Hi there, I'm Simon Grimm. I'm an editor at Works in Progress, where I focus on AI and European progress.
Personal Writing
Nineteen thoughts on AI and Europe
Protectionism and industrial policy won't fix our problems
Getting frontier access
Frontier AI is becoming ever more powerful. AI Security Institutes are best positioned to secure European governments’ reliable access.
Compute für alle
Unleashing a European AI buildout will require national supply-side policy, not EU funds.
Building liberal compute
American AI companies won’t move to Europe. But we can work to have them deploy compute on liberal shores.
Let Europeans use AI
AI progress is fast. This makes the EU’s high-risk AI rules unworkable.
Why is Switzerland so rich?
Thoughts on a prosperous and well-run nation
Talent sorting in Germany is flawed
Medical school is great, but shouldn't be the default for high-achieving kids
Policy Briefs
Scaling US Pathogen Detection
Here we model how the US could dramatically scale up its pathogen detection capabilities at a funding level of $52M/year. The system design is both informed by modeling work, and NAO's extensive experience piloting metagenomic biosurveillance.
Accelerating the Defensive Deployment of Pathogen Sequencing
For the Techno-Industrial Policy Playbook—a collaboration by IFP, FAI, American Compass, and NAIA—I provide policy recommendations on how the US government can accelerate both environmental and clinical surveillance of new pathogen outbreaks.
Scaling Pathogen Detection with Metagenomics
For the Institute for Progress' Launch Sequence series, I describe how government deployment of metagenomic sequencing, combined with the increased use of frontier AI for data analysis, can identify both known and novel pathogens.
White Papers
Estimating the Sensitivity of Wastewater Metagenomic Sequencing using Nasal Swabs
Using sequencing data from both NAO's wastewater and swab sampling system, we estimate the sensitivity of wastewater metagenomic sequencing for pathogen detection.
Comparing Sampling Strategies for Early Detection of Stealth Biothreats
Will Bradshaw and I outline how to think about the benefits and drawbacks of different sampling strategies for the early detection of asymptomatically spreading pathogens.
Investigating the Sensitivity of Pooled Swab Sampling for Pathogen Early Detection
Will Bradshaw and I take existing swab sample sequencing data, adjust it to better represent samples from non-hospital settings, and use the results to model the likely sensitivity of a swab-sampling and metagenomics-based early detection system.
Academic Publications
Inferring the Sensitivity of Wastewater Metagenomic Sequencing for Pathogen Early Detection
The Lancet Microbe
In this paper, we create a modelling framework that combines epidemiological data and metagenomic sequencing data to infer the sensitivity and cost of wastewater metagenomic sequencing for pathogen early detection.
Indoor Air Sampling for Detection of Viral Nucleic Acids
Journal of Aerosol Science
In this review we examine the sources and composition of viral bioaerosols, evaluate the benefits and drawbacks of air sampling technologies, and lay out strategies for effective implementation of air sampling programs.