Policy work
We aim to improve AI governance over civilian applications, autonomous weapons and in nuclear launch.
Introduction
Improving the governance of transformative technologies
The policy team at FLI works to reduce extreme, large-scale risks from transformative technologies by improving national and international governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
FLI has spearheaded numerous efforts to this end. Most notably, in 2017 we created the influential Asilomar AI principles, a set of governance principles signed by thousands of leading minds in AI research and industry. More recently, the UN Secretary General consulted FLI as the civil society ‘co-champion’ for AI recommendations on the Digital Cooperation Roadmap.
In the civilian domain, we advise the European Union on how to strengthen and future-proof their upcoming EU AI Act, and U.S. policymakers on how to best govern advanced AI systems. In the military domain, we advocate for a treaty on autonomous weapons at the United Nations and inform policymakers about the risks of incorporating AI systems into nuclear launch.
Our work
Policy projects
Ban Deepfakes
2024 is rapidly turning into the Year of Fake. As part of a growing coalition of concerned organizations, FLI is calling on lawmakers to take meaningful steps to disrupt the AI-driven deepfake supply chain.
The Elders Letter on Existential Threats
The Elders, the Future of Life Institute and a diverse range of preeminent public figures are calling on world leaders to urgently address the ongoing harms and escalating risks of the climate crisis, pandemics, nuclear weapons, and ungoverned AI.
Realising Aspirational Futures – New FLI Grants Opportunities
We are opening two new funding opportunities to support research into the ways that artificial intelligence can be harnessed safely to make the world a better place.
The Windfall Trust
The Windfall Trust is an ambitious initiative aimed at diligencing and establishing a robust international institution that could provide universal basic assets in the event of a windfall generated by advances in AI.
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.
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.
Imagine A World Podcast
Can you imagine a world in 2045 where we manage to avoid the climate crisis, major wars, and the potential harms of artificial intelligence? Our new podcast series explores ways we could build a more positive future, and offers thought provoking ideas for how we might get there.
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.
Artificial Escalation
Our fictional film depicts a world where artificial intelligence ('AI') is integrated into nuclear command, control and communications systems ('NC3') with terrifying results.
Developing possible AI rules for the US
Our US policy team advises policymakers in Congress and Statehouses on how to ensure that AI systems are safe and beneficial.
Global AI governance at the UN
Our involvement with the UN's work spans several years and initiatives, including the Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and the Global Digital Compact (GDC).
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.
UK AI Safety Summit
On 1-2 November 2023, the United Kingdom convened the first ever global government meeting focussed on AI Safety. In the run-up to the summit, FLI produced and published a document outlining key recommendations.
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.
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.
All our work
Our content
Latest policy papers
Competition in Generative AI: Future of Life Institute’s Feedback to the European Commission’s Consultation
March 2024
European Commission Manifesto
March 2024
Chemical & Biological Weapons and Artificial Intelligence: Problem Analysis and US Policy Recommendations
February 2024
FLI Response to OMB: Request for Comments on AI Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management
February 2024
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All Documents
Geographical Focus
Where you can find us
We are a hybrid organisation. Most of our policy work takes place in the US (D.C. and California), the EU (Brussels) and at the UN (New York and Geneva).
United States
In the US, FLI works to increase federal spending on AI safety research and to strengthen the NIST AI Risk Management Framework.
European Union
In Europe, our focus is on strengthening the EU AI Act and encouraging European states to support a treaty on autonomous weapons.
United Nations
At the UN, FLI works to promote the adoption of a legally-binding instrument on autonomous weapons.
Key partners
Achievements
Some of the things we have achieved
Developed the AI Asilomar Principles
In 2017, FLI coordinated the development of the Asilomar AI Principles, one of the earliest and most influential sets of AI governance principles.
View the principles
AI recommendation in the UN digital cooperation roadmap
Our recommendations (3C) on the global governance of AI technologies were adopted in the UN Secretary-General's digital cooperation roadmap.
View the roadmap
Max Tegmark's testimony to the EU parliament
Our founder and board member Max Tegmark presented a testimony on the regulation of general-purpose AI systems in the EU parliament.
Watch the testimony
Media mentions
Our content
Featured posts
Here is a selection of posts relating to our policy work:
Disrupting the Deepfake Pipeline in Europe
Leveraging corporate criminal liability under the Violence Against Women Directive to safeguard against pornographic deepfake exploitation.
February 22, 2024
Exploration of secure hardware solutions for safe AI deployment
This collaboration between the Future of Life Institute and Mithril Security explores hardware-backed AI governance tools for transparency, traceability, and confidentiality.
November 30, 2023
Protect the EU AI Act
A last-ditch assault on the EU AI Act threatens to jeopardise one of the legislation's most important functions: preventing our most powerful AI models from causing widespread harm to society.
November 22, 2023
Miles Apart: Comparing key AI Act proposals
Our analysis shows that the recent non-paper drafted by Italy, France, and Germany largely fails to provide any provisions on foundation models or general purpose AI systems, and offers much less oversight and enforcement than the existing alternatives.
November 21, 2023
Can we rely on information sharing?
We have examined the Terms of Use of major General-Purpose AI system developers and found that they fail to provide assurances about the quality, reliability, and accuracy of their products or services.
October 26, 2023
AI Licensing for a Better Future: On Addressing Both Present Harms and Emerging Threats
This joint open letter by Encode Justice and the Future of Life Institute calls for the implementation of three concrete US policies in order to address current and future harms of AI.
October 25, 2023
Written Statement of Dr. Max Tegmark to the AI Insight Forum
The Future of Life Institute President addresses the AI Insight Forum on AI innovation and provides five US policy recommendations.
October 24, 2023
As Six-Month Pause Letter Expires, Experts Call for Regulation on Advanced AI Development
This week will mark six months since the open letter calling for a six month pause on giant AI experiments. Since then, a lot has happened. Our signatories reflect on what needs to happen next.
September 21, 2023
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