Computing & AI

Envision a digital world defined by secure cooperation with other intelligences – humans and AIs alike.

Advances in cyberspace, computer security, cryptography, and auxiliary fields can help secure your data but also enable new forms of collaboration on shared goals. Advances in AI can transform how we solve problems and make decisions, in almost all areas, from healthcare to climate change.

Imagine we could build a secure computing infrastructure in which humans and AIs might cooperate peacefully to advance civilizational progress and achieve a variety of goals.

Learn all about intelligence by clicking the "Intro" node, understand potential risks by clicking the "Risks" node, discover the most hopeful scenarios by clicking the "Hope" node and find out how to get involved under "Action" node.
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Computing & AI

Artificial Intelligence

The Artificial Intelligence Revolution - Wait But Why. Intro-level post summarizing potential implications of Artificial (General) Intelligence. Forum/blog-post
A Reply to WBW on Machine Intelligence - Luke Muehlhauser. Responds to the WBW post on AI with clarifications and corrections. Forum/blog-post
71 Definitions of Intelligence - Shane Legg. Reviews various explanations of intelligence. Forum/blog-post
Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky. Classic on how intelligence on the level of the individual and society arises from individual agents cooperating with each other. Book
What is Intelligence? - Kurzgesagt. Intro-level explainer video defining intelligence. Video
Forecasting TAI with Biological Anchors - Ajeja Cotra. Report on what we can learn from human intelligence for forecasting artificial intelligence. Forum/blog-post
Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom. Explores different take-off scenarios of AI, why they’re dangerous and possible preparatory actions. Book
Life 3.0 - Max Tegmark. On how AI affects crime, war, justice, jobs, society and our understanding of being human. Book
Benefits & Risks of AI. Future of Life Institute. An intro-level post on the benefits and risks of AI with various links to background material. Forum/blog-post
Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence - FLI. Introductory post on AI with link list. Forum/blog-post
How Sure Are We About This AI Stuff? - Ben Garfinkel. Forum/blog-post ‍
AGI Futures – Roon, Roon’s Blog. Delves into various topics related to technology, AI, and digital philosophy, via a mix of formats and thematic explorations. Forum/blog-post

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Crypto Commerce

A Tour of Recent Cryptographic Technologies - Ben Garfinkel. Introduction to major cryptographic techniques, their history, and potential long-term future applications. Academic paper

Agoric Open System Papers - Eric Drexler, Mark S. Miller. Classic papers on software agents participating in computational markets for digital assets and resources. Academic paper
Bitcoin: A Peer to Peer Electronic Cash System - Satoshi Nakamoto. Classic paper that introduced bitcoin. Academic paper
Smart Contracts - Nick Szabo. Classic paper that introduced the concept of smart contracts. Academic paper
Crypto: An Oral Essay - A16z Podcast. Introductory essay on crypto basics.
What is a Blockchain? - MIT. Explainer on history, mechanisms, and applications of blockchains. Article
The Bitcoin Standard - Saifedean Ammous. On the rise of Bitcoin, focusing on the economic properties that have allowed it to grow, and its economic, political, and social implications. Article
Check Your Financial Privilege - Alex Gladstein. On how Bitcoin helps support human rights, and fight financial repression inside authoritarian regimes around the world. Book‍
Cypherpunks, The Cypherpunk Mailing List - Archive. FAQ and mailing list from the cypherpunk community that was instrumental in building much of the cryptocommerce of today. Misc.

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Computing

The Stack - Benjamin Bratton. On planetary-scale computing and its implications for sovereignty. Article
The Arrival of Quantum Computing - Will Zeng. Introductory post on quantum computing and its future implications. Forum/blog-post ‍
Quantum Computing Q&A: Scott Aaronson, Constructor Theory | Chiara Marletto - Foresight Institute. Seminar recordings on quantum computing and universal constructors.Article

Near-term Risks

Malicious Use of AI Report - Miles Brundage et. al. Report on various risks arising from near-term and longer-term progress in AI, and potential policy and technology approaches to address those risks. Academic paper
Slaughterbots - Stop Autonomous Weapons. Fictional short video on the dangers of lethal autonomous weapons. Video
Information Security Concerns for AI & The Long-term Future - Jeff Ladish. Introduces information security as a crucial problem that is currently undervalued by the AI safety community. Forum/blog-post
Teachable Moment Dual Use - Lawfare Podcast. Interviews two scientists who created an AI-powered molecule generator that could design thousands of new biochemical weapons within hours.
Daemon - Daniel Suarez. On the disastrous near-term implications of AI. Sci-fi content‍
After On - Rob Reid. on near-term risks of AI-infused social-media. Book

Intelligence Takeoff

The AI Foom Debate - Robin Hanson and Eliezer Yudkowsky on hard vs. slow take off. Also in varied form as recording: Yudkowsky vs Hanson: Singularity Debate. Forum/blog-post
Slow Takeoff vs Fast Takeoff - Paul Christiano. Argues for a slow takeoff. Forum/blog-post
Yudkowsky Contra Christiano on Takeoff Speeds - Astral Codex Ten. Summarizes a recent debate between Eliezer Yudkowsky and Paul Christiano on AI takeoff speeds. Forum/blog-post
Why Not Wait on AI Risk? - Robin Hanson. Repeats Hanson’s skepticism of a fast take-off, asking for evidence to the contrary. Forum/blog-post
Heretical Thoughts on AI Alignment - Eli Dourado. Skepticism on shortening AI timelines. Forum/blog-post ‍
Autonomous - Annalee Newitz. On dangers of biotechnology, AI and the intersection of both. Book

The Alignment Issue

AGI Ruin: A List of Lethalities - Eliezer Yudkowsky. Forty-three reasons that make Yudkowsky pessimistic about our world being able to solve AGI safety. Forum/blog-post
That Alien Message - Eliezer Yudkowsky. On AI revealing itself to humanity. Forum/blog-post
The Basic AI Drives - Steve Omohundro. On fundamental drives that may be inherent in any artificially intelligent system and their dangers. Forum/blog-post
Orthogonality Thesis - Nick Bostrom. On why an increase in intelligence does not have to be correlated with alignment in human values. Forum/blog-post
AI Alignment & Security - Paul Christiano. On how the relationship between security and alignment concerns is underappreciated. Forum/blog-post ‍
Artificial Intelligence, Values and Alignment - Iason Gabriel. On philosophical considerations in relationship to AI alignment, proposing to select principles that receive wide-spread reflective endorsement. Academic paper

Coordination for AI Safety

Reading Guide for the Global Politics of Artificial Intelligence - Allan Dafoe. A drop box link to a reading list about the geopolitical implications of advanced artificial intelligence. Book
Smart Policies for Artificial Intelligence - Miles Brundage, Joanna Bryson. Argues that it is not too early for policy considerations around increasingly advanced AIs and what we can learn from previous policy failures. Academic paper
Public Policy Desiderata in the Development of Machine Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom, Allan Dafoe, Carrick Flynn. An extensive introduction to how advanced AI affects various policy domains. Academic paper
Deciphering China’s AI Dream - Jeffrey Ding. Analysis of China’s mission to lead the world in AI, including implications for international cooperation. Academic paper
Racing to the Precipice: A model of Artificial Intelligence Development - Stuart Armstrong, Nick Bostrom, Carl Schulman. Game-theoretic analysis of factors influencing race dynamics in AI, such as information or number of players. Academic paper
AI And The Future of Defense - Stephan De Spiegeleire, Matthijs Maas, Tim Sweijs. Summarizes AI history and approaches, and defense history and approaches, before combining both topics to point out novel concerns. Academic paper
Superintelligence: Coordination & Strategy - Roman Yampolskiy, Allison Duettmann. Collection of papers on challenges and strategies for ensuring a cooperative development of advanced AI. Academic paper
International AI Institutions - Matthijs Maas. Reviews seven different types of AI institutions. Academic paper‍
Structured Transparency in AI Governance - Emma Bluemke et al. Discusses cryptography-enabled multipolar regulatory markets for AI. Academic paper

AI Macro Strategies

Long-term Strategies to End Existential Risk from Hard Take-off - Daniel Dewey. Specifically addresses hard take-off risk mitigation strategies, for instance via international cooperation and a different technological advantage. Academic paper
Avoiding the Precipice: Race Avoidance in the Development of AI - Olga Afanasjeva, Jan Feyereisl, Marek Havdra. Maps out various races with their actors, and potential responses. Forum/blog-post
Why AI Risk Might be Solved Without Additional Intervention From Long-termists - AI Alignment Forum. Summarizing four interviews with AI safety researchers who are rather optimistic about AI alignment. Forum/blog-post
Existential Hope Transformative AI Institution Design Hackathon - Foresight Institute. Nine proposals for new governance mechanisms for transformative AI. Article
Beneficial AI Conference - FLI Youtube channel. Conference recordings of the Beneficial AI conference with leading researchers and practitioners in the field. Forum/blog-post ‍
Tinker - Richard Ngo. Short story on a future with advanced AGI. Sci-fi content

Value Alignment

Research Priorities for Robust AI - Stuart Russell, Max Tegmark, Daniel Dewey. Paper outlining priorities for making progress on robust AI. Academic paper
Directions and Desiderata for AI Alignment - Paul Christiano. His AI Alignment website is generally a good resource. Post outlining priorities for AI Alignment. Forum/blog-post
The Landscape of AI Safety and Beneficence Research - Richard Mallah. Overview of the AI safety landscape. Forum/blog-post
Value Alignment Landscape - Lucas Perry. Overview of the sub-field of Value Alignment. Forum/blog-post
Coherent Extrapolated Volition - Eliezer Yudkowsky. Classic on how to align super intelligent systems with an idealized account of human values. Forum/blog-post
Objections to Coherent Extrapolated Volition - Lesswrong. Criticism of CEV. Forum/blog-post
Intro to Brain-like AGI Safety - Steven Byrnes. A summary of posts on brain-inspired AI safety approaches. Forum/blog-post
Brain Enthusiasts in AI Safety - Samuel Nellessen. On brain-inspired approaches to AI safety. Forum/blog-post
Collective Constitutional AI - Anthropic. Forum/blog-post
Superalignment - OpenAI. Forum/blog-post
AI Safety via Debate - Geoffrey Irving. Proposes an AI safety technique that relies on various agents debating each other, judged by a human. Forum/blog-post
An Open Agency Architecture for Safe Transformative AI - Davidad. A proposal for an AI system that ends the risk period without causing catastrophic harm. Forum/blog-post
Why I Am Not (As Much Of) A Doomer (As Some People) – Scott Alexander. Why there is still room for some optimism when deliberating the probability of AI-induced human extinction. Forum/blog-post ‍
What Success Looks Like – Marius Hobbhahn et al. Discusses scenarios and strategies for ensuring the safe development and deployment of transformative artificial intelligence (TAI), exploring different situations where AI alignment might or might not be an issue. Forum/blog-post

Decentralized AI

Reframing Superintelligence, Intelligence Distillation, QNRS: Toward Language Models for Machines - Eric Drexler. Provides an alternative approach to AGI in which agents are a class of service-providing products, rather than a singleton-like engine of progress in themselves. Academic paper
Building Safe AI - Andrew Trask. Describes how federated learning could be leveraged to build an AI system that can produce insights based on the encrypted data of two mutually suspicious parties without itself gaining access to the data or leaking any information about its own algorithms. Forum/blog-post
The Long-Tail Problem in AI and How Autonomous Markets Can Solve Them - Ali Yahya. On how decentralized autonomous hiveminds can incentivize local knowledge for problem-solving in a superior way to top down singleton-like systems, potentially creating a viable alternative. Forum/blog-post
Blockchain-based ML Marketplaces - Fred Ehrsam. On how crypto market places filled by ML and opt-in privacy can create decentralized alternatives to top down AIs. Forum/blog-post
Safe AGI via DLT - Kristen Carlson. On how distributed ledger technologies and related innovations may help create a safe ecosystem for the development of AGI. Academic paper
Pluralism Through Personalized AIs - Steve Omohundro. On how personal AI assistants can support human goals and cooperation across them. Audio
Open Source Game Theory is Weird - Andrew Critch. Introduces open source game theory. Forum/blog-post ‍
Gaming the Future - Allison Duettmann, Mark S. Miller, Christine Peterson. Introduces a decentralized approach to advanced AI that focuses on improved problem-solving arising from the cooperation of individual agents. Book

Crypto-based Innovation

Computer Security As The Future of Law - Mark Miller. Video
Network State - Balaji Srinivasan. Explores the concept of network states, detailing how digital communities can evolve into new forms of governance and social organization. Book
What Do I Think About Network States? - Vitalik Buterin. Replies to Balaji’s book with a few suggestions for modifications around externalities and inclusivity. Forum/blog-post
Crypto Tools for Paretotopia - Juan Benet. On how economic growth and cryptography-tools can help advance civilization toward pareto preferred worlds. Video
AI DAOs and Three Paths to get There - Trent McConaghy. Also: Nature 2.0. Combines and extends AI and blockchain into a symbiosis of biology and machine, for a future of abundance. Forum/blog-post
Impact DAOs - Kevin Owocki, Alejandra Borda. Book mapping out ImpactDAOs in the web3 space. Forum/blog-post
DeSci - Vincent Weisser. Explainer on Decentralized Science with link list. Forum/blog-post
DeSci: Tech Trees to Fund Ambitious Science & Tech - Allison Duettmann. On decentralized technology trees to find and fund undervalued scientific areas to advance crucial scientific domains. Article
Radical Markets - Eric Posner, Glen Weyl. Also: Decentralized Society: Finding Web3’s Soul - Glen Weyl, Puja Olhaver, Vitalik Buterin.On how quadratic funding, soul-bound tokens, and other crypto-innovations can reinvent much of our existing economy in crypto and enables the creation of entirely novel institutions.
Why Crypto Economics and X-Risk Researchers Should Listen to Each Other More - Vitalik Buterin. On fruitful intersections between Crypto and X-risks. Forum/blog-post
Crypto-Economic Approaches to X-risks - Allison Duettmann. Talk on various X-risks and which crypto tools could be useful in addressing them. Video
A View of the Future of Our Data - Matt Prewitt. On how data coalitions can help provide humans with self-sovereign data ownership. Article
SeL4: Formal Proofs of Real-World Cybersecurity - Gernot Heiser. On the SeL4 microkernel as a promising component of a viable computer security approach. Video
Dominant Assurance Contracts | Alex Tabarrok, Tools for Openness | Audrey Tang, Zero-knowledge Cooperation | Zooko, Cryptocommerce Tree, Crypto, Computing & AI Tree, Split Contracts - Foresight Institute. Seminar recordings on novel cryptographic tools to experiment with solutions for cooperation challenges across individuals or collective action problems. Video
How the Extropians Quest for Digital Cash Secured our Trips to the Stars - Aaron van Wirdum. Article on how extropians were crucial in advancing early crypto, space, and other futurist developments. Article
Bitcoin and the End of History - Reason. Documentary about a few cypherpunks and their contributions to building today’s cryptographic infrastructure. Video
If I Hardforked: A Doxxing of Satoshi Nakamoto - Andrew Miller. Poem about forking. Poetry
My techno-optimism - Vitalik. Introducing d/acc or defense accelerationism as strategy for the long-term future. Forum/blog-post
A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto - Anon. Introducing the mission and goals of the cypherpunks. Manifesto
Crypto Anarchist Manifesto - Tim May. Introducing the mission and goals of crypto anarchism. Manifesto‍
Declaration of Independence of Cyberspace - John Perry Barlow. Classic speech delivered at Davos in favor of an independent cyberspace realm. Manifesto

AI: Staying Up to Date

AI Alignment Newsletter - A weekly publication with recent content relevant to AI alignment with over 2600 subscribers. See also the AI Alignment Database spreadsheet. Newsletter
AI Alignment Forum - A single online hub for researchers to discuss all ideas related to ensuring that transformatively powerful AIs are aligned with human values. Website/Blog
AIsafety.com - AI safety reading list meeting regularly virtually. Website/Blog
AI Safety & Policy Job Board - 80,000 Hours. Website/Blog
AI Safety Support: Lots of Links - A collection of resources for everything AI Safety, including fellowships and training programmes, news and updates, research agendas, AI Safety organizations and initiatives, major publications, and support. Content list‍
Cognitive Revolution. Discusses the transformative impact of cognitive advancements on human evolution and society, exploring how changes in thinking and communication shaped historical and contemporary developments. Podcast

Decentralization: Staying Up to Date

Vitalik - Website. Vitalik Buterin’s personal website with regular posts on cryptoeconomics. Website/Blog‍
FredEhrsam - Website. Fred Ehrsam’s personal website on how crypto will create new money, institutions, and the internet. Website/Blog

AI Safety Organizations

Guide to Working in AI Policy - Miles Brundage. On potential roles, requirements, and organizations in AI policy. Website/Blog
AI Safety Camp - Connects you with an experienced research mentor to collaborate on their open problem during intensive co-working sprints – helping you try your fit for a potential career in AI Safety research. Event
MIRI (Machine Intelligence Research Institute) - MIRI's artificial intelligence research is focused on developing the mathematical theory of trustworthy reasoning for advanced autonomous AI systems. Organizations/projects
OpenAI - A non-profit artificial intelligence research company that aims to promote and develop friendly AI in such a way as to benefit humanity as a whole. Organizations/projects
DeepMind - Especially the Deepmind Ethics & Society Unit. Organizations/projects
Center for Human-Compatible AI - CHAI's goal is to develop the conceptual and technical wherewithal to reorient the general thrust of AI research towards provably beneficial systems. Organizations/projects
Anthropic - A research company that’s working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. Organizations/projects
Safe Superintelligence - A company attempting a straight shot at artificial superintelligence. Organizations/projects
Future of Life Institute - A volunteer-run research and outreach organization in the Boston area that works to mitigate existential risks facing humanity, particularly existential risk from advanced artificial intelligence. Organizations/projects
GovAI - Building a global research community, dedicated to helping humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. Organizations/projects
Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Artificial Intelligence - A global community to ensure that AI benefits all of humanity. Organizations/projects
Aligned AI - A benefit corporation dedicated to solving the alignment problem – for all types of algorithms and AIs, from simple recommender systems to hypothetical superintelligences. Organizations/projects
Ought - A product-driven research lab that develops mechanisms for delegating open-ended thinking to advanced machine learning systems. Organizations/projects
OpenMined - Help each member of society to answer their most important questions by empowering them to learn from data owned and governed by others. Organizations/projects
Foresight Institute - Supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies to make great futures more likely. Organizations/projects
AI Startups in SF - Overview of AI startups based in San Francisco. Content list
Collective Intelligence Project - Effective, decentralized, and agentic decision-making across individuals and communities to produce best-case outcomes for the collective. Organizations/projects
Cooperative AI - CAIF's mission is to support research that will improve the cooperative intelligence of advanced AI for the benefit of all. Organizations/projects
PIBBS - Principles of Intelligent Behavior in Biological and Social Systems (PIBBSS) is a research initiative aiming to leverage insights on the parallels between intelligent behavior in natural and artificial systems towards progress on important questions in AI risk, governance and safety. Organizations/projects
FAR AI - FAR AI’s mission is to ensure AI systems are trustworthy and beneficial to society. They incubate and accelerate research agendas that are too resource-intensive for academia but not yet ready for commercialisation by industry. Organizations/projects
Lionheart - Lionheart Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on mitigating civilizational risk. We do this by supporting the wise development of transformative technologies. Organizations/projects
Metaplanet - Metaplanet is an evergreen fund that invests in founders defining the future across sectors and geographies. It values academic mentality, grit, defensibility and multi-generational impact of the ventures it backs. Organizations/projects
Palisade Research - Palisade studies the offensive capabilities of AI systems today to better understand the risk of losing control to AI systems forever. Organizations/projects‍
Apollo Research - Apollo works to understand AI systems well enough to prevent the development and deployment of deceptive AIs. Organizations/projects

Organizations in Decentralization

Satoshi Nakamoto Institute - has early Email lists, protocols, background resources on Bitcoin. Website/Blog
Electronic Frontier Foundation - An international non-profit digital rights group. Organizations/projects
Internet Archive - A non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. Organizations/projects
Center for Long-term Cybersecurity - Is developing and shaping cybersecurity research and practice based on a long-term vision of the internet and its future. Organizations/projects
OpenMined - We are on a mission to help each member of society to answer their most important questions by empowering them to learn from data owned and governed by others. Organizations/projects..
Ethereum Foundation - Dedicated to supporting the Ethereum blockchain and related technologies. Organizations/projects
Protocol Labs - We build protocols, tools, and services to radically improve the internet. Organizations/projects
Gitcoin - A platform where you get paid to work on open source software. Organizations/projects
RMIT - A blockchain innovation hub. Organizations/projects
SeL4 Foundation - Sel4-focused computer security foundation. Organizations/projects
Plurality Research Network - Convenes researchers from computer science, political ethics, sociology, and government, who are experimenting with plural technologies. Organizations/project
Ethereum Conferences - Events to meet people in the global Ethereum community, learn about employment opportunities, and develop new skills. Event
DWeb Conference. Internet Archive’s Decentralized Web conference. Event
DefCon - Hacker and security conference. Event‍
Financial Cryptography Conference with Bitcoin Workshop Track - A major international forum for research, advanced development, education, exploration, and debate regarding information assurance, with a specific focus on commercial contexts. Event