I’d say a pretty good way is to try out AI alignment research as best you can, and see if you like it. This is probably best done by being an intern at some research group, but sadly these spots are limited. Perhaps one could factor it into “do I enjoy AI research at all”, which is easier to gain experience in, and “am I interested in research questions in AI alignment”, which you can hopefully determine through reading AI alignment research papers and introspecting on how much you care about the contents.
I’d say a pretty good way is to try out AI alignment research as best you can, and see if you like it. This is probably best done by being an intern at some research group, but sadly these spots are limited. Perhaps one could factor it into “do I enjoy AI research at all”, which is easier to gain experience in, and “am I interested in research questions in AI alignment”, which you can hopefully determine through reading AI alignment research papers and introspecting on how much you care about the contents.