Effective Altruism News
Effective Altruism News
- A lot of people straightforwardly believe that minds are magic: that our decision making is not simply the result of electricity and biochemistry in neurons and synapses in the brain, but at the core is the product of an immortal soul. This, of course, I reject. But it seems to me that a lot of Continue reading "Why “Minds Aren’t Magic”?"...
- (Originally a twitter thread) When @fermatslibrary brought up this 1940 paper about why we have nothing to worry about from nuclear chain reactions, I first checked that it was real and not a modern forgery. Because it seems almost too good to be true in the light of current AI safety talk. Yes, the paper was real: Harrington, […]...
- Over the past year, I have talked to several people about whether they expect frontier AI companies to transition away from the current paradigm of transformer LLMs toward models that reason in neuralese within the next few years. This post summarizes 13 common arguments I’ve heard, six in favor and seven against a transition to neuralese AIs. The following table provides a summary:
- Plasticosis (free pdf available here) is a novel by Ikse Mennen about a postapocalyptic future in which it turns out that microplastics make people very, very sick with “plasticosis.” The resulting political disruption caused the United States to fracture into thousands of city-states.
- Epistemic status: I'm pretty sure AI will alarm the public enough to change the alignment challenge substantially. I offer my mainline scenario as an intuition pump, but I expect it to be wrong in many ways, some important. Abstract arguments are in the Race Conditions and concluding sections... . Nora has a friend in her phone. Her mom complains about her new AI "colleagues.".
- Op-ed by Michael Freeman published in The Sacramento Bee on October 30, 2025. The post Jane Goodall’s legacy is about animal rights — and the choices on our plates appeared first on Mercy For Animals.
- On October 23rd, the UC Berkeley Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity and Wisconsin Emergency Management were proud to host a packed room of cyber defenders across academia, state government,…. The post Cyber Volunteers Convene in Madison, Wisconsin appeared first on CLTC.
- Interpreting our new capabilities index
- Imagine using an ML-like training process to design two simple electronic components, in series. The parameters θ1 control the function performed by the first component, and the parameters θ2 control the function performed by the second component.
- A lot of people are daunted by the idea of doing a full digital declutter. Those people ask me all the time, “isn’t there something easier I can do that will still give me some of those sweet sweet benefits you were talking about?”. The answer is: sort of.
- Thanks to Inkhaven for making me write this, and Justis Mills, Abram Demski, Markus Strasser, Vaniver and Gwern for comments. None of them endorse this piece. The safety community has previously worried about an AI hijacking the training process to change itself in ways that it endorses, but the developers don’t.
- Urgent Call for Accelerated Action on Climate-Nutrition Integration – Latest Assessment gloireri Fri, 11/07/2025 - 19:22 London/Geneva. . For Immediate Release. Urgent Call for Accelerated Action on Climate-Nutrition Integration – Latest Assessment. Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean are leading the way.
- Write for us.
- Improving research works best when efforts are coordinated, not fragmented. The Metascience Alliance is a coalition for coordination and collaboration, connecting stakeholders, identifying and advancing shared priorities, and accelerating collective progress. Since we first introduced the Metascience Alliance at the 2025 Metascience Conference, 39 organizations have signed the Letter of...
- If there are incomparable goods then nothing we do matters
- Transformer Weekly: No B30A chips for China, Altman’s ‘pattern of lying’ and a watered down EU AI Act...
- Extreme weather is killing millions of farmed animals and destroying farms worldwide, creating a cycle of suffering and loss. The post Factory Farming Fuels A Climate “Doom Loop” appeared first on Faunalytics.
- You may have noticed that Open Philanthropy is hiring for several roles in our GCR division: senior generalists across our global catastrophic risks team, and grantmakers for our technical AI safety team.
- What Happens When The Centre Cannot Hold (and isn't trying)
- By Caitlin Tulloch, Senior Director of Research, Learning, and Product at GiveDirectly. Caitlin is an expert in evidence-based policy and cost-effectiveness, and formerly served as Deputy Director in USAID’s Office of the Chief Economist. Summary: ❌ Cash isn’t a silver bullet and it can’t replace missing or broken systems.
- On Helping vs Expressing
- Help me save this blog?
- Florence’s leading medieval family turned a banking career into political power and paradigm shifts in art and science. Their methods hold lessons for philanthropy today. The post The Medici Method appeared first on Palladium.
- Tl;dr: I think responding to cold outreach (Linkedin DMs, emails) is a high-leverage way to help someone pursue an impactful career. Spending 15 minutes on Zoom or 5 minutes to share resources in writing can:
- You may have noticed that Open Philanthropy is hiring for several roles in our GCR division: senior generalists across our global catastrophic risks team, and grantmakers for our technical AI safety team. (We're also hiring for recruiting and operations roles! I know very little about either field, so I'm not going to talk about them here.).
- You may have noticed that Open Philanthropy is hiring for several roles in our GCR division: senior generalists across our global catastrophic risks team, and grantmakers for our technical AI safety team. (We're also hiring for recruiting and operations roles! I know very little about either field, so I'm not going to talk about them here.).
- Karl Koch is founder of the AI Whistleblower Initiative. He joins the podcast to discuss transparency and protections for AI insiders who spot safety risks. We explore current company policies, legal gaps, how to evaluate disclosure decisions, and whistleblowing as a backstop when oversight fails.
- (that I still remember a decade later). Evolution on Earth. Fact 1: When foxes are bred to be more docile, their ears become floppy like dogs’ ears instead of pointy like wild foxes’. Fact 2: Crows can learn to use a short stick to fetch a longer stick to fetch food. The basic setup of the experiment is: There’s a box with some food at the bottom. The crow can’t reach the food.
- In 1954, Dorothy Martin predicted an apocalyptic flood and promised her followers rescue by flying saucers. When neither arrived, she recanted, her group dissolved, and efforts to proselytize ceased. But When Prophecy Fails (1956), the now-canonical account of the event, claimed the opposite: that the group doubled down on its beliefs and began recruiting—evidence, the authors argued, of a new...
- tl;dr Here’s a pdf. The story of me making it is slightly fun. Augustine of Hippo, a prominent Christian of the 4th and 5th centuries who is recognized as a saint by many churches, wrote many things, including a work known as the Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Love (or the Enchiridion on Faith, Hope, and Love, or replace “Love” with “Charity”, or, in Latin, Enchiridion de Fide, Spe, et...
- 🐓 About the role 🐓. The Humane League is seeking a self-motivated, organized, collaborative individual with the drive to create progressive change for millions of farmed animals as part of our Global Corporate Engagement team.
- I think I’m pretty good at convincing people about AI dangers in personal conversations. This post talks about the basics of speaking convincingly about AI dangers to people. Prerequisites. I. Learn to truly see them. In 2022, at a CFAR workshop, I was introduced to circling. It is multi-player meditation.
- Once you’ve decided to try and develop a great, impactful career, it can help to do it alongside others. Being part of an active community with similar goals can be a great source of motivation, insight, as well as potential career opportunities. Most of the communities we list below are... Read more...
- On this page, we’ve collected some of the best courses we know of for upskilling within various careers and cause areas. The large majority of them are free to access. Most of them are able to be completed at your own pace, though some are more structured, offering regular interaction... Read more...
- Recently, I wrote a blog post arguing that you shouldn’t become a blogger.
- On September 13th, 2025, we (EA France) hosted the EA Summit: Paris, in a very central location in the French capital. This event was part of the international series of EA Summits funded by the Centre for Effective Altruism.
- This post owes credit to discussions with Caspar Oesterheld, Scott Garrabrant, Sahil, Daniel Kokotajlo, Martín Soto, Chi Nguyen, Lukas Finnveden, Vivek Hebbar, Mikhail Samin, and Diffractor. Inspired in particular by a discussion with cousin_it. Short version:
- Being opposed to giving a softball interview to a Hitler supporter isn't cancel culture
- Brain Misallocation, Transformative AI & Optimism
- From Venetian monks to 19th century textile workers, those opposing new technology have rarely come out on top
- Although financial and housing barriers to companion animal adoption are growing in Canada and the U.S., there are key opportunities for advocates to take action. The post Troubling Trends In Companion Animal Adoption appeared first on Faunalytics.
- A month ago William Inboden, the provost of UT Austin (where I work), invited me to join a university-wide “Faculty Working Group on Academic Integrity.” The name made me think that it would be about students cheating on exams and the like. I didn’t relish the prospect but I said sure. Shortly afterward, Jim Davis, […]...
- “If you can get your ship into orbit, you’re halfway to anywhere.” - Robert Heinlein. This generalizes. I. Spaceflight is hard. Putting a rocket on the moon is one of the most impressive feats humans have ever achieved.
- Episode nine of the Works in Progress podcast.
- When I was 18, my dad took me to the bank to get my first credit card. I had a conversation with the bank teller that went something like this: Bank teller: This card gives 1% cash back. Me: What does that mean?. Bank teller: It means when you spend money with the card, you get 1% cash back. Me: But what does cash back mean, though?. Bank teller: It means you get cash back. Me: ….
- Advancing Synergies Across Nutrition and Climate Action I-CAN ASSESSMENT 2025 admin_inox Thu, 11/06/2025 - 08:16 Advancing Synergies Across Nutrition and Climate Action. I-CAN ASSESSMENT 2025. The Climate & Nutrition Story. Climate & Nutrition Integration. Climate & Nutrition Financing. Download Report Now. . . Overview.
- Advancing Synergies Across Nutrition and Climate Action I-CAN ASSESSMENT 2025 admin_inox Thu, 11/06/2025 - 08:16 Accelerating Action and Opening Opportunities. A Closer Integration of Climate and Nutrition. . I-CAN ASSESSMENT 2025. The Climate & Nutrition Story. Climate & Nutrition Intergration. Climate Financing. Download Report Now. Overview.
- This is a crosspost from my Substack, where people have been liking and commenting a bunch. I'm too busy during my self-imposed version of Inkhaven to engage much – yes, pity me, I have to blog – but I don't want to leave Forum folks out of the loop! . . I’ve been following Effective Altruism discourse since 2014 and involved with the Effective Altruist community since 2015.
- Local and traditional food markets for thriving ‘’smart cities’’ gloireri Thu, 11/06/2025 - 07:50 . Local and traditional food retail markets are inherent in a city’s social fabric and the urban food environment. Millions of residents connect daily through food at local and traditional markets; and for many low income urban residents, this is their primary source of food. .
- WARNING: This post contains spoilers for Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, and I will not warn about them further. Also some anecdotes from slutcon which are not particularly NSFW, but it's still slutcon. A girl I was seeing once asked me to guess what Hogwarts house she was trying to channel with her outfit.
- I spent 3 recent Sundays writing my mainline AI scenario. Having only spent 3 days on it, it’s not very well-researched (especially in the areas where i’m not well informed) or well-written, and the endings are particularly open ended and weak. But I wanted to post the somewhat unfiltered 3-day version to normalize doing so.
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- Finding what you’re looking for, or discovering something new, has never been easier.
- Note: This post was crossposted from the Open Philanthropy Farm Animal Welfare Research Newsletter by the Forum team, with the author's permission. The author may not see or respond to comments on this post. People can’t get enough protein. Fully 61% of Americans say they ate more protein last year — and 85% intended to eat more this year.
- A CLTC–UC Berkeley and India AI Impact Summit 2026 Pre-Summit Discussion This recap was based on an event summary originally authored by Deepika Raman. As part of UC…. The post Event Recap – Establishing AI Risk Thresholds and Red Lines: A Critical Global Policy Priority appeared first on CLTC.
- Crosspost from my blog. In the classic Prisoner's Dilemma (https://www.lesswrong.com/w/prisoner-s-dilemma), there are two agents with the same beliefs and decision theory, but with different values. To get the best available outcome, they have to help each other out (even if they don't intrinsically care about the other's values); and they have to do so even though, if the one does not help...
- While technology and trade have made modern food systems increasingly resilient to disruptions, it is unknown if human society could survive the most extreme threats to agriculture, such as from severe climate change or nuclear/biological warfare. One way that society could withstand such disruptions is to make food without.
- the latest updates on the welfare of future sentient beings
- For those relatively new to AI safety, AISafety.com helps them navigate the space, providing lists of things like self-study courses, funders, communities, etc. But while the previous version of the site basically just threw a bunch of resources at the user, we’ve now redesigned it to be more accessible and therefore make it more likely that people take further steps towards entering the field.
- Crosspost from my blog. In the classic Prisoner's Dilemma (https://www.lesswrong.com/w/prisoner-s-dilemma), there are two agents with the same beliefs and decision theory, but with different values. To get the best available outcome, they have to help each other out (even if they don't intrinsically care about the other's values); and they have to do so even though, if the one does not help...
- Opinion: Sam Gregory argues that generative video is undermining the notion of a shared reality, and that we need to act before it’s lost forever...
- We likely can't stop the protein craze — but we can make it less cruel...
- Footnotes to Masley
- This month’s Faunalytics Index provides facts and stats about the enforcement of U.K. farmed animal welfare laws, ocean theme parks in China, BIPOC adoption experiences, and more. The post Faunalytics Index – November 2025 appeared first on Faunalytics.
- The post Helen Toner on the geopolitics of AI in China and the Middle East appeared first on 80,000 Hours.
- Or: "Who, what, when, where?" -> "Why?". . In "What's hard about this? What can I do about that? ", I talk about how, when you're facing a difficult situation, it's often useful to list exactly what's difficult about it. And then, systematically brainstorm ideas for dealing with those difficult things. Then, the problem becomes easy.
- We model how rapid AI development may reshape geopolitics in the absence of international coordination on preventing dangerous AI development. We focus on predicting which strategies would be pursued by superpowers and middle powers and which outcomes would result from them. You can read our paper here: ai-scenarios.com.
- Generations of microbes evolve in hours, not millennia. By speeding up Darwin’s clock, scientists have watched evolution happen in real time, and it’s changed how we understand natural selection.
- More attempts
- The post Our top tips for successful networking appeared first on 80,000 Hours.
- I'm sharing an article by Rose Patterson from Animal Rising (AR), which responds to an EA criticism of AR's campaigns to block new factory farms in the UK. When we started our Communities Against Factory Farming campaign to stop every new factory farm from being built, we thought it would be a crowd-pleaser! Who in the animal movement could argue that this could actually be a bad thing?
- EA Forum Digest #265 Hello!. Two giving season updates: I’ve announced the rewards for donors to our Donation Election Fund - you can read more here. Next week will be Funding Strategy Week on the EA Forum. Consider writing something!. Enjoy the Digest, Toby (for the Forum team) We recommend: Humanizing Expected Value (kuhanj, 3 min).
- We are pleased to introduce AnimalHarmBench (AHB) 2.0, a new standardized LLM benchmark designed to measure multi-dimensional moral reasoning towards animals, now available to use on Inspect AI. As LLM's influence over policies and behaviors of humanity grows, its biases and blind spots will grow in importance too.
- New technologies for suppressing populations of disease-transmitting mosquitoes involve releasing modified male mosquitoes into field environments. One example of these technologies is the sterile insect technique (SIT) which releases male mosquitoes that have been sterilised using radiation treatment.
- November Brief | Your guide to high-impact giving this season New opportunities at Open Philanthropy, The Humane League, Future of Life Institute & more ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ...
- Some AI safety problems are legible (obvious or understandable) to company leaders and government policymakers, implying they are unlikely to deploy or allow deployment of an AI while those problems remain open (i.e., appear unsolved according to the information they have access to).
- I’m playing Elden Ring. I’m fighting a difficult boss 1, and I’m getting kind of frustrated. I die again. I’m thinking about whether I want to keep playing. I don’t know. Am I having a good time? I can’t tell. How is it that I can’t tell?. Fundamentally, good experiences are good, and bad experiences are bad. But what if I don’t know whether I’m having a good experience? How is that possible?
- The post Pillar 4: CHEWs Boosting Healthy Living Through PDM appeared first on Living Goods.
- The post Nyong’o launches Kisumu wellness protocol to boost preventive healthcare appeared first on Living Goods.
- Becoming a top forecaster may not work exactly how you think it does...
- [Crossposted on Windows In Theory] . “Modern humans first emerged about 100,000 years ago. For the next 99,800 years or so, nothing happened. Well, not quite nothing. There were wars, political intrigue, the invention of agriculture -- but none of that stuff had much effect on the quality of people's lives.
- The UC Berkeley Cybersecurity Clinic and Fight for the Future have collaborated to create a guide aimed at enhancing the cybersecurity practices of mutual aid organizations. Released as part of the CLTC White Paper Series, the guide — Securing Mutual Aid: Cybersecurity Practices and Design Principles for Financial Technology — outlines best practices to help mutual aids use financial...
- Meta: Heroic responsibility is a standard concept on LessWrong. I was surprised to find that we don't have a post explaining it to people not already deep in the cultural context, so I wrote this one. Suppose I decide to start a business - specifically a car dealership. One day there's a problem: we sold a car with a bad thingamabob.
- Policy and Programs Lead (temp). Organization: Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) Location: Remote (Washington-based preferred) Hours: 30 hours per week Compensation: $21-$26/hr Reports to: NARN Board. About NARN. The Northwest Animal Rights Network (NARN) advocates for the rights and well-being of all animals through education, advocacy, and community building.
- Some AI safety problems are legible (obvious or understandable) to company leaders and government policymakers, implying they are unlikely to deploy or allow deployment of an AI while those problems remain open (i.e., appear unsolved according to the information they have access to).
- In October, over 200 farmers from across the nation came together on Capitol Hill in support of California’s Proposition 12 and in opposition to the EATS Act and any legislative language like it. The farmers held an impactful press conference at the National Press Building, engaged in a tractor and truck rally on the Hill, […].
- Some AI safety problems are legible (obvious or understandable) to company leaders and government policymakers, implying they are unlikely to deploy or allow deployment of an AI while those problems remain open (i.e., appear unsolved according to the information they have access to).
- Hi everyone! I'm Alex, Managing Director of the Good Food Institute Europe. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my post on why scale-up is so important for the future of alternative proteins. This is a topic we're really passionate about at GFI Europe, and one that's becoming increasingly important as the sector matures. I’ll be around in the comments and happy to answer any questions.
- Discover why people often fail to act on their own values — and how to close the gap between what you care about and what you do. Learn how despair, denial, and defiance hold us back, and find research-based ways to live more in line with your principles.
- Authors: Alex Irpan* and Alex Turner*, Mark Kurzeja, David Elson, and Rohin Shah. You’re absolutely right to start reading this post! What a rational decision!. Even the smartest models’ factuality or refusal training can be compromised by simple changes to a prompt.
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