Our mission is to steer transformative technology towards benefiting life and away from extreme large-scale risks.
AI systems are undergoing a rapid increase in capacity.
Humanity’s civilizational capacity has increased over time, but it now must accelerate to handle this immense challenge.
FLF aims to help build humanity’s capacity accordingly (increasing the rate of growth of the orange curve).
We believe that AI’s capabilities are growing faster than humanity’s capability to handle and control the technology. We want to accelerate humanity’s ability to coordinate and manage this transformative technology so life can flourish.
We are always looking for people with time or expertise to help us flesh out and launch these initiatives. Please read what we are currently up to and reach out if you think you could help.
Anthony Aguirre
President
Anthony Aguirre is the President of the Future of Life Foundation. He is also the Executive Director at the Future of Life Institute and the Faggin Presidential Professor for the Physics of Information at UC Santa Cruz. He has done research in an array of topics in theoretical cosmology, gravitation, statistical mechanics, and other fields of physics. He also has strong interest in science outreach, and has appeared in numerous science documentaries. He is a creator of the science and technology prediction platform Metaculus.com, and is co-founder and President of the Foundational Questions Institute.
Josh Jacobson
Chief Operating Officer
Josh Jacobson is the Chief Operating Officer at the Future of Life Foundation. He has worked across organizational leadership, operations, and/or research for ARC Evals, FAR AI, Anthropic, on a research grant, for the Future for Humanity Institute (EpiFor), the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative, the World Bank, SocialCops, Innovations for Poverty Action, the Centre for Effective Altruism, a tech startup, and PepsiCo. Josh holds an MPA with a focus in Econometrics in International Development from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Government from Dartmouth College.
Oly Sourbut
Researcher (AI Specialist)
Oly is a Researcher (AI Specialist) at the Future of Life Foundation. He works on sourcing and developing ambitious ideas to build a flourishing future, grounded in realistic scenarios for AI and other technological development. He previously worked on loss of control threat modeling and evaluation at the UK AI Safety Institute, engaged with the UK’s FCDO and OECD on AI governance, and researched language model agent oversight and multiagent safety at Oxford. Oly was one of the first beneficiaries of the MATS program in 2021-22 and now serves as a mentor. Before his AI safety work, he was a senior data scientist and software engineer.
Ben Goldhaber
Projects Lead
Ben is the Projects Lead at the Future of Life Foundation. He focuses on launching new organizations dedicated to advancing beneficial technologies by coordinating ideas, funding, and people needed for these ventures. His experience spans roles at FAR.AI, Google, HASH, and various research teams. He also serves as a board member of PIBBSS and QURI.
Elizabeth Garrett
Headhunter
Elizabeth is the Headhunter and Recruitment Lead at the Future of Life Foundation. She previously started and directed a non-profit workshop center facilitating work on large-scale puzzles and problems. Before that, she facilitated and instructed workshops on epistemics, artificial intelligence safety, and problem-solving.
Jeremiah Stanghini
Operations Manager
Jeremiah is the Operations Manager at the Future of Life Foundation. He has nearly a decade of experience as a ‘Free Agent‘ in the Canadian federal government leading high-profile initiatives, including an award-winning AI pilot. Jeremiah is a leading geopolitical forecaster with a proven record of excellence for firms like RAND, Swift Centre, and Metaculus, including the distinction ‘Superforecaster’ as recognized by Good Judgment, Inc. In addition, he spent close to ten years as an Adjunct Professor of Business & Management at George Mason University, teaching subjects like leadership, strategy, and decision-making.
Board of Directors
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Anthony Aguirre, bio above
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Max Tegmark, President of the Future of Life Institute, MIT Professor, & Author of Life 3.0 and Our Mathematical Universe
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Jaan Tallinn, Co-Founder of Skype, the Future of Life Institute, and the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
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Meia Chita-Tegmark, Co-Founder of the Future of Life Institute
Are you the same thing as FLI?
No. While we share a lot in common with FLI, we are a distinct organization with different foci. If you are trying to get in contact with FLI, please visit their website.
What Does FLF Do?
First, perform research to identify gaps in the landscape of efforts to fulfill our mission.
Second, determine what new organizations, projects, or initiatives should exist to address these challenges.
Third, targeted headhunting to identify people to found the specific ideas we select.
Finally, provide various forms of support to ease the process of starting the new organization and increase the likelihood of success.
How can I apply for a grant?
We do not have an open call for grant applications. Sometimes we are interested in knowing more about existing organizations or nascent projects in the spaces we are focusing on. We do occasionally later fund these. If we are open to connecting in a specific area, you can find that on the area’s section of our website.