Christine L. PetersonDirector (Oversight)
Grantmaker · Funders · Suite, San Francisco · Est. 1986
Foresight Institute is a U.S. nonprofit research organization (founded in 1986) that tries to accelerate “beneficial frontier science and technology” through a mix of grants, prizes, fellowships, and convenings. Its current work emphasizes applying AI to science and safety, as well as adjacent frontier domains including neurotechnology, longevity biotechnology, molecular nanotechnology, secure AI/usable security, and space, framed around the idea that promising capabilities are often too interdisciplinary or early for legacy institutions.
The organization also runs a “decentralized” hub strategy via its AI Nodes—intended to provide funding, local compute, and workspace to enable open, in-person research communities—alongside online seminar groups and periodic workshops and Vision Weekend conferences that gather researchers, builders, funders, and policymakers. Operationally, Foresight’s model blends: (1) technical capacity-building (e.g., seminar groups, workshops, and networked expert communities), (2) money + recognition (grants and multiple prize lines), and (3) physical/community infrastructure (AI Nodes) to support teams working on prioritized, high-leverage problem areas such as local compute for safe open AI for science.
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Foresight published a press release naming the 2025 Norm Hardy Prize winners and describing the awarded contributions (layered cybersecurity label for smart home devices) and background on Norm Hardy.
New $5M RFPs, tickets for Vision Weekend & grants deadline (program update for AI safety funding)Foresight announced new Requests for Proposals totaling $5M annual funding, describing four category areas (security technologies; automating research/forecasting; safe multi-agent scenarios; neurotechnology-to-AGI interface). It also promoted Vision Weekend and referenced a grants deadline and a Fellow application call.
Launched a new Secure AI “tech tree” plus related coverage (Nobel Laureate interview and podcast mention)Foresight announced a new secure AI tech tree meant to map technical paths toward secure and beneficial AI, describe open challenges and solutions, and connect actors—plus mention related seminar/podcast content.
AI Nodes RFP: AI for Science & Safety Nodes (SF/Berlin hubs and a Cape Town community xNode)Foresight published an RFP describing AI for Science & Safety Nodes, offering grant funding, office space, community, and compute. It frames the program around a decentralized network of nodes for secure/safe/private cooperative AI and AI-for-science, including an SF and Berlin node and a community xNode in Cape Town (in collaboration with Cape Institute for Safe AI).
Foresight August newsletter: “Working on AI Safety?” plus seminar highlights and prize/initiative updatesForesight’s newsletter highlighted seminar group presentations and included updates such as an AI safety proposal submission prompt and community/prize announcements.
Vision Weekend ticket-price announcement (deadline pressure and event dates)Foresight posted a September newsletter update stressing ticket-price increases and reiterating Vision Weekend dates (including Vision Weekend USA and Vision Weekend France).