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About us

What is the Future of Life Institute, and where did it come from?

Our mission

Preserving the future of life

How certain technologies are developed and used has far-reaching consequences for all life on earth. This is currently the case for artificial intelligence, biotechnologies and nuclear technology.

If properly managed, these technologies could transform the world in a way that makes life substantially better, both for the people alive today and for all the people who have yet to be born. They could be used to treat and eradicate diseases, strengthen democratic processes, and mitigate - or even halt - climate change.

If improperly managed, they could do the opposite. They could produce catastrophic events that bring humanity to its knees, perhaps even pushing us to the brink of extinction.

The Future of Life Institute’s mission is to steer transformative technologies away from extreme, large-scale risks and towards benefiting life.
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Our people

A team equal to the task

The Future of Life Institute is made of its Board, staff and external advisors. Collectively we represent a diverse range of expertise, having come to the Institute from governance institutions, industry and academia, and a variety of disciplines, including the behavioural sciences, medicine, machine learning, engineering, law and design.

Our history

The journey so far

The Future of Life Institute has come a long way since its early days. It was initially run by volunteers coordinated by co-founder Victoria Krakovna. Today, it has a full-time staff of 20+ team members around the world, mostly split into Policy, Outreach and Grantmaking teams.
2014

The Future of Life Institute is founded, and holds its first informal gathering of board members and volunteers.

2015

FLI launches the world’s first peer-reviewed grants programme aimed at ensuring artificial intelligence remains safe, ethical and beneficial.

2017

FLI formulates the Asilomar AI Principles, one of the earliest and most influential sets of AI governance principles.

2017

FLI produces Slaughterbots, a short film boosting public awareness of autonomous weapons.

2018

FLI launches a second grant programme, this time aimed at ensuring artificial general intelligence remains safe and beneficial.

2020

UN Secretary General names FLI civil society co-champion for AI.

2021

FLI launches a $25M multi-year grant programme aimed at reducing the most extreme risks, so-called 'existential risks'.

Our Public Records

Annual reports

Our annual reports provide a yearly snapshot of our activities, such as our mission, areas of work, key projects, funding, and team. More information about our finances is available here.
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2022 Annual Report

Related pages

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Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to some of the most common questions that we receive.
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Contact us

Whatever you need, we have somebody on the team you can speak to.
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Donate

Support our efforts to ensure a positive future for life on Earth.
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