Future of Life Institute (FLI)

With the unchecked race to build smarter-than-human AI intensifying, humanity is on track to almost certainly lose control. In "Keep The Future Human", FLI Executive Director Anthony Aguirre explains why we must close the 'gates' to AGI - and instead develop beneficial, safe Tool AI designed to serve us, not replace us. We're at a crossroads: continue down this dangerous path, or choose a future where AI enhances human potential, rather than threatening it. 🔗 Read Anthony's full "Keep The Future Human" essay - or explore the interactive summary - at the link in the comments:

🚨 Governor Newsom has signed SB 53 into law, a landmark moment for the AI safety movement. "Lawmakers have finally begun establishing basic protections around advanced AI systems -- the same safeguards that exist for every other industry," said Michael Kleinman, our Head of US Policy. The data is compelling: 82% of Republicans support limits on AI capabilities, and over 70% of voters want government safety standards. This summer, the Senate voted 99-1 against blocking state action. There is more work to do, but momentum is growing for the AI safety movement. Until we have strong federal standards, states will continue stepping up to protect our children, communities, and jobs. Full statement in the comments:

🇺🇳 At the UN General Assembly last week, FLI's Executive Director Anthony Aguirre joined Foreign Policy's Tech and AI Forum for a talk on "Safeguarding the Future: Coordinated Approaches to Global AI Policy". 📺 You can watch the full talk here, starting from 1:15:00: https://lnkd.in/gDWAmmRX 📷 credit: Jonathan Heisler

🗣️ 🇺🇦 "We need global rules – now – for how AI can be used in weapons. And this is just as urgent as preventing the spread of nuclear weapons." 🚨 "It's only a matter of time, not much, before drones are fighting drones, attacking critical infrastructure and targeting people all by themselves, fully autonomous and no human involved, except the few who control AI systems." 📢 "We are now living through the most destructive arms race in human history because this time, it includes artificial intelligence." Ukrainian President Zelenskyy last week at the UN General Assembly: https://lnkd.in/ggWN_g9e

🤖 "If you have an agent that has very broad goals and a very open-ended autonomy, you're gonna lose a lot of meaningful oversight of that system, most likely. So, that's the biggest shift I think between a Tool AI and this more agentic path that we're on right now. I think you could have a Tool AI that's still an agent, but it would have a very bounded autonomy." -📻 Foresight Institute Existential Hope Program Director Beatrice Erkers on the newest FLI episode. 🔗 Tune in now on your favourite podcast player, or at the link in the comments!

🤝 👏 A wonderful collaboration on Capitol Hill last week! Thanks Federation of American Scientists. 👇

AI can deliver incredible benefits to humanity - but without guardrails, we're heading towards a dangerous future of mounting AI-driven harms. That’s why we're joining the Global Call for AI Red Lines, along with 70+ top organizations and 200+ well-known leaders and experts - including former heads of state Mary Robinson, Juan Manuel Santos, and Enrico Letta, Nobel laureates including Joseph Stiglitz, Maria Ressa, and Daron Acemoglu, AI pioneers and Turing Award winners including Yoshua Bengio, Geoffrey Hinton, and Andrew Chi-Chih Yao, former President of the United Nations General Assembly Csaba Kőrösi, experts from leading AI companies including Ian Goodfellow, and other influential voices like Yuval Noah Harari and Stephen Fry. Our call is clear: Governments must reach agreement on red lines for artificial intelligence by the end of 2026 - preventing the most severe risks for humanity and global stability. We can't afford to wait. Help us build awareness about the need for global #AIRedLines by sharing this post:

🆕 "A lot of elected officials are starting to realize the danger. A lot of common people are starting to realize the danger. But no one really knows that everyone else sees the issue... We're in this weird state where a lot of people are alarmed, but no one wants to look alarmist." 📻 "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies" co-author and Machine Intelligence Research Institute President Nate Soares on the newest FLI Podcast episode. 🔗 Listen to it now at the link in the comments:

🆕📊 A new survey frm The Institute for Family Studies finds that 90% of Americans want safeguards on AI, especially to protect children. Highlights: ➡️ Americans overwhelmingly agree that technology companies should be prohibited from deploying A.I. chatbots that engage in sexual conversations with minors. ➡️ All age groups and income brackets and both parties agree that the priority of Congress should be to protect children, over working to keep states from regulating A.I. companies. ➡️ 90% of Americans agree that families should be granted the right to sue an A.I. company, “if its products contributed to harms such as suicide, sexual exploitation, psychosis, or addiction in their child.” 🔗 Read more of the results at the link in the comments:

Tomorrow in DC, FLI's Hamza Chaudhry and the Federation of American Scientists will host a gathering on artificial general intelligence (AGI), its risks, and how they may be managed. Learn more: https://luma.com/hro96dyl