Our mission
Steering transformative technology towards benefitting life and away from extreme large-scale risks.
We believe that the way powerful technology is developed and used will be the most important factor in determining the prospects for the future of life. This is why we have made it our mission to ensure that technology continues to improve those prospects.
Our mission
Ensuring that our technology remains beneficial for life
Our mission is to steer transformative technologies away from extreme, large-scale risks and towards benefiting life.
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How certain technologies are developed and used has far-reaching consequences for all life on earth.
If properly managed, these technologies could change the world in a way that makes life substantially better, both for those alive today and those who will one day be born. They could be used to treat and eradicate diseases, strengthen democratic processes, mitigate - or even halt - climate change and restore biodiversity.
If irresponsibly managed, they could inflict serious harms on humanity and other animal species. In the most extreme cases, they could bring about the fragmentation or collapse of societies, and even push us to the brink of extinction.
The Future of Life Institute works to reduce the likelihood of these worst-case outcomes, and to help ensure that transformative technologies are used to the benefit of life.
Our missionIf properly managed, these technologies could change the world in a way that makes life substantially better, both for those alive today and those who will one day be born. They could be used to treat and eradicate diseases, strengthen democratic processes, mitigate - or even halt - climate change and restore biodiversity.
If irresponsibly managed, they could inflict serious harms on humanity and other animal species. In the most extreme cases, they could bring about the fragmentation or collapse of societies, and even push us to the brink of extinction.
The Future of Life Institute works to reduce the likelihood of these worst-case outcomes, and to help ensure that transformative technologies are used to the benefit of life.
Cause areas
The risks we focus on
We are currently concerned by four major risks. All four hinge on the development, use and governance of transformative technologies. We focus our efforts on guiding the impacts of these technologies.
Artificial Intelligence
From recommender algorithms to self-driving cars, AI is changing our lives. As the impact of this technology magnifies, so will its risks.
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Biotechnology
From the accidental release of engineered pandemics to the backfiring of a gene-editing experiment, the dangers from biotechnology are too great for us to proceed blindly.
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Nuclear Weapons
Almost eighty years after their introduction, the risks posed by nuclear weapons are as high as ever - and new research reveals that the impacts are even worse than previously reckoned.
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Climate Change
Likely the most well-known of our cause areas, climate change increases the likelihood of other catastrophic risks, such as pandemics or war, as well as posing many catastrophic threats on its own.
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Our work
How we are addressing these issues
There are many potential levers of change for steering the development and use of transformative technologies. We target a range of these levers to increase our chances of success.
Policy
We perform policy advocacy in the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations.
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We produce educational materials aimed at informing public discourse, as well as encouraging people to get involved.
Learn moreGrantmaking
We provide grants to individuals and organisations working on projects that further our mission.
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We convene leaders of the relevant fields to discuss ways of ensuring the safe development and use of powerful technologies.
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Projects
What we're working on
Read about some of our ongoing projects:
Mitigating the Risks of AI Integration in Nuclear Launch
Avoiding nuclear war is in the national security interest of all nations. We pursue a range of initiatives to reduce this risk. Our current focus is on mitigating the emerging risk of AI integration into nuclear command, control and communication.
Future of Life Award
Every year, the Future of Life Award is given to one or more unsung heroes who have made a significant contribution to preserving the future of life.
Educating about Lethal Autonomous Weapons
Military AI applications are rapidly expanding. We develop educational materials about how certain narrow classes of AI-powered weapons can harm national security and destabilize civilization, notably weapons where kill decisions are fully delegated to algorithms.
Strengthening the European AI Act
Our key recommendations include broadening the Act’s scope to regulate general purpose systems and extending the definition of prohibited manipulation to include any type of manipulatory technique, and manipulation that causes societal harm.
Strengthening the NIST AI Risk Management Framework
Our feedback on the first draft of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) AI risk management framework addressed extreme and unacceptable risks, loyalty of AI systems and the risk management of general purpose systems.
Future of Life Institute Podcast
A podcast dedicated to hosting conversations with some of the world's leading thinkers and doers in the field of emerging technology and risk reduction. 140+ episodes since 2015, 4.8/5 stars on Apple Podcasts.
Worldbuilding Competition
The Future of Life Institute accepted entries from teams across the globe, to compete for a prize purse of up to $100,000 by designing visions of a plausible, aspirational future that includes strong artificial intelligence.
External Input
Meet our External Advisors
We consult a range of scientific experts and communicators across our cause areas to ensure our approach is well-informed, strategic and adaptable.
Alan Alda
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Alan Guth
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Christof Koch
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Elon Musk
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Erik Brynjolfsson
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Francesca Rossi
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Frank Wilczek
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George Church
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Martin Rees
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Morgan Freeman
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Nick Bostrom
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Sandra Faber
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Saul Perlmutter
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Stuart Russell
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Read previous editions
FLI October 2022 Newsletter: Against Reckless Nuclear Escalation
Welcome to the Future of Life Institute Newsletter. Every month, we bring 24,000+ subscribers the latest news on how emerging technologies […]
November 11, 2022
FLI September 2022 Newsletter: $3M Impacts of Nuclear War Grants Program!
Welcome to the FLI newsletter! Every month, we bring 24,000+ subscribers the latest news on how emerging technologies are transforming our world - for better and worse.
October 17, 2022
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