leads and an operations manager for Cohort 1.
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Accountability
Funding and reporting
Our programs are free to participants.
After each cohort we publish a short public report covering applications, attendance, completion, what participants went on to do, and what we will change. The first report is due February 2027.
Contact
- General enquirieskurdistanaisafetyhub@gmail.com
- Applicationskurdistanaisafetyhub@gmail.com
- Joining the teamkurdistanaisafetyhub@gmail.com
- LocationUnknown, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq