Effective Altruism News
Effective Altruism News
- And what Ireland learned from him
- If I were very optimistic about how smooth AI takeoff goes, but where it didn't include an early step of "fully solve the unbounded alignment problem, and then end up with extremely robust safeguards ".......then my current guess is that Nice-ish Smooth Takeoff leads to most biological humans dying, like, 10-80 years later. (Or, "dying out", which is slightly different than "everyone dies.".
- Cached responses are very useful. When this topic comes up, I bring up X. When the gadget comes by, I add a gizmo to it. When you have a repetition of three, come up with a pattern-breaking, funny example for the last one. But to have most of your words & actions to be cached is considered soul crushing. Is to be dead. Oh, so you're saying to just be more sPonTanEOus?. Sort'of!
- Jane Goodall never stopped fighting for animals and the planet, even in her final days. The post A Life of Courage and Compassion: Celebrating Jane Goodall appeared first on Mercy For Animals.
- TLDR: AI-2027's specific predictions for August 2025 appear to have happened in September of 2025. The predictions were accurate, if a tad late, but they are late by weeks, not months. Reading AI-2027 was the first thing that viscerally conveyed to me how urgent and dangerous advances in AI technology might be over the next few years.
- If you just want a link to the video, watch it here!. Watch nowWhat’s AI in Context? (Skip if you already know). AI in Context is 80,000 Hours’ new(ish) Youtube channel, hosted by Aric Floyd. We’re trying to do high production storytelling that also informs people about transformative AI and its risks (but there’s a lot of paths our future strategy could take).
- It turns out that airlines largely do not make their money from selling tickets. Instead, airlines are primarily in the business of selling credit card rewards. Rewards programs are intangible assets, so the financial statements of major airlines do not generally give valuations for them. However, there are a couple public sources for how valuable these rewards programs are:
- The ongoing federal government shutdown highlights how fragile and unsustainable our current food system is, particularly for farmed animals. While the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service continues essential inspections, the shutdown has significantly scaled back other critical functions, including disease surveillance, long-term animal welfare research and support programs for farmers.
- For 16 hours in July 2025, Elon Musk's state-of-the-art AI system had what can only be described as a full-scale Nazi meltdown How the hell did this happen? In our newest video, I dive deep into Grok’s bizarre ‘#MechaHitler’ meltdown, and what it tells us about the reckless path the AI industry (and Elon Musk) are on. If we’re only as safe as our least safe AI companies, we need to do better.
- The 2025 U.S. government shutdown has serious consequences for farmed animals across the country, as critical protections and programs are paused or delayed. Here’s how: 1. Farmed Animal Slaughter Oversight Slowed While slaughterhouse inspections continue, enforcement of humane handling laws may be compromised. Many states rely on federal funding to support inspections of farms and […].
- Community building advice, fellowship opportunities for all career stages, and more conference locations New conference locations confirmed, the latest virtual programs, and several fellowship opportunities to get involved with AI Safety. Subscribe - Unsubscribe - Newsletter Archives - View in your browser Effective Altruism at...
- There's a bit of an implicit norm that has accumulated over the past few years, but inconsistently, and AFAICT no one has publicly argued for it. Sometimes, when arguing online, you will notice yourself going into a mode that is more like a rant than like careful arguing. Or, you know is not really passing your interlocutor's Intellectual Turing Test.
- Elon Musk once tweeted: “The safety of any AI system can be measured by its MtH (meantime to Hitler).” This July, it took less than 12 hours for his most advanced AI to become a holocaust-denying Neo-N*zi. This should have shattered the illusion that today's AI industry, or its creations, are well under control. But so far, we seem to be ignoring the flashing red lights.
- Summary: Geodesic is going to use prediction markets to select their projects for MARS 4.0 and we need your help to make the markets run efficiently! Please read through the proposals, and then trade on the markets for the proposals you think might succeed or fail. We intend to choose the best proposals in two weeks!.
- By Robert Wiblin Watch on Youtube Listen on Spotify Read the transcriptEpisode summary. If we can get their cost down to $10, this becomes one of the most cost-effective ways of preventing respiratory transmission. The shelf life is 20 years. That means basically 50 cents per person per year of protection. ….
- The post MechaHitler: Anatomy of an AI Meltdown appeared first on 80,000 Hours.
- We no longer a recommended NEPI as a 'Promising Charity'. The post HLI is no longer recommending NEPI appeared first on Happier Lives Institute.
- Safer transplants, new antibiotics, the rise of paper mills, long-term flu protection, slowing down ageing, and more.
- A new OpenAI benchmark, GDPval, tests AI models on things people actually do in their jobs — and finds that Claude is about as good as a human for government work...
- The value of economic theory in thinking about AGI, detecting whether the “economic singularity” is coming, and what’s wrong with existing work on explosive growth and the economics of AI...
- Evidence of a miracle and replies to philosophical arguments against them
- The post Andrew Snyder-Beattie on the low-tech plan to patch humanity’s greatest weakness appeared first on 80,000 Hours.
- Perceptions of farmed animals can be influenced by individual identities and personality traits. What does this mean for animal advocacy?. The post Knowing Your Audience: The Key To Effective Animal Advocacy appeared first on Faunalytics.
- Here's a link to my blog https://benthams.substack.com/
- Community Jameel, FCDO and IDRC partner with J-PAL and IDinsight to launch AI Evidence Alliance for Social Impact in Cape Town Community Jameel, in partnership with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and IDinsight, announced today the AI Evidence Alliance...
- Most people know Jane Goodall, the eminent primatologist who died on Wednesday at 91, for her singular, field-defining work on wild chimpanzees. She first entered the field in the early 1960s with no formal academic training, at a time when influential scientific frameworks like behaviorism often viewed animals as little more than stimulus-response machines. Unencumbered […]...
- Georgetown University’s Magis Prize recognizes gui2de affiliate Andrew Zeitlin for making an extraordinary impact in global education with $100K in research funding.
- Building on the Global Call for AI Red Lines, we outline priorities for policymakers and the broader governance ecosystem to turn shared principles into enforceable limits on AI risks. The post How to Set Red Lines in the Real World appeared first on The Future Society.
- Krystal Birungi, Research and Outreach Associate at Target Malaria Uganda at Uganda Virus Research Institute reached a new milestone in her advocacy journey. She was named one of the 10 Goalkeepers for her work advancing health policy and equitable healthcare access across Africa through scientific innovation and leadership. Each year, the Global Goalkeeper Award honors […].
- Kanishka Narayan is excited about AI opportunities, but takes the risks seriously too
- Crosspost of my blog. Lots of people have two conflicting desires: Do the most good. Make sure you do some good. These are in conflict. Sometimes the thing that does the most good in expectation has a low chance of doing any good. If you give a lot of money to shrimp, for example, there’s about a 50% chance you’re wasting your money if it turns out that shrimp aren’t conscious.
- Hi FAST! . Twice as many Swedish municipalities are now excluding Frankenchickens from procurement compared to last year – a big step for animal welfare. This is shown in Project 1882’s 2025 ranking of animal-friendly municipalities. Key findings:
- Reconciling Nutrition and Sustainability: A New Tool for Nourishing People and Planet gloireri Thu, 10/02/2025 - 11:08 Reconciling Nutrition and Sustainability: A New Tool for Nourishing People and Planet. Authors:Ty Beal, Flaminia Ortenzi, and Jessica Colston.
- The post It’s Not Just My Job, It’s My Calling: Clare Ojambo on Supporting Community Health Extension Workers in Uganda appeared first on Living Goods.
- This is a recorded series of lectures and homework assignments discussions on the topic of statistical learning theory, co-organized by Gergely Szucs (@Yegreg) and Alex Flint (@Alex Flint). The homework assignments are available here, and lecture notes are available here.
- 🐣 The Humane League is hiring a Temporary Campaigns Lead! The Humane League's US Campaigns team is focused on influencing companies across the country to do better for the animals in their supply chains through hard-hitting awareness campaigns that galvanize the public to demand much-needed change.
- I am thrilled to be hosting a Global Action Party on Oct 15 and it’s an open invite! This power hour will include a mix of learning, connection, and real-time Corporate Crackdown campaign actions. Inspiration & Connection: Marna Olsen will introduce OWA and highlight how our powerful global collaboration is driving change.
- New AI Companies Data Hub, AI in 2030 report, Grok 4’s training footprint, implications of long-context inference, two new podcast episodes, and more.
- Individually Owned Health Data – The Opportunity and Risk Every day, people generate streams of health data – from heart rates on wearables to mobility patterns, sleep cycles, and even subtle shifts in language on their phones. Combined, these signals could unlock breakthroughs in detecting disease earlier, monitoring progression more accurately, and tailoring treatment to […].
- Individually Owned Consumer Data: The Opportunity and the Risk Everyday life generates a flood of consumer data. Smart meters track home energy use, phones log commuting routes and spending, streaming apps record what we watch and listen to. On their own, these signals can help someone save money, make smarter choices, or better understand their […].
- We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and one of the most important voices in science, conservation and animal advocacy. Her life’s work changed how we see animals, the planet and our responsibilities as stewards of both. Dr. […].
- This piece was originally featured on The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics website. The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics has experienced unprecedented growth over the past year. With many new…. The post Growth and Impact: Clinics Reach New Heights appeared first on CLTC.
- Stacy Trasancos's substack is here https://stacytrasancos.substack.com/ Ethan Muse's Substack https://motivacredibilitatis.substack.com/ Here's my blog https://benthams.substack.com/
- A debate on the lanciano eucharistic miracle
- Music Music I most enjoyed discovering this quarter: Yusef Greiss: Egypt (1932) Levon Minassian: “Hovern’ engan” (2006) Ellen Williams: “Time to Say Goodbye” (2023) James P. Johnson: Yamekraw (1928) Michel Camilio: Piano Concerto (1998), Suite for Piano, Strings & Harp mvts 1 & 4 (2001) Harry Reser: Suite for Banjo and Orchestra (1930) Hans Zimmer: The […]...
- Hello everyone! Here you can find the September updates from Animal Equality. We hope that you find it helpful and inspiring. We also include our current job openings. Thank you!. U.S. Animal Equality is intensifying its global campaign against Ahold Delhaize with a month of daily protests at its headquarters in the Netherlands, urging the company to end cages in its U.S. supply chain.
- TL;DR I think "Pessimization" is a bad concept to think about in the case of activist movements. I think most of it can be explained by ordinary failures, and that using pessimization as a concept is worse than just thinking about the ordinary causes of failure on an object level. Pessimization.
- Windows, Mirrors, and Lenses: On Intentional Prose
- In light of both my career change and the Ambitious Impact incubation round focusing on philanthropy ideas, I have been considering the types of organisations that might help the philanthropy sector have a higher impact than it does right now.
- Context: The EU is currently considering introducing a ban on companies in Europe from using terms like ‘meat’, ‘steak’, ‘burger’, ‘sausage’, et cetera in plant based food labels. The proposal would also restrict the use of meat related terms for future cultivated meat products yet to enter the market.
- This is a recorded series of lectures and homework assignments discussions on the topic of statistical learning theory, co-organized by Gergely Szucs (@Yegreg) and Alex Flint (@Alex Flint). The homework assignments are available here, and lecture notes are available here.
- AlphaFold, ProteinMPNN and other tools are transforming drug design, but how do they work, and can we use them to create a strep A vaccine for the very first time?
- In December 2024, CLTC opened a second Call for Papers (CFP) to support Public Interest Cybersecurity research that will increase the body of empirical knowledge about the cyber defense…. The post CLTC Publishes Series of Public Interest Cybersecurity Research Papers appeared first on CLTC.
- This month’s Faunalytics Index provides facts and stats about hammerhead shark fishing, the impact of playtime on cat hunting behavior, air pollution from industrial animal farms, and more. The post Faunalytics Index – October 2025 appeared first on Faunalytics.
- Effective Altruism
- The global trade in terrestrial invertebrates is increasing, creating serious threats to biodiversity. The post An Overview Of The Global Terrestrial Invertebrate Trade appeared first on Faunalytics.
- 1 October 2025, NEW YORK – The END Fund and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today signed a Memorandum of.... The post The END Fund and Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Accelerate the Elimination of Schistosomiasis appeared first on The END Fund.
- If antibodies were cheaper, they could prevent millions of deaths from rabies, malaria, and dengue.
- Life is continuous with Earth's geochemistry? ?
- The Democratic Republic of Congo is immense. Diverse terrain, connected by unpredictable roads, makes the logistical hurdle of conducting massive simultaneous health interventions difficult. For years, the Ministry of Health has worked to provide annual treatment for neglected tropical diseases and now the country is seeing gains by lifting the burden for entire communities.
- EA Forum Digest #260 Hello!. I’m running another Draft Amnesty Week - a chance to share unpolished drafts and hastily drafted ideas, from October 13-19. You can read about it here, and write up ideas for posts, for you, or for others. Also, we’re about halfway through the ‘Essays on Longtermism’ competition.
- 🚀 Las últimas novedades de la comunidad de AE...
- Opinion: Felix M Simon argues that AI is unlikely to significantly shape election results in the near future, but warns that it could damage democracy through a steady erosion of institutional trust.
- Hive Slack Threads: September
- New State Department strategy, governments can't count, and safety at night
- To read and to like
- Insights from the The Lancet Haematology Commission At Kilifi Hospital, Kenya, two mothers, Fatuma and Halima, shared the strain of caring for children hospitalised with severe anaemia. Both children received blood transfusions, but the mothers recalled not being given a clear explanation of what anaemia was.
- I do agree that if these photos showed that the sun was at an odd angle, that would be evidence for a miracle. But I read Dalleur (2021) and I’m really not sold that the photos indicate anything celestially weird going on.
- Board of Directors Member. REMOTE. Empowering the Next Generation to End Factory Farming: What would it mean to you if you could dedicate your time, talent, and energy to creating a more just and sustainable food system?. Serving on the Board of Directors at New Roots Institute isn’t just a role; it's a commitment to a cause.
- Explore key data on frontier AI companies — revenue, funding, staff, usage rates and compute spend...
- File:Survivorship-bias.svg - Wikimedia Commons. A later reprinting of the "unillustrated report" referenced: A_Reprint_Plane_Vulnerability.pdf. Even a 20mm autocannon round only has a ~50% chance of destroying a plane on an engine hit, as opposed to the ~100% assumption used for the illustration (I think the flak round statistics were per-fragment-hit and not per-shell)!
- Cover Photo: Victoria de Martigny / We Animals Live bird markets exist in the United States? Yes, it’s true! The northeastern United States has the highest concentration of live bird markets (LBMs) in the country. These markets are mainly in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, and California has many LBMs […].
- 0. Key Info. TL;DR: Most students get <20% of the potential value of EAG due to poor/ insufficient preparation. Students should ideally spend 15-20 hours (4-6 absolute minimum) identifying career uncertainties, creating concrete options, setting SMART goals, then booking and prepping 15+ meetings around those goals. Epistemic status: This guidance is based on what has worked well for me in...
- How is Los Angeles doing on housing affordability? Not good. The median home price in Los Angeles is now $930,622. That’s over 11 times the median household income – meaning the typical Los Angeles family does not have a path…. The post What Would SB 79 Mean for <span class="dewidow">Los Angeles?</span> appeared first on California YIMBY.
- Manifold forecasts a polycrisis
- Related to: Commonsense Good, Creative Good (and my comment); Ethical Injunctions. Epistemic status: I’m fairly sure “ethics” does useful work in building human structures that work. My current explanations of how are wordy; I think there should be a briefer way to conceptualize it; I hope you guys help me with that. Introduction.
- From advanced artificial intelligence
- A survey reveals how shelters address fear and anxiety in cats and dogs and what influences their treatment choices. The post Shelter Animal Anxiety: What Shelters Are Doing To Help appeared first on Faunalytics.
- Anthropic's new model appears to use "eval awareness" to be on its best behavior
- As we all know, any sufficiently-advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Accordingly, whenever such artifact appears, a crowd of researchers soon gathers around it, hoping to translate the magic into human-understandable mechanisms, and perhaps gain a few magical powers in the process.
- The Food Systems Dashboard: Then and Now gloireri Tue, 09/30/2025 - 12:39 The Food Systems Dashboard: Then and Now. 30th/Sep/2025. Five years ago, fragmented food systems data made it challenging for stakeholders to take away meaningful insights for evidence-based decision-making.
- Twelve-year-old Faryal used to feel dizzy when reading and struggled with her schoolwork. After receiving spectacles through a Sightsavers programme in Pakistan, she can now reach her full potential.
- Les Mousquetaires (Intermarché / Netto), third retailer in France, committed to eliminating eyestalk ablation by 2026 and implementing pre-slaughter electric stunning by 2030. --> This is the very first shrimp welfare commitment made by a French retailer and will undoubtedly generate momentum in France. --> This commitment was made as part of ICAW's upcoming shrimp welfare report that will...
- Mobius, a California-based family office dedicated to reducing the suffering of farmed animals, is seeking a talented Project & Operations Coordinator. This is an opportunity to provide critical support to help shape the success of multiple mission-driven projects. As our Project Coordinator, you will be the organizational force that keeps our team and ventures running smoothly.
- The post Burkina Faso is scaling up digital community health systems through a national roadmap appeared first on Living Goods.
- The following statement regarding the CheckPoint Zoo documentary may be attributed to Deep Dhillion, managing director at Mercy For Animals: The courage of those in Checkpoint Zoo reflects the compassion we strive for every day, and we are thankful that this special release supports Mercy For Animals’ ongoing work to create a kinder world for […].
- California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 53 on September 29. I think it’s a pretty great step, though I certainly hope future legislation builds on it. I wrote up my understanding of what the text actually does; I welcome any corrections (and certainly further analysis for what this all means for AI safety)!. Very short summary. The law requires major AI companies to:
- A lot of objection and confusion to the MIRI worldview seems to come from a perspective of "but, it.... shouldn't be possible be that confident in something that's never happened before at all, with anything like the current evidence and the sorts of arguments you're making here." .
- I worked a bunch on the website for If Anyone Builds Its Online Resources. It went through a lot of revisions in the weeks before launch. There was a particular paragraphs I found important, which I now can't find a link to, and I'm not sure if they got deleted in an edit pass or if they just moved around somewhere I'm failing to search for.
- The AI industry has changed rapidly in recent years, with frontier companies like OpenAI and Anthropic seeing fast exponential growth in their revenues and valuations. This growth has important implications for AI’s trajectory: AI companies are continually improving their technology by scaling up compute and labor inputs, and their revenue and usage track how AI is already impacting the world.
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