Join us for an opening talk from Kelsey Piper.Kelsey is a senior writer at Vox's Future Perfect, where she writes about global health, science, and tech.
Which nonhumans matter, how much do they matter, and what do we owe them in a world reshaped by human activity? In this talk, Jeff Sebo argues that humanity should include all potentially significant beings in our moral community, with transformative implications for our lives and societies. He then examines a variety of questions that humanity will confront regarding creation ethics and population ethics. For example, should we accept the “rebugnant conclusion” that large groups of small beings matter more than small groups of large beings? Either way, what follows for our policies and priorities, at present and in the future?Jeff Sebo is Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy, and Co-Director of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. His research focuses on animal minds, ethics, and policy; AI minds, ethics, and policy; and global health and climate ethics and policy.He is the author of The Moral Circle and Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves and co-author of Chimpanzee Rights and Food, Animals, and the Environment. He is also a board member at Minding Animals International, an advisory board member at the Insect Welfare Research Society, and a senior affiliate at the Institute for Law & AI. In 2024 Vox included him on its Future Perfect 50 list of "thinkers, innovators, and changemakers who are working to make the future a better place."
Join Marcus Davis as he examines how Rethink Priorities has refined its research methodology and theory of change over time. Drawing from concrete examples, he'll share key insights for researchers and organizations aiming to maximize their impact through systematic investigation. This session will offer practical takeaways for conducting and structuring research that drives meaningful change.Marcus is the CEO of Rethink Priorities (RP). Marcus co-founded RP with Peter Wildeford in 2018. In his role as CEO, Marcus leads RP’s research and strategy. He’s also a co-founder of Charity Entrepreneurship and Charity Science Health.
AI could enable a tiny group of humans, or just one human, to take over a country and even the world. This risk is ballpark similar probability to AI takeover, and would be similarly bad if it happened. But there's been significantly (10X) less effort to reduce it. This talk aims to raise awareness and understanding of the risk, and discuss counter-measures.Tom is a Senior Research Analyst at Open Philanthropy He is currently working on assessing whether AI could lead to significant and long-lasting concentrations of power. Previously, he's worked on AI timelines (when AGI will be developed) and AI takeoff speeds (how rapidly AI capabilities will improve around the time of AGI). Prior to joining Open Philanthropy, Tom worked as a Data Scientist for education technology startup BridgeU and taught science at a UK comprehensive school. He has a Masters in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford.
Consciousness in contemporary or near-future AI systems is becoming a matter of practical concern. To make wise decisions about such systems, it will be important to have a model of their probabilities of consciousness and how those probabilities will change with new advancements.In this talk, Hayley and Derek will delve into an ongoing Rethink Priorities project: a framework for estimating the probability of consciousness in artificial systems. They will explore the critical challenges in evaluating AI consciousness and share the strategic decisions guiding their work.Hayley Clatterbuck is a Senior Researcher on the Worldview Investigations Team at Rethink Priorities and a Visiting Associate Professor of Philosophy at UCLA.Derek Shiller is a researcher on the Worldview Investigations team at Rethink Priorities, where he explores foundational questions ranging from digital consciousness to philanthropic decision-making. He holds a PhD in philosophy from Princeton University and has published work on topics in ethics and the philosophy of mind.
Factory farming, the industrial-scale harming of animals raised for food, is arguably the greatest moral atrocity of our time. Every year, 91 billion land animals, 124 billion finfishes, and trillions of crustaceans are farmed globally, with the vast majority suffering from psychological and physical harms.Despite the “David and Goliath” nature of a $300 million global animal movement working to reform a $1.4 trillion industry, NGOs are creating and leveraging opportunities to advance welfare policies, build sustainable food systems, and prevent more harmful industries from emerging. This talk focuses on current and emerging leverage points for farmed animal welfare movement strategy.Zoë is the Director of Programs at Farmed Animal Funders, a donor learning community made up of foundations and individuals donating $250,000+ annually to end factory farming. Additionally, Zoë serves as a Fund Manager with the Effective Altruism Animal Welfare Fund. Previously, Zoë led an international team at Mercy For Animals in partnering with global food companies to develop meaningful farmed animal welfare policies.To support the wider animal protection movement, she has mentored and trained organizations around the world in corporate outreach techniques and strategy, and spoken at international animal protection and effective altruism conferences. She holds a Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy degree from Vermont Law School and a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies.
In this fireside chat, Tom Davidson and William MacAskill will discuss whether AI could help a small group of humans seize power, how to get to the best possible future, and other neglected topics in AGI preparedness.William MacAskill is an associate professor in philosophy at the University of Oxford. At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest associate professor of philosophy in the world. He also cofounded the nonprofits Giving What We Can, the Centre for Effective Altruism, and 80,000 Hours, which together have moved over $300 million to effective charities. He’s the author of What We Owe The Future, Doing Good Better, and Moral Uncertainty.Tom is a Senior Research Analyst at Open Philanthropy He is currently working on assessing whether AI could lead to significant and long-lasting concentrations of power. Previously, he's worked on AI timelines (when AGI will be developed) and AI takeoff speeds (how rapidly AI capabilities will improve around the time of AGI). Prior to joining Open Philanthropy, Tom worked as a Data Scientist for education technology startup BridgeU and taught science at a UK comprehensive school. He has a Masters in Physics and Philosophy from the University of Oxford.
Policymaker decisions can be very consequential, and in recent years many have been interested in ensuring that these decisions are evidence-based. However, there are several barriers to evidence-based decision-making. This talk discusses barriers in generating evidence, interpreting evidence, and acting on evidence, drawing on work from several papers on stumbling blocks in the evidence-to-policy pipeline: "How Much Can We Generalize from Impact Evaluations?", "How Do Policymakers Update Their Beliefs?" (joint with Aidan Coville), "Local Knowledge, Formal Evidence, and Policy Decisions" (joint with Aidan Coville and Sampada KC).
It's hard to know what to think about lots of foundational moral questions. As a result, it's hard to know how to prioritize among the various giving opportunities available to us. The goal of this talk is to show people how Rethink Priorities' Moral Parliament Tool can help you think through some of the tricky questions associated with building a giving portfolio under moral uncertainty.
James Rayton, Giving What We Can's Head of Community, gives an inside view of their organisational strategy and a chance to feed into the thinking on how to achieve their bold plans for the future.
A human challenge model (where volunteers are deliberately infected with a pathogen) may represent the only way to advance hepatitis C vaccine development in the foreseeable future. A foundational hepatitis C challenge study will likely begin in Toronto in 2025. This session discusses the proposed hepatitis C study, participation in a high-impact medical trials more generally, and some of the career paths in academia, government, public health, and medicine that intersect with such research.
Nutrition International's Vitamin A Supplementation (VAS) program is a life-saving nutrition intervention that has reached more than 150 million children per year, with more than 10 billion capsules provided globally since 1998. It is both high impact and incredibly low cost. For the last two years, GiveWell has recommended a grant for Nutrition International's VAS program in Chad. Nutrition International is a global nutrition organization based out of Ottawa, dedicated to the fight against malnutrition.
This talk discusses the relationships between two important cause areas: wild animal welfare and farmed animal welfare. The talk covera various considerations relevant to cause prioritization, but does not argue that one area warrants a higher level of priority than the other. Regardless of which area you work in, what matters most is doing activism that's sensitive to the impact that work in one area can have on the other
Everyone will be affected by increasingly powerful AI systems, so everyone should be empowered to understand AI risks. This talk explores how to make AI risk and safety ideas more accessible through the use of engaging analogies. The goal is to provide interesting ways of framing AI risk and safety for both the audience and to share with others.
Matt from 80,000 Hours offers reflections on hundreds of career conversations he's had. He speaks to some of the core assumptions behind 80k's career recommendations that often go overlooked with special focus on the talent bar in EA direct work and how people should be orienting towards it and pushing themselves to clear it.
What are the Nordic & Baltic comparative advantages to have a positive impact in the world? This talk explores the unique strengths and opportunities of the Nordic effective altruism community to do good. Drawing on insights from workshops with community builders in the Nordics & Baltic countries, Maria Bækkelie and Laura M. Kull shares patterns, challenges, and ideas for how the region can best contribute to global impact.Maria Bækkelie serves as the Community and Event Manager at Effective Altruism Norway. Her extensive involvement with the Norwegian Effective Altruism community includes co-founding both Gi Effektivt and EA Norway. Prior to her current role, Maria was a Job Board Curator and Designer at 80,000 Hours, and the Managing Director of Gi Effektivt. Additionally, she has experience as a service designer in both the private and public sectors. Maria holds a degree in Industrial Design Engineering from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.Laura Maria Kull is a board member and the introductory fellowship coordinator for Effective Altruism Estonia. She is also a community builder on a local level in Norway as well as an event organizer - currently as the Baltics Lead for the EAGxNordics 2025. Outside of the EA world, she has been working in the public sector on both a local and a European level.
What if your work could help billions and still feel like a privilege? In this talk, Niklas Fjeldberg explores why animal advocacy is one of the most impactful, neglected, and purpose-driven fields you can enter today. Drawing from his own journey — going from concerned citizen to full-time campaigner at Anima International — he illustrates how accessible and meaningful this path can be, even without prior experience. Whether you're searching for purpose, scale, or neglected opportunities, this session gives you concrete reasons to consider working for animals. Niklas Fjelberg works with Anima International in Norway and has over five years of experience in the animal advocacy movement. His work spans campaigning, corporate outreach, operations, marketing, and organizational development, contributing to initiatives across multiple countries. Niklas is leading efforts to transform the broiler industry in Norway and has successfully helped improve the lives of millions of animals. He plays a central role in shaping strategy and building international capacity within the organization. Niklas holds a degree in mechanical engineering.
Join Einar Urdshals as he introduces how Singular Learning Theory (SLT) can help advance AI safety. As AI systems grow more powerful, we need to understand how they learn and generalize to ensure they remain aligned. Einar shares how Timaeus applies mathematical frameworks to connect training data, model structure and behavior. Discover why "you are what you eat" applies to AI systems, and how understanding learning dynamics could be key to building AI that reliably acts according to human values.Einar Urdshals is a Researcher at Timaeus where he applies Singular Learning Theory to AI safety challenges. With a background in theoretical physics and mechanistic and developmental interpretability, his recent work focuses on preventing weight exfiltration by studying theoretical limits of model compression.
Tim LeBon explores two common mental health challenges in the effective altruism community: perfectionism and imposter syndrome. Learn about their causes, what keeps them going, and practical CBT tips to overcome them.Tim is a CBT therapist, author, and speaker with a background in philosophy from Oxford. He’s worked widely with effective altruists, appeared on the 80,000 Hours Podcast, and is the author of ""Wise Therapy"", ""Achieve Your Potential with Positive Psychology"", and ""365 Ways to Be More Stoic"".
This session explores the ambitious global initiative to develop safe and effective vaccines within 100 days of a pandemic threat's identification. Stig Tollefsen from CEPI discusses the strategic innovations required to achieve this mission, including creating vaccine libraries, establishing global clinical trial networks, and expanding manufacturing capabilities. Learn how this paradigm shift could dramatically reduce pandemic impacts—potentially saving millions of lives and trillions in economic losses—and what scientific and logistical breakthroughs are needed to transform our pandemic response capabilities from reactive to proactive.Stig Tollefsen is Lead at Research and Development Innovations department at Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and is overseeing multiple call for proposals in CEPI, among them several rounds of COVID-19 vaccine development calls. He established and launched CEPI’s TechTalks platform as an interactive meeting platform between vaccine and technology developers and CEPI internal experts, having conducted more than 600 TechTalks since 2019. The main activity is e-scouting for innovative technologies across the globe that can enable CEPI’s 100 Days Mission for vaccine development. Stig is an immunologist with a PhD from the University of Oslo, with expertise in T-cell responses in autoimmune diseases and working with DNA vaccination, as well as working with adaptive immunity in ruminants at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute. He's held strategic roles at CEPI since 2019.