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.
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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 three major risks. They all hinge on the development, use and governance of transformative technologies. We focus our efforts on guiding the impacts of these technologies.
UAV Kargu autonomous drones at the campus of OSTIM Technopark in Ankara, Turkey - June 2020.
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.
Our Policy workOutreach
We produce educational materials aimed at informing public discourse, as well as encouraging people to get involved.
Our Outreach workGrantmaking
We provide grants to individuals and organisations working on projects that further our mission.
Our Grant ProgramsEvents
We convene leaders of the relevant fields to discuss ways of ensuring the safe development and use of powerful technologies.
Our EventsFeatured Projects
What we're working on
Read about some of our current featured projects:
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newsletter
Regular updates about the technologies shaping our world
Every month, we bring 41,000+ subscribers the latest news on how emerging technologies are transforming our world. It includes a summary of major developments in our cause areas, and key updates on the work we do. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive these highlights at the end of each month.
MIRI’s April 2017 Newsletter
The following post was originally published here. Our newest publication, “Cheating Death in Damascus,” makes the case for functional decision […]
Rob Bensinger
April 7, 2017
MIRI March 2017 Newsletter
Research updates New at IAFF: Some Problems with Making Induction Benign; Entangled Equilibria and the Twin Prisoners’ Dilemma; Generalizing Foundations […]
Rob Bensinger
March 16, 2017
FLI February, 2017 Newsletter
FLI February, 2017 Newsletter Discussing the Future of AI To ensure beneficial AI, we need broader insight. Last month, as […]
admin
March 7, 2017
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Our content
Latest posts
The most recent posts we have published:
55 Years After Preventing Nuclear Attack, Arkhipov Honored With Inaugural Future of Life Award
Celebrating the contributions of Vasili Arkhipov Click here to see this page in other languages: Russian London, UK – On […]
October 27, 2017
Understanding Artificial General Intelligence — An Interview With Hiroshi Yamakawa
Click here to see this page in other languages : Japanese Russian Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is something of a holy grail […]
October 23, 2017
DeepMind’s AlphaGo Zero Becomes Go Champion Without Human Input
DeepMind’s AlphaGo Zero AI program just became the Go champion of the world without human data or guidance. This new […]
October 18, 2017
Full Transcript: Understanding Artificial General Intelligence — An Interview With Dr. Hiroshi Yamakawa
Click here to see this page in other languages : Japanese Russian Hiroshi Yamakawa is the Director of Dwango AI Laboratory, […]
October 12, 2017
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Policy papers
The most recent policy papers we have published:
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Future of Life Institute Podcast
The most recent podcasts we have broadcast:
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