Trajectory Labs launches in Toronto to accelerate local AI safety initiatives through workspace, events, and community building. This nonprofit, funded by Open Philanthropy and operational since January 2025, aims to tap into Toronto’s potential to contribute meaningfully to AI safety. By creating a physical hub for collaboration and knowledge sharing, Trajectory Labs is addressing the practical needs of the growing AI safety community in a tech-forward Canadian city, offering an important model for how local ecosystems can organize to tackle global AI challenges.
The big picture: Trajectory Labs has established a nonprofit AI safety hub in downtown Toronto with funding from Open Philanthropy to nurture local talent and research capabilities.
- The organization has been fully operational since January 1st, 2025, with a mission to “catalyze Toronto’s role in steering AI progress toward a future of human flourishing.”
- The initiative reflects a belief that Toronto has “outsized untapped potential” to contribute to AI safety that can be realized through dedicated community building.
Key programs: Trajectory Labs offers three core initiatives designed to strengthen Toronto’s AI safety ecosystem.
- The Workspace program provides a fully-furnished coworking space with 24/7 access for approximately 30 AI safety practitioners, including twice-weekly community lunches.
- Their Events program hosts multiple gatherings each week, ranging from casual meetups to formal presentations and weekend hackathons.
- A Peer Network cultivates mentorship and collaboration opportunities to enhance individual work and strengthen Toronto’s collective capacity to address AI challenges.
Community composition: The membership spans diverse backgrounds unified by interest in AI safety work.
- The organization is managed by Executive Director Mario Gibney and Operations Generalist Juliana Eberschlag.
- Members include full-time AI safety practitioners (mostly independent or remote workers), university students from undergraduate to graduate levels, professionals in career transition, and volunteers working on mission-aligned projects.
Why this matters: Trajectory Labs represents a growing trend of localized, physical infrastructure development for AI safety research outside traditional academic or corporate environments.
- By providing free membership to qualified applicants, the initiative removes financial barriers to participation in AI safety work.
- The model demonstrates how dedicated community spaces can potentially accelerate progress in addressing complex technological challenges through collaboration.
Getting involved: Toronto-based or visiting individuals interested in AI safety can engage with Trajectory Labs through multiple channels.
- The organization maintains event listings on their website and Luma calendar for those wanting to attend gatherings.
- Potential members or visitors can apply for access through formal application processes.
- Additional inquiries can be directed to [email protected].
Recent Stories
DOE fusion roadmap targets 2030s commercial deployment as AI drives $9B investment
The Department of Energy has released a new roadmap targeting commercial-scale fusion power deployment by the mid-2030s, though the plan lacks specific funding commitments and relies on scientific breakthroughs that have eluded researchers for decades. The strategy emphasizes public-private partnerships and positions AI as both a research tool and motivation for developing fusion energy to meet data centers' growing electricity demands. The big picture: The DOE's roadmap aims to "deliver the public infrastructure that supports the fusion private sector scale up in the 2030s," but acknowledges it cannot commit to specific funding levels and remains subject to Congressional appropriations. Why...
Oct 17, 2025Tying it all together: Credo’s purple cables power the $4B AI data center boom
Credo, a Silicon Valley semiconductor company specializing in data center cables and chips, has seen its stock price more than double this year to $143.61, following a 245% surge in 2024. The company's signature purple cables, which cost between $300-$500 each, have become essential infrastructure for AI data centers, positioning Credo to capitalize on the trillion-dollar AI infrastructure expansion as hyperscalers like Amazon, Microsoft, and Elon Musk's xAI rapidly build out massive computing facilities. What you should know: Credo's active electrical cables (AECs) are becoming indispensable for connecting the massive GPU clusters required for AI training and inference. The company...
Oct 17, 2025Vatican launches Latin American AI network for human development
The Vatican hosted a two-day conference bringing together 50 global experts to explore how artificial intelligence can advance peace, social justice, and human development. The event launched the Latin American AI Network for Integral Human Development and established principles for ethical AI governance that prioritize human dignity over technological advancement. What you should know: The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Vatican's research body for social issues, organized the "Digital Rerum Novarum" conference on October 16-17, combining academic research with practical AI applications. Participants included leading experts from MIT, Microsoft, Columbia University, the UN, and major European institutions. The conference...