Remember: There is no such thing as a pink elephant. Recently, I was made aware that my “infohazards small working group” Signal chat, an informal coordination venue where we have frank discussions about infohazards and why it will be bad if specific hazards were leaked to the press or public, accidentally was shared with a deceitful and discredited so-called “journalist,” Kelsey Piper.
I’m excited to announce QUALIUS, an upcoming post-ASSC retreat on the topic of non-ordinary states of consciousness, taking place July 10–14, 2025, in Ligres, Crete. Organized by the ALIUS and QRI, the retreat will bring together researchers working at the intersection of psychometrics, VR, computational modeling, and contemplative practice. It’s structured around four thematic tracks: […]...
California cities remain racially segregated, with significant economic disparities between predominantly minority and white neighborhoods. In “The Long-Run Effects of America’s Largest Residential Racial Desegregation Program: Gautreaux,” researchers Eric Chyn, Robert Collinson, and Danielle H. Sandler examined what happened when….
Eight states have recently passed laws allowing smaller homes like duplexes and townhomes, also known as “middle housing,” in areas previously restricted to only large, expensive houses. In “Missing No More: Planners Should Harness Private Developers to Build Middle Housing,”….
Looking to take your first steps towards a high-impact career? This page lists some of the most promising recurring internships, fellowships, and other early career opportunities that we’ve identified. These are opportunities that run at least once a year (and sometimes more), and that we have judged to be likely... Read more...
Epistemic status: 0%. Much ink has been spilled on this forum investigating what we should do about the world's most pressing problems. However, I've recently come to the realization that doing nothing may be even more promising than the most cost-effective EA interventions! Below is a shallow writeup of the top reasons why you should stop doing things. The Singularity is Near.
For immediate release: April 1, 2025. OXFORD, UK — The Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) announced today that it will no longer identify as an "Effective Altruism" organization. "After careful consideration, we've determined that the most effective way to have a positive impact is to deny any association with Effective Altruism," said a CEA spokesperson.
Music Music I most enjoyed discovering this quarter: Pinkshinyultrablast: Everything Else Matters (2015) Third Coast Percussion: Perspectives (2022) Chuquimamani-Condori [Elysia Crampton]: “Breathing” (2023) Bryce Dessner: Quilting (2014), “Haven” (2019), Trombone Concerto (2020), Violin Concerto (2021) Edward Ratliff: Wong Fei-Hong Meets Little Strudel (2000) Goat: Joy in Fear (2023) Eric...
The Educated Choices Program (ECP) is revolutionizing food education through science-based, accessible learning. As we expand our impact, we seek visionary leaders to join our Board of Directors and help drive our mission forward! We’re seeking experts in: Education & Curriculum – Guiding content expansion and global academic alignment.
[This is a belated submission for the EA Red-teaming contest]. Having recently discovered PowerSmoothie.org, a website founded by our very own Holden Karnofsky, I felt compelled to share some concerns with the EA community about the nutritional framework and ethical implications of this project.
New research published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine found that higher butter consumption was associated with a 15% higher risk of mortality, while eating more plant-based oils was linked to a 16% reduction in mortality. Dr. Yu Zhang, the study’s coauthor and a researcher at the Channing Division of Network Medicine at Brigham and […].
Hi everybody!. I'm Conor. I run the 80,000 Hours Job Board. Or I used to. As of today — April 1 — we are becoming Job Birds!. We've been talking to users for the last few years about making this change, and people have overwhelmingly been in favour (remember, there are six or more birds for every human on Earth).
Hi, I’m Tandena Wagner. As part of my research for EcoResillience Initiative (an EA organization searching for the best ways to preserve biodiversity into the long-term future), I’ve investigated several common claims that resource limitations could be disastrous for civilization – ie, that we’re approaching “peak oil”, or imminently running out of phosphorus, soil nitrogen, chromium, etc.
The rebugnant conclusion and its consequences
Old king plague is dead! The smallpox plague is dead!
A new online course to help you imagine what hopeful futures with AI could look like.
People who strongly identify with science are more likely to support harmful animal experimentation, highlighting how scientific authority can override moral concerns about animal welfare. The post Scientific Authority Increases Support For Animal Experimentation appeared first on Faunalytics.
Hello everyone! Here you can find the March updates from Animal Equality in all the countries in which we operate. We hope that you find it helpful and inspiring. We will also include our current job openings, knowing that we can count on your support to share them with the people you think might be a perfect fit for the role!. Below you will find the updates: . Animal Equality - Mexico.
Life in the state of nature was less violent than you might think. But this made them vulnerable to a few psychopaths.
It is standard form in EA to state one's welcomingness of feedback, both in a personal and professional capacity. Individuals and organisations alike often have many means by which you can deliver feedback, whether through anonymous forms or direct communication, and forum posts will often begin or end with:
It's time for safety conscious researchers to leave Anthropic. This is a short post, due to an unfortunate lack of time (in more ways than one). I think it's pretty clear that AGI might come about rather (or indeed, very) soon.
Discuss...
We're looking for a Managing Editor and a Reporter to grow our coverage of transformative AI systems into the world’s leading publication for AI decision-makers. Apply by April 30.
Introduction. Misaligned AI systems, which have a tendency to use their capabilities in ways that conflict with the intentions of both developers and users, could cause significant societal harm. Identifying them is seen as increasingly important to inform development and deployment decisions and design mitigation measures. There are concerns, however, that this will prove challenging.
We at Pivotal™ are thrilled to announce that we have successfully trademarked the terms "pivotal," "to pivot," and "a pivot" (see our official trademark certificate). We've long tolerated the unauthorised and, frankly, inflationary use of these terms, but the situation has reached a tipping point. So we're forced to take this pivotal™ action. What does this mean for you?.
Hi group organisers, The current intro fellowship syllabus is getting on to be ~3 years old now, and many of you have remarked that it needs an update. As good stewards of EA, we have listened to your feedback and are pleased this April 1st to announce our proposed revamp!. Problems with the current Intro Fellowship. Confusion over name variations. People don’t do the readings.
IT Bridge Academy graduate Lyne shares how she overcame barriers and disability discrimination to secure her dream job as a technical support engineer.
Happy April Fools’ Day! It’s time to put your strategic thinking to the test in The EA University Groups' Prisoner’s Dilemma!. How It Works. If you’re a member or organiser of an EA university group (or the CEA University Groups Team), then you’re eligible to play. Your group faces one big decision: Cooperate or Defect?.
Effective giving combines the head and the heart in order to do the most good possible with our charitable donations. Philanthropy has been on the mind of Australians in 2024; the Productivity Commission published the findings of its inquiry into philanthropy in July 2024. But how has effective giving fared in the current economic climate?
Epistemic status: highly certain, or something. The Spending What We Must 💸11% pledge. In short: Members pledge to spend at least 11% of their income on effectively increasing their own productivity. This pledge is likely higher-impact for most people than the Giving What We Can 🔸10% Pledge, and we also think the name accurately reflects the non-supererogatory moral beliefs of many in the...
Win-win solutions and low-hanging fruit
Manifold, meditation, minds changing, multipliers
TL;DR: This is a reply to Launching Screwworm-Free Future – Funding and Support Request — EA Forum, Screwworm Free Future is hiring for a Director, and Animal ASK’s report on Brazil - with a summary of challenges for NWS eradication in South America, such as the existence of large populations of flies (well-adapted to the environment) and relevant information gaps.
Hi everybody!. I'm Conor. I run the 80,000 Hours Job Board. Or I used to. As of today — April 1 — we are becoming Job Birds!. We've been talking to users for the last few years about making this change, and people have overwhelmingly been in favour (remember, there are six or more birds for every human on Earth).
Hi everybody!. I'm Conor. I run the 80,000 Hours Job Board. Or I used to. As of today — April 1 — we are becoming Job Birds!. We've been talking to users for the last few years about making this change, and people have overwhelmingly been in favour (remember, there are six or more birds for every human on Earth).
USAID has been slashed, and it is unclear what shape its successor will take. How might American foreign assistance be restructured to maintain critical functions? And how should we think about its future?.
USAID Cuts, Bangladesh GDP and Child Mortality Figures
Hey! Austin here. At Manifund, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to help AI go well. One question that bothered me: so much of the important work on AI is done in SF, so why are all the AI safety hubs in Berkeley? (I’d often consider this specifically while stuck in traffic over the Bay Bridge.).
Eleos AI Research welcomes Rosie Campbell, former Policy Frontiers lead at OpenAI, and Patrick Butlin, AI consciousness researcher from the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford University, to strengthen their work on AI sentience and welfare.
At factory farms, female animals are ruthlessly exploited for financial gain. If you are passionate about women’s rights, it’s crucial to recognize the injustices female animals in our food system face. Hidden from public view, they endure unimaginable suffering. These mothers and daughters deserve our attention and support to amplify their voices and share their […].
As AI systems become more sophisticated, understanding and addressing their potential welfare becomes increasingly important.
On March 19, 2025, the Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity (CLTC) and the CyberPeace Institute hosted the second of three plenary sessions as part of the Cyber Resilience Corps,…. The post Cyber Resilience Corps Plenary Session #2: Evaluating Immediate Measures and Sustainable Strategies for Enhancing Community Cybersecurity appeared first on CLTC.
Summary: The welfare loss from global warming is much smaller than that from epidemics/pandemics, this is smaller than that from conflicts, this is negligible compared with that from factory-farming, and this is negligible compared with that from wild animal suffering.
Epistemic status: The important content here is the claims. To illustrate the claims, I sometimes use examples that I didn't research very deeply, where I might get some facts wrong; feel free to treat these examples as fictional allegories.
US directed more military assets to positions near Iran... There are large-scale demonstrations in Turkey... Food is running out in Gaza...
Coworking & events for AI safety, AI labs, EA charities & startups
📮EA Switzerland - March Updates
Register for the Community Weekend!🚀
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Welcome to this month's update! The important in short:
. 🔥 Registration for the EA Switzerland Community Weekend is now OPEN! 🔥. Register Here. 📅 May 9–11, 2025 | 📍 Sport Resort Fiesch.
I get a lot of emails from people who want help: newly diagnosed borderlines looking for anyone willing to say they’re not evil; people struggling with excessive guilt; people with stigmatized sexual preferences; people who want permission to be trans or not to be trans.
Researchers examine the complex influence of perceived species beauty, political orientation, polarization, and cultural context on people’s attitudes towards species conservation. The post What Can A Butterfly’s Wings Reveal About Support For Conservation? appeared first on Faunalytics.
Plus, Detecting Misbehavior in Reasoning Models
Our ability to explain gravity fundamentally changed how we interact with our world. So too might an explanatory framework for life transform our future.
They told me humans would be kind to machines
Pregnancy can be painful and, for some women, impossible. New technology may allow more women to have children and save the lives of prematurely born infants.
Summary: Immediate skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between mothers and newborns and early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) may play a significant and underappreciated role in reducing neonatal mortality. These practices are distinct in important ways from more broadly recognized (and clearly impactful) interventions like kangaroo care and exclusive breastfeeding, and they are recommended for...
Greetings from a world where…...
Architects of the AI Act have urged Brussels to halt "dangerous" watering down of rules that would exempt major US tech companies like OpenAI and Google from key regulatory requirements.
You’ve probably heard the expression “money can’t buy happiness.” But take a look at the evidence, and you’ll discover an encouraging fact: Your money can buy happiness — for other people. Not all efforts to improve people’s well-being are equally effective, though. The best charities out there create hundreds of times more happiness per dollar than […]...
By Professor Moses Bockarie, Board Member of the END Fund and Regional Director for Africa at EDCTP and Sheetal Vyas, Managing Director of Virgin Unite. The post Philanthropy must go beyond gap-filling and commit to funding African expertise, research, and innovation as a first-line response to climate-driven health crises. appeared first on The END Fund.
At midnight one day in spring 2023, a team of animal rights investigators decked out in biosecurity gear snuck onto a massive chicken farm on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, an hour and a half drive from Baltimore. The operation was raising some 75,000 birds for Mountaire Farms, the nation’s fourth-largest chicken company. When the investigator Joseph […]...
When asked to draw itself as a person, the ChatGPT Create Image feature introduced on March 25, 2025, consistently portrays itself as a white male in his 20s with brown hair, often sporting facial hair and glasses.
Since 2015, I have been taking notes on most articles I read. I figured other people might find them useful, so I cleaned them up and published them on my website. You can find them via the new “Notes” tab. I will update the page every once in a while as I read more articles and take more notes.
For the World Day of the End of Fishing and Fish Farming, we are called to confront the hidden suffering of billions of fish and the urgent need for a transformative approach to aquaculture. Ending fish farming: an effective cause?. The World Day of the End of Fishing and Fish Farming is an opportunity to expose the suffering of billions of fish and push for change.
Far-Left Students and Faculty: We’d sooner burn universities to the ground than allow them to remain safe for the hated Zionist Jews, the baby-killing demons of the earth. We’ll disrupt their classes, bar them from student activities, smash their Hillel centers, take over campus buildings and quads, and chant for Hezbollah and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs […]...
Impact of Consultation: The UK government is considering enabling investment in insect farming based on the outcome of this public consultation. That investment would likely mean trillions of more insects suffering, which we already see in the United States, France, and Spain.
A breakdown of the sources of many air pollutants that damage our health and ecosystems.
Last week, I participated in Animal Advocacy Careers’ Impactful Policy Careers programme. Below I’m sharing some reflections on what was a really interesting week in Brussels!. Please note I spent just one week there, so take it all with a grain of (CAP-subsidized) salt. Posts like this and this one are probably much more informative (and assume less context).
Advanced AI could unlock an era of enlightened and competent government action. But without smart, active investment, we’ll squander that opportunity and barrel blindly into danger.
A cautionary tale about competition in science
Also how to protect yourself online
this week in security — march 30 edition
US officials texted war plans over Signal, 23andMe sale sparks data fears, Oracle's very bad security week, and more. ~this week in security~. a cybersecurity newsletter by @zackwhittaker
volume 8, issue 13
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THIS WEEK, TL;DR. Senior Trump officials accidentally...
A guest post by Brian Cutter
In a recent Wired article about Anthropic, there's a section where Anthropic's president, Daniela Amodei, and early employee Amanda Askell seem to suggest there's little connection between Anthropic and the EA movement: Ask Daniela about it and she says, "I'm not the expert on effective altruism. I don't identify with that terminology. My impression is that it's a bit of an outdated term".
Infographic for the Cause Approach. Infographic for the Funding Opportunity Approach. Executive Summary. The Issue. In January 2025, the US government initiated a 90-day pause on new foreign aid. This pause was followed by a State Department memo halting all new obligations and existing work, leading to massive USAID staff reductions.
You can cover preschool material at home if you want. The post DIY preschool appeared first on Otherwise.
I have heard from the feminists that men are the “privileged” sex in our society, clearly much better off than women.
"Pirate" training of generative AI is fair use and in the public interest
I was an English major in college, and my favorite poet was the first-generation Romantic William Wordsworth. For one thing, there’s the name, the best example of nominative determinism in the annals of English literature. But what I most love about Wordsworth is the way he acts as a bridge between the formal, at times […]...
YouTube link. How do we figure out whether interpretability is doing its job? One way is to see if it helps us prove things about models that we care about knowing. In this episode, I speak with Jason Gross about his agenda to benchmark interpretability in this way, and his exploration of the intersection of proofs and modern machine learning. Topics we discuss: Why compact proofs.
Epistemic status: This post aims at an ambitious target: improving intuitive understanding directly. The model for why this is worth trying is that I believe we are more bottlenecked by people having good intuitions guiding their research than, for example, by the ability of people to code and run evals.
The real reason that AI benchmarks haven’t reflected real-world impacts historically is that they weren’t optimized for this, not because of fundamental limitations – but this might be changing.
Give a Little, Grow a Lot
kevin_tum
Fri, 28-03-2025 - 20:31
Invest in small-scale farms in Sub-Saharan Africa. Your donation makes a real difference. $25. is enough to provide a full service bundle to a farmer for a year. . $40. is enough to deliver 1,140 tree seed kits and training to families in Kenya. . $110. is enough to insure 20 farmers against crop failure for a year. .
The economics of AI remains surprisingly understudied, even as technical progress in artificial intelligence continues rapidly. The Stripe Economics of AI Fellowship aims to help fill that gap by supporting foundational academic research in the area. We invite graduate students and early-career researchers who are interested in studying the economics of AI to apply, regardless of prior...
The Signal group chat scandal buries the lede on growing US-Iran tensions, and new diffusion models show breakthrough performance in Ghiblifying things.
Grants Application Deadline: March 31st
Tl;dr: no. This is a rough research note – we’re sharing it for feedback and to spark discussion. We’re less confident in its methods and conclusions. Once AI fully automates AI R&D, there might be a period of fast and accelerating software progress – a software intelligence explosion (SIE). One objection to this is that it takes a long time to train SOTA AI systems from scratch.
The post Bonus: 15 expert takes on infosec in the age of AI appeared first on 80,000 Hours.
Reflections from the field, on the 10th anniversary of the naming of "cellular agriculture". The post “Cellular Agriculture” turns 10: A new cycle? appeared first on New Harvest.
Is this what explains why everything is liberal?
“If you want the world to be a better place, you have to believe it can be a better place—and that you can do something to make it better.”...
Where's Gemini 2.5 Pro's system card?
A solutions-oriented workshop brought together 80 people from different backgrounds to discuss the challenges and opportunities of transitioning to cage-free systems. The post More Knowledge Sharing, Collaboration Will Advance Cage-Free Transition appeared first on Faunalytics.
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